The Ottawa Charge lead the series 2-1 against the Boston Fleet after a 2-1 playoff victory, with goals from Fanuza Kadirova and Ronja Savolainen. Despite the win, the team needs to improve their performance to reach the Walter Cup Final.
In their first playoff game at the Canadian Tire Centre, the Ottawa Charge have taken a 2-1 series lead over the Boston Fleet following a 2-1 win on goals from Fanuza Kadirova and Ronja Savolainen. And while a win is a win, there remains much to improve upon if they want to advance to their second consecutive Walter Cup Final.
Through the first three games of this series, opportunities and struggles have been very present for the Ottawa Charge, and game three was no different. The team elected to pass when they should have taken the shot, the power play hasn't produced a goal since game one, and the way they start games still leaves much to be desired.
Credit: Ellen Bond
“We can do a better job of taking shots on net,” said forward Rebecca Leslie. “We passed a lot up in the slot, so I think that finding ways to get more shots on net is only going to help us. We just need to get back to finding ways to take those shots rather than pass them up.”
But not all is bad for the Charge. The play of forward Fanuza Kadirova, who finished with two points, including the opening goal in this game, and the “Ageless Wonder,” Jocelyne Larocque, continues to be standouts. While the team’s power play has struggled, their penalty kill remains perfect through three games. Through the good and the bad this postseason, one storyline continues to dominate the headlines, and that is the performance of goaltender Gwyneth Philips.
The Ottawa Charge won the playoff game against the Boston Fleet with a score of 2-1.
Fanuza Kadirova and Ronja Savolainen scored the goals for the Ottawa Charge.
The Ottawa Charge currently lead the series 2-1 against the Boston Fleet.
The Ottawa Charge need to improve their shot selection, power play efficiency, and game start performance.


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Credit: Ellen Bond
Coming into this game, Philips had made 56 saves, allowing only three goals in the process, living up to the “Fort Philips” moniker that fans have adorned her with. When the final buzzer sounded on game three, Philips had added another 36 saves to that total, bringing it to 92 saves through three games. And of those 92 saves, fans would be hard-pressed to name just one of their favourites, or which was the most important, because they all are, and all have been. Tonight was no different.
“At the end of the day, when you have Gwyneth Philips in your net, she gives you opportunities,” said head coach Carla MacLeod.
That 36-save game three total was also the 13th game this season in which Philips made at least 30 saves, another record the goaltender now holds. And with another standout performance, Philips now has a 1.34 goals against average and a .958 save percentage, both of which are the best among playoff goaltenders. To say that her performance has been outstanding feels like a rather sizable understatement.
Many expected this series to be closely contested offensively, as each of their regular-season matchups had been. Ottawa entered the playoffs in dominant offensive fashion but has struggled to maintain that consistency or to find that same gear thus far in this series. As a result, Philips is often put in a position where she has to remain perfect game in and game out, and while she’s been playing on another level in this series, and shows no signs of stopping, expectations like that are unrealistic, even for the best of the best.
The Ottawa Charge are fortunate to have taken a 2-1 series lead against the Boston Fleet, and now have a chance to close things out on home ice on Sunday afternoon. There have been strong performances within this lineup to have helped get them to this spot, but they owe everything up to this moment to one person: Gwyneth "The Fort" Philips.