Shiann Darkangelo broke a third-period tie, Gwyneth Philips made 31 saves and the Ottawa Charge beat the Montreal Victoire 3-2 on Thursday night in Game 1 of the PWHL semifinal series.

It would be great for Toronto if Spooner entered the 2025 playoffs in MVP form. But if she’s not, and she’s just fine, the Sceptres have proven that it’s not a death knell for them. Not the way it was last year.

The PWHL playoffs were set on Sunday and the Minnesota Frost, who snuck into the tournament thanks to back-to-back wins to close the regular season, are the No. 4 seed and will face the second-seeded Toronto Sceptres in the first round.