Last-minute Charge goal denies Victoire a sweep in PWHL final

OTTAWA — The Montreal Victoire lost its first match of the Professional Women’s Hockey League final after the Ottawa Charge bounced back to stave off a sweep Monday night.

The Charge stayed alive with a 2-1 win over the Victoire in Game 3 at the Canadian Tire Centre. Montreal’s Hayley Scamurra broke a scoreless draw at 7:32 in the third period, prompting excited cheers from parts of the crowd. 

Facing do or die, the Charge’s Peyton Hemp then tied it up at 14:30 with the team’s first goal of the night. In the final minute, Ottawa took the lead after Rebecca Leslie found the back of the net.

The Victoire now has a 2-1 series lead, and remains one win away from clinching the Walter Cup.

Marie-Pier Nemey drove two hours from Montreal to attend the game in person. “It’s exciting, it’s fun” to watch the Victoire, she said.

“We have another chance,” she said, adding she is ready to make the trip again to Ottawa for Game 4.

The arena was packed, with the Victoire faithful also showing up to support the team on the road. At the start of the first period, Montreal fans could be heard chanting alongside the Charge supporters’ cheers.

Sonya Beaudoin not only had her Victoire jersey and tuque on, she made a poster for the occasion describing herself as “No. 1 fan.” The season ticket holder attended every game this year.

“When I saw that Victoire won the second game (of the series), I immediately bought a ticket to come to Ottawa,” Beaudoin told The Gazette.

The fanbase didn’t just travel from Montreal. Hailey Graves flew from Halifax with her four-year-old daughter for Game 3.

Even though she’s originally from Ottawa, she described herself as a “diehard” fan of captain Marie-Philip Poulin. The Victoire has “stuck with it” in its quest for a championship, she added.

“They’ve been fighting for three years to get the cup and it’s their time,” Graves said.

The PWHL final is a best-of-five series format. Montreal played Games 1 and 2 on home ice, winning both those matches in narrow overtime wins before the series shifted to Ottawa.

Charge fans Emily Mallett and Riley Hickey were hopeful their team would take Game 3, saying they had already bought tickets for a possible Game 5.

“They have a tendency to play well at home,” Hickey said of Ottawa.

Game 4 is set for Wednesday night in Ottawa (7 p.m., TSN5, RDS). Game 5, if necessary, will be held at Laval’s Place Bell on Saturday (12:30 p.m., TSN, RDS). While “there’s obviously a better outcome in my brain,” Mallett said, it has been “really nice” to see an all-Canadian final.

“It’s amazing,” she said.

Virginia Champoux had knitted her own sweater with all the Victoire players’ names that she created while watching them play this season. She stood proudly with her daughter Nora-Jin Sokoloff outside the building before the doors opened.

Champoux said she first attended a Victoire game three years ago and then “I was hooked,” saying she loves everything about it.

“I’m OK with Game 5 so we can win at home,” Champoux said cheekily, adding it would be fun to attend the celebrations in Montreal.

Beaudoin was also behind her team no matter the outcome.

“Don’t give up, girls,” she said. “Don’t give up.”

This story will be updated.

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