Sat May 24 22:50:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the Ottawa Charge’s Game 1 victory in the PWHL Finals:
**Headline: Clark’s Overtime Heroics Lift Ottawa Charge Over Minnesota Frost in PWHL Finals Opener**
**OTTAWA, ON (May 20, 2025)** – Emily Clark scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lead the Ottawa Charge to a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Frost in Game 1 of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Finals, presented by Scotiabank, at TD Place on Tuesday.
A crowd of 6,184 witnessed a tight-checking affair. Ottawa native Rebecca Leslie opened the scoring midway through the second period, giving the Charge a 1-0 lead. Minnesota’s Klára Hymlárová answered five minutes into the third, capitalizing on a turnover to tie the game.
The game remained deadlocked until Clark, just under three minutes into overtime, sped down the ice and fired a shot past Minnesota goalie Nicole Hensley for the win. Rookie goaltender Gwyneth Philips continued her stellar postseason play for Ottawa, stopping 25 of 26 shots. Hensley made 17 saves on 19 shots for Minnesota.
“She just plays her heart out,” Ottawa Head Coach Carla MacLeod said of Clark after the game. “Every single game, every single shift, she absolutely loves playing here in Ottawa.”
The victory marks Clark’s second consecutive game-winning goal in the playoffs, making her the first player in PWHL history to achieve this feat. Philips tied Ann-Renée Desbiens for the most games allowing one goal or less, at eight.
“We were prepared for that, and we’ve faced teams like them all season so luckily there was nothing crazy,” said Frost Defender Lee Stecklein, in regards to the Charge’s speed and physicality. “We just have to stick to our game and find a way to get the puck in the net.”
Game 2 of the best-of-five series is scheduled for Thursday at 7:00 PM ET, again at TD Place in Ottawa. The Charge will look to build on their momentum, while the Frost will aim to even the series before it shifts to Minnesota.
First Piper 