PWHL Final Game 3 Hub: Ottawa Charge @ Minnesota Frost

We knew it wasn't going to be easy, but back-to-back overtime games in the finals have made it more nerve-wracking than anyone could have imagined. The Ottawa Charge were just 16 seconds away from taking a 2-0 stranglehold against the Minnesota Frost on Thursday, as they took the 1-0 lead with just 2:35 to go thanks to Jocelyn Larocque. It wasn't meant to be though, and Britta Curl-Salemme was Minnesota's hero in regulation and overtime.

It was challenging for the Charge to overcome some very shady refereeing, but that can't be a full excuse for losing when you only score one goal. Regardless, it has been frustrating seeing many of the calls not go Ottawa's way. They'll have to put that behind them though, as this final series is now essentially a best-of-3. They'll need to win at least one in Minnesota if they want to win the Walter Cup, and it isn't going to be an easy task.

Here were the lines from Game 2, which will include at least one eventual change, which I'll get to in a moment:

And here is how Minnesota lined up last game:

Game Notes:

• The only change from Game 1 to Game 2 for the Charge was Taryn House coming in for the injured Kateřina Mrázová. There hasn't been an update on Mrázová, but she was clearly injured on the Britta Curl-Salemme play and it's tough seeing her out.
• Speaking of Curl-Salemme, she remains enemy number one in Ottawa after injuring Mrázová and scoring both the game-tying and game-winning overtime goals on Thursday. With the game in Minnesota though, she won't have to face the boos tonight.
• In good injury news, Jincy Roese will return to the lineup after being out since May 3rd. She will take the place of Sam Isbell, who has been the seventh defenseman. That's huge for a team that could use a boost on offense, as Roese put up 14 points in 27 games as a defenseman, so hopefully she can be a difference-maker in these last few games.
• Can Gwyneth Philips keep up her phenomenal playoffs? She was so close to getting a clutch shutout on Thursday and has been the biggest reason the Charge are so close to winning the Walter Cup. Her .951 SV% is unheard of, and she has only allowed more than two goals in the playoffs once (and even that was only three).
• Tonight's game starts at 5 pm Eastern and can be seen on TSN1.
• Lastly, I can't say enough about the passion of the Ottawa fans. They set a 2025 PWHL playoff record on Thursday with their crowd of 8,206: