Michela Cava netted her first goal as a member of the Ottawa Charge in double overtime, lifting her team to a 4-3 victory over the Boston Fleet in Game 4 of their semifinal series. The win secures Ottawa’s second straight trip to the Walter Cup Finals, where they will face the winner of the Montreal–Minnesota matchup.
It remains a puzzle how the Charge defeated the league’s second-best team, as they were outplayed and outshot in all four games of the series. Despite being heavily outchanced, Ottawa emerged as the last team standing, with another opportunity to bring the Walter Cup north of the border for the first time in league history.
The biggest story, aside from the victory, is the shot disparity Ottawa faced and goaltender Gwyneth Philips’ stellar performance. Over the four games, the Charge were outshot 142–94, including 46–33 in Game 4, averaging 35.5 shots against per game. In most cases, such numbers would end a playoff run, but Philips proved to be a steadying force. She finished with 135 saves, posting a .951 save percentage—just a single point below her playoff performance last year, which earned her the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award. Without her brilliance, the season would have ended much differently.
Credit: Ellen Bond
The power play also needs attention, not for results but for structure. Ottawa went 1-for-1 in the series-clincher but finished 2-for-13 (15.4%) overall, slightly below their regular-season rate of 17.8%. The concern lies in the team’s tendency to overpass rather than shoot, a mindset that has plagued them all season, both on the power play and at even strength.
While there are areas to improve for redemption in the Finals, there is much to celebrate. Following Philips is Fanuza Kadirova, who may be the steal of the 2025 PWHL Draft. She recorded five points in four games, leading all playoff scorers by one point over Minnesota’s Sidney Morin. Kadirova scored the opening goal, a game-winner, and contributed on the power play, never taking a shift off or lowering her intensity.
Despite the high volume of shots against, Ottawa’s defenders and forwards effectively reduced secondary scoring threats by clearing the puck from the front of the net. Head coach Carla MacLeod credited goaltending coach Pierre Groulx for his work alongside the team. “He’s really bolstered our offence and defence,” MacLeod said. “He’s really taken a grasp of the net front presence piece on both ends of the rink. He gives incredible presentations to our players to help us understand tendencies and what we want to do.”
Credit: Ellen Bond
With the final two games of the series held at the Canadian Tire Centre, fans got a glimpse of the team’s future. Attendance over those games totaled 24,409, including a PWHL playoff record set in the arena.