Ottawa Charge's goaltender Gwyneth Philips (33) blocks a shot on net during second period PWHL hockey action against the Toronto Sceptres鈥 in Ottawa, on Saturday, April 25, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
Ottawa Charge's goaltender Gwyneth Philips (33) tracks a shot on net by New York Sirens' Casey O'Brien (26) during second period PWHL hockey action in Ottawa, on Saturday, April 18, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
Ottawa Charge's goaltender Gwyneth Philips (33) blocks a shot on net during second period PWHL hockey action against the Toronto Sceptres鈥 in Ottawa, on Saturday, April 25, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
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Ottawa Charge's goaltender Gwyneth Philips (33) tracks a shot on net by New York Sirens' Casey O'Brien (26) during second period PWHL hockey action in Ottawa, on Saturday, April 18, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
OTTAWA - Ottawa is returning to the Professional Women's Hockey League playoffs.
Gwyneth Philips stopped 41 shots as the Charge defeated the Toronto Sceptres 3-0 on Saturday to clinch the fourth and final playoff spot. The Charge will face either the Boston Fleet or Montreal Victoire in a best-of-five semifinal series.
What Ottawa knows for sure, though, is it will start the playoffs on the road. Minutes after beating Toronto, the Charge announced all their playoff games will be played at 好色tv Tire Centre.
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting,鈥 said Philips. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 news to me a little bit.
"You know, we love the fans that we鈥檝e drawn to TD Place, especially the last few games, but looking forward to really packing CTC for the playoffs. You know, bigger venue, louder crowd, so let鈥檚 pack it when we can.鈥
Carrying momentum over from the regular season into the playoffs can be difficult. But interim head coach Haley Irwin says there are definitely things her team will want to take into the post-season.
The Charge head into the post-season playing some of their best hockey. With a playoff spot on the line, Ottawa won four straight games and outscored opponents 12-2.
鈥淚t feels like it鈥檚 a whole new season, right?鈥 said Irwin. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 things that you can take, that we will take from the last five games and the last couple of games that we have done really well, that, you know, we want to make sure that that鈥檚 how we play in the playoffs.鈥
Philips has been instrumental to Ottawa鈥檚 success and will look to build on last year鈥檚 playoff performance that earned her the PWHL Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award. Philips had a 1.23 goals-against-average and .952 save percentage.
Philips leads the league in games played (28), is fourth with a .931 save percentage and sports a tidy 2.12 goals-against average.
鈥淪o, you know learning about myself a little bit about what it takes,鈥 admitted Philips. 鈥淏ut, you know, you just kind of got to have a mind of a goldfish sometimes and keep moving.
"So, you know, it was a bit of a learning curve, but now I鈥檓 back to kind of the position I鈥檝e been in before, so no excuses for me from here on out.鈥
Last year the Charge upset the Victoire in their best-of-five semifinal series, winning 3-1. Ottawa lost the Walter Cup Final to the Minnesota Frost 3-1 but the experience was invaluable.
鈥淚 think we learned a ton last year,鈥 said captain Brianne Jenner. 鈥淧layoffs is hard.
"It鈥檚 another level from this and every puck battle, every moment matters. So, we鈥檙e looking forward to taking that experience and making the most of it.鈥
Head coach Carla MacLeod stepped away from the team earlier this month to undergo further treatment for breast cancer. MacLeod was in the building Saturday and joined the team on the bench at the end of the game.
It鈥檚 unclear whether she will be able to rejoin the team for the playoffs.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 realize she was here, actually,鈥 Philips said. 鈥淏ut, you know, we鈥檙e navigating some new waters, but she鈥檚 such a beacon for us.聽
"You know, strength and she comes when she can and it鈥檚 really inspiring to see her and to know that she鈥檚 behind us. Regardless if she鈥檚 here we鈥檙e really proud of how hard she鈥檚 working to come back and be with us.鈥
This report by 好色tvwas first published April 25, 2026.