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Flaherty scores OT winner to give Montreal a 2-1 win over Ottawa in Game 2 of Walter Cup Finals

LAVAL, Quebec (AP) — Maggie Flaherty scored 14:12 into overtime to give the Montreal Victoire a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Charge in Game 2 of the Professional Women’s Hockey League ‘s Walter Cup final on Saturday.

Flaherty one-timed Marie-Philip Poulin’s pass in the slot and fired the puck past goaltender Gwyneth Philips for her second goal of the playoffs.

The win gave Montreal a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series, with the Victoire winning the opener 3-2 in overtime on Thursday night.

Ottawa will host Game 3 on Monday as the Charge face elimination for the first time in this postseason.

Kati Tabin had the other Montreal goal. Sarah Wozniewicz scored for the Charge.

Ottawa was held without a shot for the first eight minutes of the game, but opened the scoring on its first opportunity.

After a shot hit the post behind Montreal goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens, Wozniewicz found the puck in the crease and tucked it in the net.

Montreal outshot the Charge 11-5 in the opening period, despite killing the period’s only penalty.

The Victoire tied the game 32 seconds into the second period.

Off the faceoff, Tabin picked up a loose puck and roofed a backhand on Philips. It was the defender’s first goal of the playoffs.

It was the only goal of a physical middle period, with Ottawa outshooting Montreal 6-4. The best chance was Montreal’s Laura Stacey’s breakaway attempt when her wrist shot hit the crossbar.

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

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