With 41 saves, goaltender Gwyneth Philips backstopped the Ottawa Charge to a playoff-clinching shutout victory over the visiting Toronto Sceptres on Saturday.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
Gwyneth Philips stopped 41 shots as the Ottawa Charge defeated the Toronto Sceptres 3-0 on Saturday to capture the final Professional Women’s Hockey League playoff berth.
Fanuza Kadirova, Sarah Wozniewicz and Alexa Vasko scored for Ottawa (9-8-1-12), which will make its second playoff appearance in the league’s third season.
Raygan Kirk had 29 saves for Toronto (10-1-6-13).
Ottawa will now wait to find out if it will play either the Boston Fleet or Montreal Victoire in the playoffs.
The Sceptres came into the game needing a regulation win to leapfrog the Charge for the final playoff spot but came up short for the second straight year.
Leading 1-0, Ottawa extended its advantage just 1:03 into the third period when Toronto’s Kali Flanagan turned over the puck at her own blue line. That allowed Charge captain Brianne Jenner to find Wozniewicz all alone, and she beat Kirk off her backhand.
Vasko added an empty-net goal with just over four minutes remaining to seal the victory.
The Charge opened the scoring early in the second.
With a battle in front for the puck, Michela Cava made a cross-crease pass to Kadirova, who took the pass off her skate to her stick to beat Kirk to the short side.
The goal changed the momentum of the game. Toronto dominated play early in the contest but the Charge fed off the energy of the goal and had sustained pressure numerous times throughout the period.
The Sceptres had two power-play opportunities but were unable to capitalize.
A scoreless first saw both teams generate solid chances.
Toronto challenged Philips right off the opening draw with Blayre Turnbull and Maggie Connors firing off a couple good chances.
Ottawa thought it had opened the scoring near the seven-minute mark when Brooke McQuigge fired a shot that initially looked like a goal. But the review showed the puck hit the crossbar and never crossed the goal line.
Ottawa’s Brooke Hobson returned to the lineup after missing the last seven games with an upper body injury.