Ottawa Charge beat the Montreal Victoire 3-2 in Game 1 of PWHL semifinal series

LAVAL, Quebec (AP) — 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.

Darkangelo took a pass from Emily Clark, and beat goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens with a wrist shot from the right side at 9:17.

“Clarky made a great pass out to me and kind of made my job easy to get the puck on net — and in back the net,” Darkangelo said. “Just try to hit the net there, and good things happen.”

Charge captain Brianne Jenner had a power-play goal and Ashton Bell also scored.

Game 2 of the best-of-five series is Sunday in Laval.

Regular-season champion Montreal elected to face third-place Ottawa instead of fourth-place Minnesota.

“We don’t need external motivation,” Ottawa coach Carla MacLeod said. “We’ve come into this playoffs confident in what allowed us to get to this point. It’s not about who we’re playing or where we’re playing. It’s that we are playing, and we’re playing Ottawa Charge hockey right now.”

Maureen Murphy and Marie-Philip Poulin had power-play goals for Montreal. Desbiens stopped 24 shots.

“It’s tough. Hockey is tough,” Montreal forward Laura Stacey said. “I had to take a deep breath before coming in here, because it hurts. Losing hurts, especially in the playoffs when you want it that bad.”

Jenner opened the scoring on a power play at 4:54 of the first period, and Murphy tied it on a power play with 7:47 left in the period.

Bell put Ottawa back on top at 5:07 of the second, and Poulin tied it on a power play at 7:12 of the period.

“We have a lot of respect for them and a lot of respect for the way that they play,” Jenner said. “But at the same time, we’re confident. When we bring a solid 60 minutes, we have a great chance of beating any club.”

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

Ottawa Charge's Shiann Darkangelo, second right, celebrates her goal over the Montreal Victoire with teammates during the third period of a PWHL hockey playoff game in Laval, Quebec, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ottawa Charge's Rebecca Leslie (second right) and Jocelyne Larocque (23) battle for the rebound in front of Montreal Victoire goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens (35) during second period PWHL playoff hockey action in Laval, Que., on Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Victoire's Marie-Philip Poulin (29) and Ottawa Charge's Tereza Vanisova (13) battle for the puck during second period PWHL playoff hockey action in Laval, Que., on Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ottawa Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips (33) stops a shot by Montreal Victoire's Kristin O'Neill (43) during the third period of a PWHL hockey playoff game in Laval, Quebec, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ottawa Charge's Shiann Darkangelo, right, celebrates her goal over the Montreal Victoire with teammate Jocelyne Larocque (23) during the third period of a PWHL hockey playoff game in Laval, Quebec, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points and seven assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the short-handed Golden State Warriors for a 131-94 win Friday night.

Stephen Curry sat out because of a left ankle sprain and backcourt mate Jimmy Butler became ill earlier in the day. Draymond Green rested, while Jonathan Kuminga missed the game with back soreness.

That left Steve Kerr's starting lineup as Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Will Richard, Gui Santos and Quinten Post.

Kerr was optimistic Curry would play Saturday against the Jazz.

Gilgeous-Alexander shot 10 for 20 with three 3-pointers and converted all seven of his free throws for his seventh game in the last nine with 30 or more points — and now three straight. He had 38 points on 13-for-21 shooting with five 3-pointers in the last matchup against the Warriors.

Chet Holmgren contributed 15 points and a season-best 15 rebounds — two off his career high — as Oklahoma City (30-5) won a fourth straight following its first two-game skid of the season.

Richard had 13 points and five rebounds, Al Horford and Moody also scored 13 while Pat Spencer dished out 11 assists against the defending champion Thunder, who had lost their previous two road games but also won 124-112 at Golden State exactly a month earlier on Dec. 2.

Richard's 3-pointer with 7:19 left in the second quarter got Golden State within 38-36 before Oklahoma City answered with a 19-0 run to go ahead 64-45 at halftime.

The Warriors had won two straight, five of six and three in a row at home, where they are in a stretch with 10 of 11 at Chase Center.

Thunder: Visit Phoenix on Sunday.

Warriors: Host Utah on Saturday night to complete a back-to-back.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos (15) is fouled by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) shoots a 3-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) dunks during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) shoots while defended by Golden State Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis (32) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) celebrates after making a 3-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)