Saturday, April 26, 2025 | 12:00 p.m. ET | The Arena at TD Place
WATCH LIVE: TSN 1, TSN.ca, TSN App, RDS, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com (U.S. / International)
EN: Daniella Ponticelli (Play-by-Play), Cheryl Pounder (Analyst), Rob Pizzo (Reporter);
FR: Claudine Douville (Play-by-Play), Isabelle Leclaire (Analyst), Catherine Savoie (Reporter), Andrée-Anne Barbeau (Studio Host), Karell Émard (Studio Analyst)
MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE
11-6-3-7 | 48 PTS | 1ST PLACE
Top Scorer: Marie-Philip Poulin – 27 GP, 17-6-23 PTS
Last Game: 1-0 L vs. NY on Apr. 1
OTTAWA CHARGE
11-1-4-11 | 39 PTS | 4TH PLACE
Top Scorer: Tereza Vanišová – 27 GP, 15-5-20 PTS
Last Game: 4-0 W at BOS on Apr. 2
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: MONTRÉAL LEADS 11-4 IN POINTS (MTL WON 10-5 IN 2024)
Nov. 30 at MTL: 4-3 MTL (SO) | Dec. 6 at OTT: 2-1 MTL | Jan. 19 at MTL (QUÉBEC): 2-1 MTL | Jan. 29 at MTL: 4-1 MTL | Feb. 22 at OTT: 3-1 OTT
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Montréal can clinch a top-two seed in the PWHL Playoffs with at least one point today against Ottawa which would ensure home ice advantage in the semi-final round. A Victoire win, or a shootout loss to the Charge, would also clinch a playoff berth for Toronto.
The Victoire have won eight of their 10 all-time games against the Charge, but the Charge won the most recent meeting in February, 3-1. It was the first time the Charge held the Victoire to fewer than two goals and under 20 shots on goal (16).
Montréal was on the losing end of five of their last seven games before the April break (1-1-2-3). Prior to that stretch, the Victoire had just five losses in their first 20 games of the season.
Marie-Philip Poulin is the PWHL’s goals leader so far this year (17), and four of those have come against the Charge. Poulin’s hat trick against Ottawa (Jan. 29) was the first in the PWHL this season (there have been four others since) and second of her career (Jan. 10, 2024 at NY).
The Victoire trio of Poulin (4G, 8A), Jennifer Gardiner (6G, 4A) and Laura Stacey (2G, 6A) were the top three scorers for Team Canada at Women’s Worlds. The captain was named Tournament MVP, Best Forward, and an All-Star while becoming Canada’s all-time leading scorer at the event with 89 points (39G, 50A).
Ann-Renée Desbiens returns to the Victoire lineup for the first time since Mar. 18. She leads all PWHL goaltenders with 13 wins, a 1.85 GAA and .932 SV%. She set a Women’s Worlds all-time record with her 22nd career win for Canada.
The Charge won their last two games before the break (both against Boston) and are looking to match their longest win streak of the season (Dec. 29 to Jan. 7). Ottawa allowed one goal over those two games against the Fleet, their fewest allowed over a two-game span in the PWHL.
Shiann Darkangelo’s hat trick in the last game before the break was the fifth hat trick in the PWHL and third by a Charge player this season (Tereza Vanišová has two). Both players were acquired in trades during the inaugural season. Charge players have had five total hat tricks in the PWHL since last season, the most by any team.
Gwyneth Philips earned the shutout win in the Charge’s last game. The rookie has two shutouts this season, tied for second most in the PWHL, and six games (four starts) allowing one or zero goals, tied for third most, despite just 12 total games played, seventh most in the league. The Ohio native enters the game riding the league’s second longest shutout streak of the season (111:36) behind New York’s Corinne Schroeder (178:46).
Philips has registered three straight wins against her Canadian counterpart Desbiens including a 3-1 victory in the last PWHL meeting between the teams on Feb. 22, and two wins internationally for Team USA including a 2-1 shootout triumph at the Rivalry Series on Feb. 6, and last Sunday’s 4-3 overtime victory at Women’s Worlds.
Kateřina Mrázová returns to the Charge lineup for the first time since Feb. 13 having missed the team’s last 11 games. The Czech native had five assists in six games at Women’s Worlds and was recognized as one of her team’s top three players.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“It's good to have the group back together, making sure that we're building that chemistry, building our common hockey language, getting players to touch the ice and get those reps in, all while building our game for playoffs as well. There's still some adjustments that we want to make and play around with some things for the next few days, but in the first game against Ottawa, it's a big priority for us to just get the reps, get chemistry, and put in an honest effort, making sure that we're playing the way we want to play to build our foundation." - Victoire Head Coach Kori Cheverie.
“This is a team that continues to get stronger and stronger as we play. We made a point of it at the end of our second win against Boston before the break. We recognized that we needed to find this momentum when we came back. These women are all on board and ready for the opportunity that lies ahead. It’s not lost on us what our objective is for the season. We can’t look too far ahead. The objective is to make sure we get to the right start Saturday. We know that and we’ll be ready for it.” - Charge Head Coach Carla MacLeod.
SATURDAY’S GAME: The Charge host their Pride Unity Game presented by e.l.f., celebrating the LGBTQ+ community with a sold-out crowd expected at TD Place in the team’s first home game since Mar. 25. Players walk-ins will feature the league’s commemorative Pride shirt designed by Hamilton, Ontario-based artist Eli, a queer and transgender creative. Some Charge players will also be wearing Ottawa Rapid FC jerseys as the professional women’s soccer team will be kicking off their historic season in the new Northern Super League (NSL) at TD Place Sunday. The ceremonial face-off will be performed by Renée Sauvé and Tracey Braun, Charge Season Ticket Members and Ottawa’s first same-sex couple to legally marry nearly 22 years ago. A surprise anthem signer is guaranteed to get the 8000+ fans off their feet before puck drop. Kerry Beckett, a founding member of the Ottawa Senior Pride Network, will be recognized as the Warrior of the Game as a true trailblazer and community builder. Her organization will have an activation on the concourse along with Ottawa Pride Hockey and LezGo Social.