3 Takeaways From Montreal Victoire’s 4-0 Shutout Win Over Charge in Game 4 of Walter Cup Final – The Hockey Writers – Montreal Victoire

On Wednesday, the Montreal Victoire won their first championship in franchise history with a 4-0 victory over the Ottawa Charge in Game 4 of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Walter Cup Final. The Charge won Game 3 to force a Game 4, but the Victoire owned this contest, winning the best-of-five series 3-1.

After a scoreless opening frame, the Victoire got on the board just three minutes into the second period. They took their third penalty of the game in the third period but scored a shorthanded goal to go up 2-0. Four minutes later, they scored again, and another goal two minutes later gave them a four-goal cushion. The Charge pulled their goaltender with four minutes remaining, but the Victoire held on for a 4-0 shutout victory to become the first Canadian team to win the Walter Cup.

Roque Scored a Brilliant Jailbreak Goal

Abby Roque opened the scoring for the Victoire, and then, in the third period, with Marie-Philip Poulin in the box for goaltender interference, she drove to the net on a breakaway. With a brilliant backhanded shot, she gave Victoire a two-goal lead. 

Roque recorded eight points in nine playoff games, spending most of her time playing on the first line alongside Poulin and Laura Stacey. This was her first taste of the postseason after spending her first two PWHL seasons with the New York Sirens. She was traded to the Victoire during the 2025 Entry Draft for Kristin O’Neill and the 28th overall pick. 

Desbiens Stunned the Charge

Gwyneth Philips of the Charge and Ann-Renee Desbiens were the stars of the final series. Both goaltenders were a big reason why the three games of the Walter Cup Final were low-scoring, up until this one. In Game 4, Desbiens put on a master class, stopping all 23 shots she faced in the championship victory. This was her first shutout of the Walter Cup Final and her second of the playoffs.

During the regular season, she recorded seven shutouts, one short of Aerin Frankel’s eight, who led the league. She recorded a goals-against average of 1.40 and a save percentage (SV%) of .944 in the playoffs.

Victoire Officially Dethrones the Frost 

This all-Canadian final was the first in PWHL history. The first two Walter Cups were won by the Minnesota Frost. Even though the Victoire were on the road, they still won the Walter Cup in Canada, as Game 4 was played in Ottawa. Regardless, the Cup is staying in Canada for the 2025-26 season.

Poulin won the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award. The Victoire’s captain, a pillar of women’s hockey and the PWHL since its inception, adds two more major awards to her trophy case.

Hayley Scamurra also became the first PWHL player to win the Walter Cup and an Olympic gold medal in the same season. Scamurra recorded four points throughout the nine postseason games, sitting in fifth place on the Victoire’s points leaderboard.

Heading to the Offseason

There is no rest for the champions as the offseason kicks off in a week. With four teams joining the league for the 2026-27 season, every team will look different by the fall. Over the course of the past few weeks, the PWHL announced PWHL Detroit, PWHL Las Vegas, PWHL Hamilton, and PWHL San Jose will join the league, beginning in the 2026-27 season.

The four expansion teams will build their rosters via a five-phase process that ends with the PWHL Entry Draft on June 17 in Detroit. Details are yet to be finalized for the expansion process, but phase one is slated to begin on May 21, where each of the existing eight teams will protect three players. From there, the four expansion teams will release a list of 20 players with whom they would like to negotiate a contract.

After the initial signing process ends, the eight established teams are allowed to protect three more players. Then, the four expansion teams will be allowed to sign up to 10 players during an executive signing window, with no established team losing more than four players. After this, the PWHL will host their draft, and two days after that, free agency opens up, so any player on an expiring contract can sign with a new team.

While the makeup of the 2026-27 Victoire roster will look very different next season, this was a historic win for Montreal’s team.