You Picked Us – Ottawa Makes a Statement in Game 3
With the crowd chanting “You picked us!” and rookie stars rising to the occasion, the Ottawa Charge shut out the Victoire to move within one win of the Walter Cup Finals.
As the Montréal Victoire skated off the ice at TD Place, the Ottawa crowd let them have it. "You picked us!" they chanted in unison, a pointed reminder of the decision made just over a week ago, when the top-seeded Victoire chose the third-place Charge as their semifinal opponent.
On Tuesday night, Ottawa made them regret it.
Backed by a 26-save shutout from rookie goaltender Gwyneth Philips and a gritty third-period goal from fellow first-year forward Mannon McMahon, the Charge pulled out a 1–0 win in front of 7,282 fired-up fans. It was their first home playoff game in franchise history, and their first home playoff victory.
“It was so special,” head coach Carla MacLeod said postgame. “You're on the bench and you're getting the reverb of everything. We are so fortunate in Ottawa to have the fan base that we do. They just keep yelling and screaming and cheering and booing, whatever else we need in those moments.”
The game stayed scoreless through forty tense minutes, with both teams trading chances in a physical, evenly matched contest. Then, at 8:42 of the third period, the breakthrough came. Gabbie Hughes put a shot on net and McMahon pounced on the rebound, scoring her first career playoff goal, and her fifth at TD Place this season.
🚨 Mannon McMahon (1)
— x - Ottawa Charge (@PWHL_Ottawa) May 14, 2025
🍎 Gabbie Hughes
🍏 Ronja Savolainen pic.twitter.com/fKtA1puZ0P
The Hughes-McMahon-Clark line was tasked with tough minutes all night, and their effort was rewarded in the box score and on the scoreboard.
“The crowd was going from the second that the national anthem played. How can you not be energized by that?” said McMahon. “We needed that tonight, so it’s huge, and we know we’ll have that next game too.”
Shortly after the go-ahead goal, the intensity hit a boiling point. Tempers flared in a scrappy third period that saw cross-checks, roughing calls, and some heated post-whistle exchanges. A controversial body checking major to Montréal’s Laura Stacey was downgraded to a minor after video review, but it only added to the tension on the ice, and in the stands.
HUGE collision in Ottawa between Stacey and Bell.
— Jocks In Jills (@JocksInJills) May 14, 2025
Play is under review. pic.twitter.com/Y7WXJxVOLF
On the other end of the ice, Gwyneth Philips continued her incredible postseason run. The rookie netminder stopped all 26 shots she faced, becoming the first rookie goalie in league history to record a playoff shutout.
“She’s a heck of a goaltender,” MacLeod said. “Every opportunity she’s gotten, she’s just enjoyed it, and that’s the key. I think outside people might see it as pressure. As the inside athlete, that’s the moment you’ve been hoping for and dreaming of.”
Philips credited the group around her for helping her find her game at the right time.
“I’m getting more comfortable and gaining confidence because I can feel that my teammates are feeling a little bit more confident with me,” she said. “That’s been my key to success.”
The Charge will get the chance to finish the job on Friday night (7PM EST) in front of their home crowd. One win away from the Walter Cup Finals, they’ll be counting on the same energy, and the same belief.
Comments ()