Montreal Stuns Ottawa with Overtime Comeback in PWHL Finals Game 1

The atmosphere at Place Bell shifted dramatically in the final moments of Game 1 of the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Finals as Montreal’s Laura Stacey went down, leaving the Victoire trailing the Ottawa Charge 2-1 with just 18 seconds on the clock. What seemed like a bleak situation for the home team quickly transformed into a moment of inspiration.

With the clock winding down, Montreal rookie Nicole Gosling delivered a stunning equalizer, scoring with only 2.1 seconds left to push the game into overtime. This pivotal goal not only marked Gosling’s first playoff tally but also set a record for the latest goal scored in regulation during the playoffs, providing a much-needed spark for the Victoire.

Stacey returned to the ice to start the extra period, reinvigorating her teammates as they surged forward. The No. 1 seed Victoire ultimately triumphed over the No. 4 Charge, clinching a 3-2 victory in overtime. Abby Roque sealed the win with a remarkable goal that ricocheted off her face and into the net.

“We play for the people around us. We play for (Laura) Stacey,” Roque said, who finished the game with two goals. “Shout-out to Nic (Gosling). Never say die. She went to that one and got us tied up. And honestly, Maggie (Flaherty) saw me all the way in the back door. Lucky enough, it hits off my face and goes in.”

Ottawa had largely controlled the game, with forward Rebecca Leslie opening the scoring in the second period. Leslie netted an unassisted goal at the 16:56 mark after cleaning up a rebound, putting the Charge ahead 1-0 following a scoreless first period. The momentum shifted when Roque equalized for Montreal with 7:48 remaining in the third, thanks to assists from Nadia Mattivi and Stacey, marking Roque’s first goal of the postseason.

Leslie struck again with just 4:04 left in the game, capitalizing on a turnover from Poulin to restore Ottawa’s lead at 2-1. This marked Leslie’s fourth multi-goal game of the season. However, tragedy struck for Ottawa when Stacey was checked hard into the boards by Gabbie Hughes. She immediately grabbed her left leg and went down in pain, prompting concern from teammates and fans alike as she was helped off the ice.

Despite the setback, Montreal refused to back down. With mere seconds left, Maureen Murphy and Poulin assisted Gosling, who managed to find the back of the net, tying the game at 2-2 and sending the crowd into a frenzy.

“When (Stacey) goes down, everybody wants to push,” Roque reflected. “We never thought, ‘OK, it’s over.’ We still wanted to try to push and win and thank God for Nicole, but there’s a lot of plays that went up to it… Everybody just wanted to at least give it one more shot and lucky enough it went in.”

After the game, Leslie described the last-minute goal as a “tough” turn of events but expressed confidence in her team’s ability to bounce back. “We’re just going to continue to build and go at the next one,” she stated.

For Roque, who sported a black eye from her unusual game-winning goal, the experience was one for the books. “I was more just confused and then I saw it go in the net and I was like (celebrate)… First time for everything.”

Montreal goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens was solid in net, stopping 23 of 25 shots, while Ottawa’s Gwyneth Philips faced 26 shots, saving 23 in a full 62:29 minutes on the ice.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.