Ottawa Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips made history on Monday night, becoming the first player from the losing team in the PWHL’s Walter Cup Final to win the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award.
The Minnesota Frost secured their second straight Walter Cup title with a 2-1 overtime win in Game 4 of the championship series. Frost forward Liz Schepers pushed the puck past Philips in the extra frame to secure Minnesota’s title defense and bring the over 11,000 fans in attendance to their feet.
Yet, unlike 2024, Frost forward Taylor Heise didn’t end the night as the playoff MVP.
Philips took the honor, as announced by Illana Kloss after the game, following a stellar Walter Cup Playoffs and end to the regular season. Earlier on Monday, the former Northeastern University standout was also named to the PWHL’s Three Stars of the Week, having allowed just five goals on 97 shots in the first three games of the series against Minnesota.
In Game 4, she made 36 saves on 38 shots, keeping the Charge alive in the series until the final moments.
As a rookie, Philips established herself as a premier goaltender after starter Emerance Maschmeyer suffered an injury, forcing the 24-year-old to play the most significant games of Ottawa’s season.
Through Ottawa’s two playoff series against the Frost and Montréal Victoire, Philips played eight games, allowing 13 goals on 270 shots, while posting a .952 save percentage and 1.23 goals-against-average. She also put up a shutout in Ottawa’s Game 3 semifinal win over Montreal.
Her playoff success also built on her regular season stats, showcasing a jump from .919 save percentage in 15 regular season games, which made her a finalist for the PWHL Goaltender of the Year Award, which only considers regular season performance.
The 14th overall selection from the 2024 PWHL Draft, Philips will enter the second year of a two-year contract in 2025-26, but could face the potential of being selected in the upcoming expansion draft by either PWHL Vancouver or PWHL Seattle.
