The caretakers of the Walter Cup were wheeling the PWHL grand prize down a Canadian Tire Centre hallway when they heard the building erupt with five and a half minutes left in Monday’s monumental clash between the Ottawa Charge and Montreal Victoire.
They retraced their steps, perhaps thinking they’d eventually be back that way again for its presentation to the Montreal Victoire, but with overtime on the horizon, it might not be until midnight or beyond. Either way, it seemed like only a matter of time before the mug would make its appearance to be placed in the hands of a Canadian team for the first time, with the majority of the largest playoff crowd (16,894) in the league’s short history looking on in dismay.
Leslie's Dramatic Equalizer
At that point, the Charge had beaten Victoire goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens just three times in approximately 192 minutes of the series. For it to happen again in the same game, well, how could anyone expect that? Even after emerging Ottawa sports hero Rebecca Leslie stunned the crowd by scoring with 55 seconds in regulation time, there was a too-good-to-be-true moment when the announcement came that the goal was under review, initiated by the central situation room, for a potential missed stoppage.
Review and Relief
It was reviewed whether captain Brianne Jenner had made a hand pass on the play, but after what seemed like an extraordinarily long minute or two, the film was inconclusive, and therefore the call on the ice stood. Leslie, who appeared to be having a hand injury looked at during the delay, called it a “nerve-racking” deliberation.
“We have iPads on the bench, so we’re looking at it, trying to figure out what they’re reviewing,” she said. “I didn’t really look, I just kind of sat there and waited. But yeah, it’s super nerve-racking, obviously it’s a pivotal moment in the series. For us, yeah, it was a big relief when it was called a goal.”
What's Next for the Charge
So the Charge is now tasked with staving off elimination again on Wednesday (7 p.m.) at CTC. Whether Ottawa can force a fifth and deciding game back at Place Bell in Laval on Saturday is anyone’s guess, but if there is one good bet to be made, it’s that, with six of the last seven PWHL championship final games being decided in overtime and Monday’s in the last minute, it’s sure to be a dramatic finale.
Did the refs make up for missing the obvious trip that allowed Montreal to score the OT winner in Game 2? No, the teams had an equal number of power play opportunities, and Ottawa was handed the first two penalties of the game. And don’t thank them for allowing Leslie’s last-minute winner to count. First of all, it was the central situation room that called for the review, and judging by the replays we saw, the puck only grazed Jenner’s glove if it touched it at all. No way could that one have been overturned. If anything, thank Jenner’s poor fielding skills, because she reached for the puck and missed it.
When is someone going to capitalize on a power play? Through three games of the final series, there hasn’t been a goal scored with a player in the penalty box.
