Game 2: Saturday, May 2, 2026 | 7 p.m. ET | Tsongas Center
WATCH LIVE: NESN+, Scripps Sports Network, TSN 3/5, TSN.ca, TSN App, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com (U.S. / International), More
Kenzie Lalonde (Play-by-Play), Cheryl Pounder (Analyst), Natalie Noury (Reporter)
OTTAWA CHARGE (4)
Top Scorer: Jocelyne Larocque – 1 GP, 1-0-1 PTS
Goaltender: Gwyneth Philips – 2.04 GAA, .929 SV%
Series Special Teams: PP 1/6 (16.7%) | PK 5/5 (100.0%)
BOSTON FLEET (2)
Top Scorer: Alina Müller – 1 GP, 1-1-2 PTS
Goaltender: Aerin Frankel – 1.00 GAA, .944 SV%
Series Special Teams: PP 0/5 (0.0%) | PK 5/6 (83.3%)
2026 PWHL WALTER CUP PLAYOFFS: BOSTON LEADS THE BEST-OF-FIVE SEMIFINAL SERIES 1-0
Game 1 at BOS: 2-1 BOS | Game 2 at BOS (May 2) | Game 3 at OTT (May 8) | Game 4 at OTT (May 10) | Game 5 at BOS (TBD)
2025-26 REGULAR SEASON SERIES: OTTAWA WON 7-5 IN POINTS (BOSTON LEADS 24-21 IN POINTS ALL-TIME)
Dec. 27 at OTT: 3-2 OTT (SO) | Jan. 11 at BOS (HALIFAX): 2-1 OTT (SO) | Feb. 28 at OTT: 3-2 BOS (SO) | Apr. 22 at BOS: 2-1 OTT (OT)
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The Fleet have won Game 1 of all three of their playoff series, while Thursday was the Charge’s first-ever loss in three series openers. All six of Boston’s all-time playoff wins have come by one goal, with four of them coming in overtime. The Fleet’s three playoff losses (all in the 2024 Walter Cup Finals) were each by three goals. Ottawa has been held to one goal in five of their nine all-time playoff games.
All nine of Ottawa’s playoff games have been decided by one goal, the longest such streak in league history. The Charge have gone 4-5 in those games. In the regular season, they went 1-8-1-3 in one-goal games – their nine combined wins were tied with Boston and Montréal for most in the league.
Jocelyne Larocque has 15 points (one goal, 14 assists) in 60 games (0.25 points per game) over the last two regular seasons. Over the last two postseasons, the defender now has five points (2G, 3A) in nine games (0.56 points per game) after scoring Ottawa’s lone goal in Game 1. At 37, the “Ageless Wonder” as coined by captain Brianne Jenner, Larocque led all Charge skaters Thursday with 24:47 in time on ice.
The Charge were the only team to convert on the power play in Game 1 against a Fleet penalty kill that surrendered just seven goals during the regular season. Both teams scored twice with the player advantage in their last five regular season games with Boston going 2-for-11 and Ottawa 2-for-16. Both teams tied their playoff records with five penalties in Game 1.
The line of Emily Clark (4), Peyton Hemp (3) and Gabbie Hughes (1) accounted for 44% of Ottawa’s 18 shots on goal in Game 1. Rebecca Leslie led the team with 99 shots on goal during the regular season and had two on Thursday.
The Charge may not be at home, but their fans are rallying with playoff fever in Ottawa. More than 150 fans attended a Watch Party hosted at Tailgators Pub and Grill and will gather again prior to Game 2. Fan club Red Scarf Union (RSU) moved to the Merivale Road location after outgrowing their previous two spots. The Charge will have a popular merch pop-up stand and raffle prizes including tickets to Game 3, gift cards, autographed gear, and more at today’s event.
Game 1 was the 19th time this season that Boston has allowed one or zero goals in a game, the most by any PWHL team in a season (regular and postseason combined) all-time. The Fleet are now 15-2-1-1 in those 19 games, including 6-0-0-0 in such games at the Tsongas Center.
Alina Müller scored Boston’s first goal and assisted on the second. She also saw 22:38 of ice time, the most by a forward on either team. It was the alternate captain’s 12th game this season with at least 22 minutes of ice time, most of any forward in the league. Her 18 faceoff wins in Game 1 were the most by any Boston player in any game in the last two seasons.
Jessie Eldridge had two assists and five shots on goal in Game 1, the first postseason game of her career. She had not reached both of those marks in any of her 84 career regular season PWHL games. Eldridge has 12 points in her last nine games (7G, 5A) after being held without a point in her first three with the team. Her and Müller have combined for points on eight different goals, including both on Thursday.
Jamie Lee Rattray has scored four of her 12 all-time PWHL goals, including her first career playoff tally, against her hometown team. The Kanata, ON, native scored her first goals of the 2024 and 2024-25 seasons against Ottawa.
Megan Keller was credited with 30:29 in time on ice in Game 1, just hours before her 30th birthday on Friday. The Fleet captain’s average time on ice of 26:39 during the regular season was second only to teammate and rookie Haley Winn’s 26:45. The duo combined for 41 points in the regular season, the most by any defensive pair in PWHL history.
Aerin Frankel and Gwyneth Philips each have four wins apiece in head-to-head PWHL competition with Philips only ever facing Frankel when she’s been in the crease when Ottawa has taken on Boston. Before winning Olympic gold and starring in the PWHL, the duo re-wrote Northeastern University record books, combining for 173 wins and 61 shutouts, with Frankel leading both categories (103 to 70 W, 39 to 22 SO). Philips’ 0.96 GAA and .958 SV% are Huskies’ records ahead of Frankel’s career 1.31 and .949 marks at number two.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“When you get to this part of the season, you don’t start making major adjustments. Our game is in a really great spot. That’s why we’re here. So, for us, it’s just little tweaks, subtle adjustments to bring on to the next game. I suspect that’s the joy for all coaches at this at this point of the season. But our foundation is solidified. It is a very good one.” – Charge Head Coach Carla MacLeod
“Carla has done a great job with the Charge this year. They play a high pace, physical game, and have skill over there for sure. Ottawa is top in the league in their transition game, so we want to make them come to their end and defend. This is playoff hockey and there’s no secret recipe. Four teams make the playoffs, and you need six wins to win a championship. That’s all that matters to us.” – Fleet Head Coach Kris Sparre
SATURDAY’S GAME: The 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs, presented by SharkNinja, continue tonight with Game 2 of the best-of-five semifinal series between Boston and Ottawa at the Tsongas Center. Fans arriving early are encouraged to visit a special pre-game merchandise tent located outside the Tsongas Center main entrance, featuring exclusive items. Throughout the evening, fans can also check out concourse activations hosted by the Northeast Intercounty Scholastic Hockey League and learn more about the Fleet’s summer hockey clinics at Section 103. In addition to the traditional friendship bracelet trading, Fleet fans have introduced a new game-day tradition—bringing hundreds of pink scrunchies to share in honor of Jessie Eldridge’s signature look. Eldridge wears a pink scrunchie during games as a tribute to her mother’s battle with breast cancer in 2019. Tonight’s referees are Jake Kamrass and Cianna Murray, with linespersons Patrick Dapuzzo and Justine Todd. This is the second of two playoff games on today’s schedule with the Montréal Victoire hosting the Minnesota Frost this afternoon at 2 p.m. ET. Following tonight’s game, fans can tune-in for live reaction of both results with Jocks in Jills streaming on the league’s YouTube channel.
