Charge 4, Fleet 3 (double OT)
The Ottawa Charge will be heading to the Walter Cup final for the second straight season after Michela Cava netted the dramatic double-overtime winner in Game 4 to defeat the Boston Fleet 4-3.
It was an unusually high-scoring affair at the Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday afternoon with seven goals between the two teams. It was a stark contrast to the first three games of the series, in which the teams combined for 10 goals.
As with every game in this series, the Charge came out with the early lead and dug a two-goal hole for the Fleet to crawl its way out of.
But the Fleet responded with three second-period goals within a two-minute span to put itself in the lead, and just like that, the Charge was back on its heels.
A defensive collapse like that could have easily taken the wind out of Ottawa’s sails.
But if this team has shown anything in this series, it’s a high degree of resilience.
“I think when you go up 2-0 and then, in the span of five minutes, you let that lead go, I think a lot of teams would fold,” Charge captain Brianne Jenner said post-game. “And I think the fact we were able to put that in the rearview and just keep going, that’s something that we try to cultivate in our locker room.”
Michela Cava from the Ottawa Charge celebrates her double-overtime winning goal with her teammates on Sunday at the Canadian Tire Centre. Ottawa defeated Boston 4-3 in Game 4 to take the semifinal series 3-1.
For Boston, the defeat marks an unexpected early exit for a highly skilled team that entered the postseason with high hopes of a Walter Cup championship after finishing the regular season with a dominant 21 wins (16 in regulation and five in overtime) in 30 games.
“Full credit to Ottawa,” Fleet head coach Kris Sparre said post-game. “You push on them, they push right back.”
Ottawa will have to wait until Monday night to learn its Walter Cup opponent, when the Montreal Victoire and Minnesota Frost are set to face off in a winner-takes-all Game 5.
Here are some takeaways from Game 4 as Ottawa finds itself back in the final.
Michela Cava of the Ottawa Charge scores her double-overtime winning goal against the Boston Fleet at the Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday.
Fanuza Kadirova stays hot
No one has more points in the postseason than Fanuza Kadirova after she added two assists to her postseason tally on Sunday. It brings her playoff scoring tally to five points in four games.
It looked like she’d added a third playoff goal to her postseason tally on Ottawa’s opening goal as she fired a quick shot from the slot, but officials credited rookie Sarah Wozniewicz with the goal after determining the puck tipped off her stick in front of the net.
It was only 11 months ago when the Charge took a calculated risk to draft the Russian forward in the sixth and final round, unsure of how her playing style would translate from the Russian women’s system.
After a breakout debut season with 10 goals and 12 points in 28 regular-season games, the 5-foot-4 forward silenced any doubters with her quick shot and strong chemistry with her teammates, despite the limited English in her vocabulary.
And she’s found a way to step up her game even more in the postseason.
“She brings great energy to the team. She’s always bringing 100 per cent and you know that you’re going to get that from her every night,” Cava said. “And obviously she doesn’t talk as much as we do, but she’s right in it and she’s one of the best teammates ever.”
The team has also bonded over her trademark hairstyle, with her short, curly locks spilling out of the sides of her helmet.
“She’s an elite player with really good hair,” head coach Carla MacLeod added.
Ottawa Charge players celebrate after the double-overtime win Sunday.
The Michela Cava factor
Speaking of players who step up their game in the postseason, Michela Cava will soon be appearing in her sixth straight championship series, spanning across four different leagues.
That includes back-to-back championships with the Minnesota Frost.
The 32-year-old from Thunder Bay, Ont., had a slow start to the season and had yet to find the back of the net in a Charge uniform since being brought over in a trade from the Vancouver Goldeneyes in January.
But it’s well known that she plays her best hockey in the playoffs, with her postseason resume consisting of eight goals and 16 points across 22 career games.
Her first goal with Ottawa couldn’t have come at a bigger time as she starts to show how she could be the X factor to bring the Charge closer to a championship.
“I just think she’s a competitor. When you watch her out there, she’s got a knack for the net, she’s got a poise with the puck, and it was nice to see her be rewarded here tonight with such a big goal,” MacLeod said.
Cava’s line with Katerina Mrazova and Kadirova is also starting to come together at the right moment and combined on two goals on Sunday.
“I think we’re just starting to click at the right time,” Cava said. “All three of us work well together, and we’re finding the right areas and really getting on the rush.”
Ottawa Charge players celebrate with their fans after Sunday’s game at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Offensive floodgates open
With two of the world’s best goalies on either end of the ice in this series, it was no surprise to see the first three games of this series as relatively low-scoring affairs.
But in Game 4, there was no shortage of goals and team celebrations.
All of Boston’s production came within that two-minute span as it scored three quick goals on Charge netminder Gwyneth Philips, marking the first time in 10 games that Ottawa has allowed more than two goals in a single game.
But that’s not to say Philips had a tough time in net Sunday, as she still managed to come away with 43 saves on 46 shots as a relentless Boston forecheck came at her from all sides. Philips finished this series with an incredible 135 saves on 142 shots, good for a postseason-best 1.62 goals-against average.
“When she has a rare mistake, she bounces back so quick, and that’s amazing to see from such a young, elite player like that,” Jenner said. “She’s got all the tools, but she’s also got the compete and she’s got the mindset.”
It was also the first time in this series that Ottawa managed to get four pucks past Boston goaltender Aerin Frankel, who also had a phenomenal showing in this series.
Michela Cava of the Ottawa Charge celebrates her double-overtime winning goal with her teammates on Sunday at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Players shake hands after the double-overtime game Sunday.
Players shake hands after the double-overtime game Sunday.
Michela Cava from the Ottawa Charge celebrates her double-overtime winning goal against the Boston Fleet at the Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday.
Ottawa Charge goalie Gwyneth Philips can’t stop the puck against Shay Maloney from the Boston Fleet during the second period at the Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday.
Ottawa fans celebrate a Charge goal during the second period at the Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday.
Ottawa Charge player Fanuza Kadirova celebrates after an Ottawa goal against the Boston Fleet during the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday. It was originally thought Kadirova had scored, but officials credited Sarah Wozniewicz with the goal after determining the puck tipped off her stick in front of the net.
Hannah Brandt from the Boston Fleet hits Ottawa Charge player Brooke Hobson during the second period at the Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday.
Ottawa Charge player Sarah Wozniewicz watches the puck enter the Boston Fleet net during the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday. It was originally thought Fanuza Kadirova had scored, but officials credited Wozniewicz with the goal after determining the puck tipped off her stick in front of the net.
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