Emily Clark's Overtime Heroics Propel Charge to Victory Over Frost in Championship Opener

So, here’s the deal: Emily Clark was really just hoping for a quick overtime. After going through a grueling quadruple overtime in the semifinals, the Ottawa Charge forward was definitely ready to wrap things up without dragging it out.

And guess what? She did just that! Clark scored at 2:47 of overtime on Tuesday night, leading the Charge to a nail-biting 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Frost. This win gives Ottawa a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five championship series for the Walter Cup. Talk about a way to kick off the finals!

“I had a chance the shift before, but the puck kind of rolled off my stick,” Clark explained. “I was just trying to shake that off. I told myself that if I got another shot, I’d use my speed and get it to the net. Super happy with how it turned out.”

Next up? Game 2 is set for Thursday in Ottawa, and the Charge are riding high with a perfect 3-0 record on home ice during the playoffs. On the flip side, the Frost have never won Game 1 of a playoff series in four tries. Ouch!

But hey, Minnesota’s been in this situation before. They lost the first game of their semifinal series against Toronto and then bounced back to win three straight. So, they’re not out of the game yet.

“We know it’s gonna be a tight series,” Frost coach Ken Klee said. “They’re a solid team. Goals are gonna be hard to come by, and obviously, they got one more than us tonight.”

In that extra period, Clark zoomed down the wing and fired a shot past Minnesota’s goalie Nicole Hensley, who ended the night with 17 saves. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing; the game had to go into overtime after a rare slip-up from Gwyneth Philips early in the third period, which led to the Frost’s equalizer.

Philips, who had been solid with 25 saves, mishandled the puck while trying to play it, handing it right over to Katy Knoll. Knoll quickly set up Klara Hymlarova, who capitalized on the open net to tie the game at 1-1. “You know, those little missteps happen,” Charge coach Carla MacLeod said. “That’s just part of the game. But she doesn’t let it get to her, and we trust her.”

With just over six minutes left in regulation, the Charge were gearing up for a power play. But then, the officials reviewed a play where Rebecca Leslie cross-checked Mellissa Channell-Watkins. It was initially called a major penalty but got downgraded to a minor, resulting in offsetting minors. “I was definitely freaking out a little bit,” Leslie admitted. “I was disappointed and didn’t want to be in that situation. So, I’m just glad it was a minor and we managed to kill it off.”

Leslie had the crowd buzzing midway through the second period when she beat Hensley high glove side, giving Ottawa a 1-0 lead. Just before that, the Frost had been pushing hard on the power play, but Philips was on her game. As the penalty was winding down, the Charge managed to clear the puck, with Jocelyne Larocque making a slick cross-ice pass to Tereza Vanisova, who then set up Leslie.

Hensley couldn’t see the shot coming, partially blocked by her teammate Lee Stecklein. “Honestly, this league is super tough to score in,” Leslie said. “You work all season to get those chances, and those goals are huge for me. They definitely boost my confidence a bit.”