Boston Fleet Face Ottawa in Game 3 at Canadian Tire Centre
Boston Fleet and Ottawa Charge meet in Game 3 of the Walter Cup semifinals on Friday at 7 p.m. ET at Canadian Tire Centre, with the series tied 1-1. Boston won Game 1 by 2-1, then Ottawa answered with a 3-1 home win in Game 2.
Aerin Frankel and Gwyneth Philips
Aerin Frankel enters the matchup with a 1.52 goals-against average and a.921 save percentage through the first two games. Gwyneth Philips has matched the same 1.52 GAA and sits at a.949 save percentage, which has helped Ottawa allow two or fewer goals in eight straight playoff games.
The numbers point to another low-scoring game. Boston has outshot Ottawa by 10 shots in both Game 1 and Game 2, but it has gone 0-for-7 on the power play in the series, while Ottawa is 1-for-9. Boston has scored 8 of 9 goals at even strength; Ottawa has scored all 7 of its goals at even strength.
Alina Müller and Ottawa Pressure
Alina Müller leads Boston with 3 points in 2 games and has recorded a point and at least 15 faceoff wins in both playoff games this season. Jamie Lee Rattray brings a different layer to the trip to Ottawa, since she grew up in Kanata, about 10 minutes from Canadian Tire Centre.
Boston is also playing at Canadian Tire Centre for the first time. Rattray, Megan Keller, Hannah Brandt, Jessie Eldridge, Jill Saulnier and Frankel all played there during PWHPA All-Star Weekend in December 2022, so only the building is new for some of Boston’s core group, not the rink itself.
Game 3 Broadcast Options
Viewers can watch Game 3 on TSN 3, TSN.ca, the TSN App, NESN+, Scripps Sports, PWHL YouTube and thepwhl.com in the U.S. and internationally. Kenzie Lalonde will handle play-by-play, Cheryl Pounder will be the analyst and Natalie Noury will report from the rink.
The series winner will leave Friday with the first lead of the best-of-five semifinals, and the teams still have Game 4 scheduled for Ottawa on May 10 and Game 5 in Boston on May 12 if necessary. Boston’s 24-21 edge in all-time points over Ottawa has not changed the fact that this series has already split the first two games, and Game 3 now decides who controls the next step.
