The Walter Cup final is headed to the Canadian Tire Centre on Monday night as the Ottawa Charge battle the Montreal Victoire in a must-win Game 3.
After falling to Montreal in back-to-back losses on the road, the Charge are looking forward to some high-octane hockey in a building full of hometown fans.
“It’s going to be great getting back home and getting in front of our fans,” Charge captain Brianne Jenner told reporters after Saturday’s overtime loss.
The puck will drop at 6 p.m., with the Charge needing a win to claw back and force Game 4 in the best-of-five series.
The Charge are no strangers to playing do-or-die games.
Ottawa cliched a playoff spot on the last day of the season, defeating the Toronto Sceptres in dramatic fashion.
Seeded fourth, the Charge then rallied after losing Game 1 of their semifinal series against the second-seeded Boston Fleet with three straight wins, securing their second consecutive Walter Cup final appearance.
The team’s no-quit attitude is one of the key reasons why Ottawa continues to overcome the odds, said forward Rebecca Leslie.
“We have been in these situations before, and we have crawled out of them. So we’re excited for the challenge ahead,” she said after Monday’s pregame practice.
Leslie says the Charge’s focus for Game 3 will be finding ways to get shots on net and physically shutting down Montreal’s top players.
Every Walter Cup final game the Charge has played in has gone to overtime: both this year against Montreal, and all four in last year’s final against the Minnesota Frost.
Head coach Carla MacLeod is predicting Game 3 to be another hard-fought battle.
“At the end of the day, these games are really tight and that’s what you expect in a championship,” she said.
“These are the moments we’re built for.”
The Charge’s “Fan Zone” is returning to outside the CTC, along with many of the team’s pregame traditions.
The area will open three hours before puck drop, giving fans plenty of time to enjoy discounted food, beverages and Charge merchandise before lining up along “Electric Avenue” to greet players as they enter the arena.
There will also be face painting and poster making stations, along with free rides for all ages on the Thursty Pedaler’s party bike.
OC Transpo will be running 400-series buses across the city that connect directly to the CTC.
Some Ottawa bars will also chartering direct shuttles to the game, with spots like the Senate Tavern and Glebe Central Pub offering round trips.
For fans without tickets, many restaurants and bars along Charge Avenue near Lansdowne Park will also be airing the game.
