Extra Sweep: PWHL Boston beats Montreal in overtime, advances to Walter Cup Finals

It could not have ended any other way.

After outlasting Montreal in two overtime affairs to start the semifinals, Boston decided to do it again on Tuesday night, beating Montreal 3-2 in extra time, completing a three-game sweep of their Canadian rivals.

Boston becomes the first team in PWHL history to advance to the Walter Cup Finals.

The way the game started, Boston was simply trying not to get blown out on home ice, as Montreal controlled the play from the opening puck drop, leading 2-0, outshooting Boston 25-11 after 40 minutes.

However, just as they did in the series opener, Boston fought back. Two goals in the third period forced overtime, and just over a minute in to the added period, Susanna Tapani followed up on a rebound from an Alina Müller shot, scoring her second overtime winner to send Boston to the finals.

Tapani explained that Boston was confident that, with the team’s resilience, they could rally in the third period.

“It’s very hard to put into words,” Tapani told TSN’s Raegan Subban immediately following the win. “We knew that we could do this, and we have shown it before. This is unbelievable. This team, what we have done…came back, and we knew we were going to win this game.”

In what has been the trend in this series, Boston goaltender Aerin Frankel was outstanding. She had to weather an early Montreal storm, as Boston was outshot 18-4 in the first period, with Frankel only getting beaten once. The U.S. National Team star made 32 saves in Game 3, including a huge save on Marie-Philip Poulin late in the first.

Frankel turned away 141 of the 145 shots she faced in the series.

Boston’s rally started a little before the halfway mark of the third, as a great individual effort by Sophie Shirley put the home team on the board, her first goal since late March.

Amanda Pelkey had another great game, scoring a goal and an assist, with her game-tying late in the third being the first “jailbreak” shorthanded goal in PWHL Playoff history.

The 30-year-old ended with two goals and an assist in the series. Pelkey admitted it was nice having a quick end to Game 3.

“I think we were happy that it didn’t last longer than that,” Pelkey said. “I think many fans watching were glad it was quick and short too. It’s just a feeling you get when you go into overtime, and everyone is buzzing and excited. I don’t think we were shocked by it.” 

Tapani says Boston’s depth and belief are going to be important heading into the finals.

“We believe in ourselves. It doesn’t matter what the score [is], we just have to do it together, we’ve had so much fun. We’ve just grown over the past month. It’s unbelievable.”

The loss has certainly left many on Montreal’s roster scratching their heads. They outshot Boston 145-102, and had a lot of jump in Game 3. Head coach Kori Cheverie says her team is stunned.

“[We’re] just trying to process everything,” Cheverie said. “I think it’s important for our group to know how well they played over the last three games, and it’s okay to feel the emotion. It’s one of those things where I don’t know if you do too much different.” 

Poulin played her best game of the series, scoring a goal and an assist, getting Montreal on the board off a great feed from Mikyla Grant-Mentis.

Maureen Murphy put Montreal up by two in the second period, tipping in an Erin Ambrose point shot, her first of the series. She was the only player on her team to have registered three points in the series.

While her counterpart stole the series, Ann-Renée Desbiens was exceptional for Montreal, posting a .931 save percentage and a 1.70 goals-against average in the three games.

With all three games heading into overtime, and Game 2 being a three-overtime thriller, Boston and Montreal played a total of 247 minutes, just over four games worth of time.

The lone downer is how many people showed up to watch the final game. Similar to the shockingly low attendance in Game 3 between Toronto and Minnesota in St. Paul, only 2,781 fans were there at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, the lowest attendance so far in the playoffs. One can only hope more fans will show up in the finals.

Boston will now await the winner of the other semifinal, in which Toronto leads Minnesota, 2-1. Game 4 is set for tomorrow night.

Check out the DFO Walter Cup Playoffs hub