Aerin Frankel’s nightmare moment came at the worst possible time. A late miscue by the Boston Fleet goaltender handed the Ottawa Charge a 2-1 win in Game 3 of the PWHL Walter Cup semifinal Friday, pushing Boston to the edge of elimination. With 28 seconds left, Frankel reached to cover a Ronja Savolainen shot that had caromed off the back boards, only to have the puck glance off her glove and trickle over the goal line. The gut punch finish gives Ottawa a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series as the teams head for a do-or-die Game 4 in Ottawa on Sunday.
Late Glove Deflection Turns Game On Its Head
The decisive play started with a Savolainen blast that ricocheted hard off the end boards. Frankel moved to smother the rebound, but instead of a routine cover, the puck popped off her glove and slid into the net with 28 seconds remaining. In an instant, Ottawa had the lead and Boston, which had carried much of the offensive pressure, was left stunned. As reported by The Boston Globe, that late misplay was the thin margin in a tight, low-scoring contest.
Scoreboard Tells A Brutal Story For Boston
The league’s official scoreboard recorded the final as Ottawa 2, Boston 1, a result that puts the Charge up 2-1 in the semifinal. Boston out-shot Ottawa but could not find a tying goal in the dying moments, and the series now shifts back to the Canadian Tire Centre for a win-or-go-home Game 4 on Sunday at 3 p.m. Fans can find the box score and full game center on the league site. According to PWHL, Ottawa carries home-ice advantage into the fourth game.
How The Goals Came, Then Dried Up
Ottawa opened the scoring when Fanuza Kadirova ripped a wrist shot past Frankel with 6:27 left in the first period. Boston answered in the second, as Liz Schepers pounced on a rebound and buried the equalizer 5:11 into the frame. The goal gave Shay Maloney her first career point on the primary assist, and it looked like the Fleet might tilt the ice from there.
Boston finished with a 37-22 edge in shots but managed to beat the Charge netminder only once. The Boston Globe noted the strange rhythm of this series, with a Boston team that usually struck first in the regular season instead chasing the game in all three semifinal matchups.
Season On The Line In Ottawa
Boston now faces a simple equation in Game 4 on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, win to force a deciding Game 5 back in Lowell, or see its season end in Ottawa. The Charge, up 2-1, will try to close out the series on home ice and punch their ticket to the Walter Cup final, while the Fleet aim to shake off the late turnover and rediscover their regular-season form. Broadcast and streaming details are available through the league’s schedule and game center, with the official game listing posted on PWHL.
