Victoire vs. Charge: 2025 PWHL playoff series preview and pick
Montreal Victoire: 1st in PWHL (12-7-3-8), 53 points
Ottawa Charge: 3rd in PWHL (12-2-4-12), 44 points
Schedule (ET)
| Date | Game | Time |
| Thursday, May 8 | 1. Charge vs. Victoire | 7 p.m. ET |
| Sunday, May 11 | 2. Charge at Victoire | 2 p.m. ET |
| Tuesday, May 13 | 3. Victoire at Charge | 7 p.m. ET |
| Friday, May 16 | 4. Victoire at Charge* | 7 p.m. ET |
| Sunday, May 18 | 5. Charge at Victoire* | 7 p.m. ET |
*if necessary
The Skinny
Border rivals with two spirited fanbases. What more could you ask for in an opening-round matchup?
From the onset of the season, the Victoire were one of the best teams in the PWHL. Led by captain Marie-Philip Poulin, Montreal won five of its first six games. While teams like the New York Sirens and Minnesota Frost started to tail off as the grind of the regular season dragged, the Victoire stayed at the top of the league.
Montreal was hit with a little bit of adversity in the latter half of the regular season, dropping four of five games in March, losing goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens heading into the world championship break. Yet, despite going just 4-4-1-1 in their final 10 games, the Victoire finished first in the PWHL, getting the right to choose who they play in the first round.
The team they chose was the Charge, a team that is entering the postseason for the first time. Ottawa got redemption after missing out on the playoffs in year one, beating the Toronto Sceptres on the final day of the regular season to get in.
It wasn’t an easy path. The Charge lost four of their first five games, and were hanging near the bottom of the standings for a few months. Things started to turn for the better after the final wave of the Rivalry Series. Starting with an 8-3 walloping of the Frost, Ottawa started to grind its way back into contention, winning five of the team’s last seven games to finish in third place.
Head to Head
Montreal: 3-1-0-2
Ottawa: 2-0-1-3
Ever since the inaugural season, the Victoire and Charge have just been fun games to watch. Whether it be because of the great action or the boisterous crowds in Laval and the nation’s capital, you can’t help but enjoy watching the Canadian rivals go at it.
Montreal obviously won the regular-season series and, overall, has won eight of the 11 all-time meetings against Ottawa. The Victoire won the first four meetings this year, but with the team pushing for a playoff spot, the Charge grabbed a couple of regulation wins over the Victoire.
Top Five Scorers
Montreal
Marie-Philip Poulin, 26 points
Laura Stacey, 22 points
Jennifer Gardiner, 18 points
Abby Boreen, 14 points
Cayla Barnes/Erin Ambrose, 13 points
Ottawa
Tereza Vanišová, 22 points
Emily Clark, 19 points
Shiann Darkangelo, 17 points
Gabbie Hughes, 16 points
Brianne Jenner, 15 points
X-Factor
A player whose game I’ve enjoyed watching since her days in the Premier Hockey Federation, Shiann Darkangelo has been flourishing this season. The Brighton, Michigan native earned a reputation as an exceptional defensive forward, but only registered a single assist during the league’s first season. However, call it confidence, call it fortune, Darkangelo has shown her scoring touch this season. The 31-year-old posted eight goals and 17 points in 27 games, including scoring a hat trick against the Boston Fleet on April 2. Her ability to be an effective two-way player will be key in this series.
The winning pedigree and the chip on the team’s shoulder will be the reason the Victoire moves on to the final. They have the likes of Poulin, Desbiens, Erin Ambrose and Laura Stacey (among others), who know what it takes to win championships. Pair that up with the pent-up anger from being swept last year, and you have a team that is hungry to make it far into these playoffs. I know they haven’t played their best hockey as of late, but when the chips are down, the stars will rise to the top.
Offense
When you look at the offensive numbers, the Charge and Victoire aren’t really all that far apart. Sure, Ottawa was tied with the New York Sirens for the fewest in the PWHL. However, Montreal scored just six more goals than their rivals.
Poulin undoubtedly led the charge, putting together a candidacy for MVP by leading the league in goals with 19 in 30 games (that would be 51 goals in an 82-game season). Unfortunately, the Victoire’s top line of Poulin, Laura Stacey and Jennifer Gardiner was the go-to scoring threat for the team. Almost half of Montreal’s 77 goals came from that line, as the trio combined to find the back of the net 35 times. Abby Boreen and Catherine Dubois were the only two players outside of that line to have more than four goals this season, and Boreen hasn’t scored a goal since February.
Tereza Vanišová is my pick for league MVP, hands down. There was no one player on the Charge roster who could make a greater impact at any point than she could. The Czech star had numerous standout performances, including becoming the first player in PWHL history to have two hat tricks in a single season.
Unlike Montreal, Ottawa doesn’t need to have Vanišová going in order to be successful. Along with players like Darkangelo, Emily Clark and Brianne Jenner have the ability to step up and put the puck in the back of the net. Gabbie Hughes had another solid season, while Jincy Roese and Ronja Savolainen produced from the back end.
Defense
Defensively is where we start to see the Victoire and Charge start to separate.
To show how strong the Victoire defense is, Ambrose has been seen playing on the second pair. That is far from a knock on the 2022 Olympic gold medalist. With talent like Barnes and Kati Tabin, as well as a talented rookie like Anna Wilgren, Montreal’s goaltending has had it easy compared to some of the other backstops in the PWHL. This is an effective group at both ends of the rink, making things tough on the opposition’s top weapons.
While the Charge has someone like Jocelyne Larocque on the blue line, the team isn’t all that deep. Aneta Tejralova has made great strides in her second year in the league, and Savolainen has been solid at both ends of the rink. However, the D-corps have been prone to make glaring errors in coverage, leaving their netminder hung out to dry. Larocque herself hasn’t looked like the same player since being traded from Toronto, either.
The Victoire allowed the fewest goals during the regular season (67), while the Charge finished tied with the Sirens for the most (80).
Goaltending
You have two different characters on each end of the ice in this series.
On one side, you have Desbiens. All-world goaltender. World champion, gold medalist and odds-on favorite to be named PWHL Goaltender of the Year. The 31-year-old led the league in wins (15), goals-against average (1.86) and save percentage (.932), much better numbers than year one. The way she bounced back from injury at the IIHF Women’s World Championship last month further proves she can rise to the occasion.
In the other net, you have the rookie Gwyneth Philips, who has taken the No. 1 role with Emerance Maschmeyer on long-term injured reserve. While it took her some time to find her footing, the right-handed catching backstop posted an 8-5-1 record with a 2.11 GAA and .919 SV%. She was tasked with starting Ottawa’s final eight games of the regular season, winning five of them.
Philips and Desbiens faced off twice during the regular season. On Jan. 29, Desbiens got the better of the former Northeastern star, making 31 saves, while Philips was pulled in a 4-1 win. Philips got redemption on Feb. 22, giving up just one goal in a 3-1 victory.
The two also met in the gold medal game at the Women’s Worlds, with Philips (in relief for an injured Aerin Frankel) outlasting Desbiens in overtime.
Desbiens might have the more prominent experience, but this is an opportunity for Philips to prove herself, this time at the professional level.
Injuries
As you just read, the Charge is still without Maschmeyer. She technically could return whenever she wants, but sources say she hasn’t started skating heavily yet. The Canadian National Team regular has been seen walking around the team facilities, but it doesn’t seem like she’d be ready to return until the final, if at all. Other than that, the Charge are coming into the playoffs fully staffed.
The same goes for Montreal. They couldn’t have Desbiens’ injury come at a better time, only missing three games before returning in full force after the international break. Laura Stacey suffered a lower-body injury back in mid-January, forcing her to miss five games. Thankfully, the Victoire were able to perform without their speedy winger and have had the top line going full tilt ever since her return.
Victoire forward Alexandra Labelle was placed on LTIR back in February with an upper-body injury but was activated a little over a week ago.
Intangibles
As neither team has had success in the PWHL (and since neither team has won a playoff game yet), you have to look at the winning pedigrees from abroad for both teams.
Montreal’s roster is filled with players who have packed trophy cases. Looking at the lineup, you’ll find 17 IIHF world championship gold medals and seven Olympic golds. Four players have won NCAA National Titles, with Gardiner winning two at Ohio State, one with Barnes and the other with Clair Degeorge in 2022. Kati Tabin, Amanda Boulier and Elaine Chuli have won the PHF Isobel Cup, while Labelle won a USports championship with the University of Montreal.
The Charge, believe it or not, have even more past champions on their roster. Thanks to having players like Jenner and Larocque on the roster, Ottawa’s lineup has 22 world championship gold medals and seven Olympic golds. Emily Clark, Larocque and Stephanie Markowski have each won NCAA titles, while Vanišová and Darkangelo combine for six Isobel Cups. Jenner and Rebecca Leslie were on the Calgary Inferno team that won the last Clarkson Cup in 2019 as well. Not to mention Savolainen, who won six SDHL championships with Luleå HF.
Safe to say, players from both sides know what it takes to win on the big stage.
Series Prediction
I feel pretty dumb since I had the Charge finishing last in my preseason predictions. Yet, they have been resilient this year. They faced adversity and met it head-on. They’ve been playing playoff hockey for the last couple of months. The confidence they have heading carries them in what is going to be a back-and-forth series. However, guts will prevail over skill. If the Charge can steal a win in Laval early in the series, it will insert the seed of doubt into Montreal.
Charge wins the series, 3-2