The Montreal Victoire will face the Ottawa Charge in the opening round of the Professional Women’s Hockey League playoffs.
Montreal general manager Daniele Sauvageau announced the selection of Ottawa as its first opponent on Sunday on the league’s “Jocks in Jills” podcast.
The regular-season PWHL champion has the option of selecting either the third seed or the fourth seed to face in a best-of-five first-round series.
“We’ve been preparing for this all year should we be in this position,” Victoire head coach Kori Cheverie said on a conference call Sunday, without giving away too much of what went into the process of selecting the third-seeded Charge.
Ottawa finished ahead of fourth-place Minnesota through a tiebreaker after the Charge, Frost and Boston Fleet finished the season tied at 44 points.
WATCH | Poulin leads 1st-place Victoire past Sirens in final game of regular season:
Czech born Kateřina Mrázová’s of Ottawa Charge scores the overtime winner giving Ottawa a 2-1 win over Toronto Sceptres Saturday in PWHL action.
Game 1 of the Charge-Victoire series goes Thursday at Place Bell at 7 p.m. ET.
Cheverie said the team made the decision on its opponent Sunday.
“We took all the time we could as an organization to make sure we had all the information that we wanted to have,” she said.
The Victoire’s decision means the second-seeded Toronto Sceptres will face the Frost in the first round for the second straight year, with Game 1 Wednesday at Coca-Cola Coliseum at 7 p.m. ET.
Toronto earned home ice advantage by finishing second in the standings. No matter how the semifinals play out, a Canadian team is guaranteed a spot PWHL final to compete in a best-of-five series for the Walter Cup.
The Charge, who are in the playoffs for the first time, won their last two regular-season games against the Victoire after losing the first four.
WATCH | Mrázová’s OT winner sends Charge playoffs:
Marie-Philip Poulin scored her PWHL-leading 18th and 19th goals of the season in Montreal’s 3-2 win over New York. The Victoire secured first place in the PWHL earlier in the day after Toronto lost 2-1 in overtime to Ottawa.
In the inaugural 2024 season, the regular-season-champion Sceptres elected to face the fourth-seeded Frost in the first round. Minnesota went on to upset Toronto before defeating the Fleet in the final to claim the first Walter Cup.
Boston swept the second-seeded Victoire in the first round in 2024. Cheverie said the three games were among the best her team played despite the result.
“We can talk about last year all we want, it was a lesson for all of us,” Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin said.
“Series are hard,” she added. “That was hard last year, it will be harder this year, so it’s up to us to be ready.”
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PWHL playoff schedule
Montreal Victoire (1) vs. Ottawa Charge (3)
Thursday, May 8
- Game 1: Ottawa at Montreal (Place Bell) at 7 p.m. ET
Sunday, May 11
- Game 2: Ottawa at Montreal (Place Bell) at 2 p.m. ET
Tuesday, May 13
- Game 3: Montreal at Ottawa (TD Place) at 7 p.m. ET
Friday, May 16
- Game 4: Montreal at Ottawa (TD Place) at 7 p.m. ET*
Sunday, May 18
- Game 5: Ottawa at Montreal (Place Bell) at 7 p.m. ET*
*If necessary
Toronto Sceptres (2) vs. Minnesota Frost (4)
Wednesday, May 7
Game 1: Minnesota at Toronto (Coca-Cola Coliseum) at 7 p.m. ET
Friday, May 9
Game 2: Minnesota at Toronto (Coca-Cola Coliseum) at 7 p.m. ET
Sunday, May 11
Game 3: Toronto at Minnesota (Xcel Energy Center) at 6 p.m. ET^
Wednesday, May 14
Game 4: Toronto at Minnesota (Xcel Energy Center) at 7 p.m. ET*
Saturday, May 17
Game 5: Minnesota at Toronto (Coca-Cola Coliseum) at TBD*
^Tentative day/time
*If necessary
