Four PWHL teams remain in the Walter Cup race, with Boston opening against Ottawa and Montreal choosing Minnesota for its semifinal test.
The PWHL playoffs begin Thursday with four teams left in the race for the Walter Cup and two semifinal series shaped by tight regular-season margins.
Boston, the No. 2 seed, opens at home against fourth-seeded Ottawa at 7 p.m. ET in Lowell, Mass. Top-seeded Montreal begins its series Saturday at 2 p.m. ET against Minnesota, the league’s two-time defending champion.
The postseason field was not settled until the final weekend. Montreal edged Boston for first place by one game, while Ottawa claimed the fourth and final playoff berth ahead of Toronto by the same margin. By finishing first, the Victoire earned the right to select their opening opponent and chose the Frost.
Montreal enters with the league’s hottest second-half profile after setting a PWHL record by earning points in 16 straight games. The run came despite stretches without major contributors, including captain Marie-Philip Poulin, defender Erin Ambrose and forward Maureen Murphy.
Ann-Renée Desbiens gives the Victoire a clear foundation in goal. She appeared in 25 of Montreal’s 30 regular-season games and allowed 1.11 goals against. Minnesota managed only three goals against her across four regular-season meetings, making the Frost’s net-front pressure one of the central questions in the series.
Minnesota counters with a proven playoff group led by Kendall Coyne Schofield, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein and Taylor Heise, along with goaltenders Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley. Pannek enters the postseason after career-best production, finishing with 33 points and 16 goals, both league-leading totals.
Poulin’s availability and effectiveness remain one of Montreal’s biggest variables. She returned for the regular-season finale against Seattle and played just over 17 minutes after missing a large portion of the second half.
Boston’s matchup with Ottawa carries its own warning sign: the Fleet did not record a regulation win in four regular-season meetings with the Charge. Game 2 is also scheduled for Lowell on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
The Fleet have leaned on goaltender Aerin Frankel, captain Megan Keller and a balanced lineup under coach Kris Sparre. A midseason move for Jessie Eldridge strengthened the attack; she produced 10 points, including seven goals, in 11 games after joining Boston from Seattle.
Ottawa’s path has run through a top line of Brianne Jenner, Rebecca Leslie and rookie Sarah Wozniewicz, while goaltender Gwyneth Philips has been essential to the late push. Philips allowed two goals over Ottawa’s final four games, faced the most shots of any goalie in the league and played the most minutes.
Ottawa coach Carla MacLeod, whose team lost last season’s final to Minnesota, framed the postseason as something that cannot be solved in advance. “You’ve got to play it, to live it,” she said, “and that’s what we’re most excited about.”
That leaves the opening week with a straightforward question: whether Montreal’s form and Boston’s home ice can hold, or whether the defending champions and the last team into the field can turn the semifinals into something far less predictable.
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