Victoire shut out Charge to win Walter Cup for 1st time

The Montreal Victoire blanked the Ottawa Charge 4-0 in Wednesday's Game 4 to win the franchise's first Walter Cup.

The Victoire are the first Canadian team to claim the PWHL title.

Abby Roque scored two goals, including a shorthanded tally in the third period. Montreal sealed the victory with goals from Maggie Flaherty and Lina Ljungblom in the final 10 minutes. Ann-Renee Desbiens made 23 saves - 13 in the third period - for the shutout.

Canadian superstar Marie-Philip Poulin won the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award after co-leading the postseason with eight points in nine games. She now adds her first Walter Cup to an already impressive resume that includes three Olympic gold medals and the 2025 PWHL MVP.

"It feels quite good, honestly," Poulin told PWHL's Rob Pizzo. "It's been quite the year, and doing it with this group. There were ups and downs with injuries - lots of it - so honestly, finishing here with this group, with that Walter Cup, feels pretty good."

Montreal chose to play the Minnesota Frost in the semifinals after finishing as the top team in the regular season, eliminating the defending back-to-back champions in five games.

Kori Cheverie is the first female head coach to win the Walter Cup. Flaherty, who played for Minnesota the previous two seasons, won her third straight title.