Charge surprise top-seeded Victoire in Game 1 of PWHL semis

Shiann Darkangelo scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period to lift the Ottawa Charge over the host Montreal Victoire 3-2 in Game 1 of their best-of-five PWHL semifinal series on Thursday.

Emily Clark gathered a loose puck in Ottawa's offensive zone and quickly passed it to Darkangelo, who slotted home the tiebreaking goal past Ann-Renee Desbiens 9:17 into the period.

Brianne Jenner and Ashton Bell also scored for the Charge, who can take a commanding series lead on Sunday in Game 2 before the series shifts to Ottawa next week.

Maureen Murphy and Marie-Philip Poulin had the goals for Montreal, which outshot Ottawa 33-27. However, the Charge leaned on goaltender Gwyneth Philips, who made 31 saves. Desbiens stopped 24 shots for Montreal.

Montreal finished the season in first place, giving it the right to choose its first-round playoff opponent. The Victoire passed on the fourth-place Minnesota Frost in favor of the third-seeded Charge.

--Field Level Media