2025 PWHL playoffs
The 2025 PWHL playoffs was the playoff tournament of the Professional Women's Hockey League for the 2024–25 season. The playoffs began on May 7, 2025, and concluded with the PWHL Finals on May 26, 2025, with the Minnesota Frost winning their second consecutive Walter Cup.
The Montreal Victoire were the first team to make the playoffs, when they defeated the Minnesota Frost 4–1 on March 26. The Toronto Sceptres were the second team to qualify when the New York Sirens defeated the Frost on April 27.
It was the first time the Ottawa Charge made the playoffs. As a result, the City of Ottawa renamed a section of Bank Street "Charge Avenue" in honour of the team. The team qualified for the playoffs in their last game of the season, when Kateřina Mrázová scored in overtime for the Charge, who beat the Toronto Sceptres 2–1. The team needed a win of any kind to qualify.
The Minnesota Frost also clinched a playoff spot in their last game, after defeating the Boston Fleet 8–1, eliminating the Fleet in the process.
Playoff bracket
By virtue of finishing first overall, the Montreal Victoire were able to select their first-round opponent between the fourth-place Minnesota Frost and the third-place Ottawa Charge. On May 4, Montreal announced their choice to play Ottawa, leaving the second-place Toronto Sceptres to play Minnesota in the other semi-final.Semi-finals
Montreal (1) vs. Ottawa (3)
Montreal finished first overall in the league, earning 53 points. Ottawa finished in 3rd place with 44 points. Montreal held a 3–1–0–2 record against Ottawa in the regular season, including winning all 3 games in Montreal's home arena, one in overtime.In game one, Ottawa upset Montreal 3–2 thanks to goals by Brianne Jenner, Ashton Bell and Shiann Darkangelo. With the loss, Montreal extended their four game playoff winless streak, which includes three straight losses to PWHL Boston in the 2024 playoffs. For Ottawa, it was their fourth win in their previous five games.
In game two, Montreal evened the series with a 3–2 marathon victory. The game was won at 15:33 in fourth overtime period, and took a total of 5 1/2 hours, setting a PWHL record for longest overtime in league history. Ann-Renée Desbiens made 63 saves in the contest, breaking a PWHL record for the most saves in a game, previously set by Aerin Frankel with 56 saves. With Montreal up 2–0, Ottawa rallied late in the third to tie the game up thanks to goals by Aneta Tejralová at 4:34 and Brianne Jenner with 41 seconds left in regulation. After almost four additional periods of overtime, Montreal's Catherine Dubois scored the winning goal to tie the series. The win was Montreal's first playoff victory in franchise history.
Game three would be Ottawa's first home playoff game in franchise history. The game was scoreless until the 8:42 mark of the third period when Ottawa's Mannon McMahon scored the game's only goal, giving the Charge the victory, and a 2–1 series lead. Gwyneth Philips recorded the shutout, saving all 26 of Montreal's shots.
The Charge closed out the series in game four, defeating Montreal 2–1 thanks to goals by Rebecca Leslie and Emily Clark. Leslie scored just two minutes into the game, while Clark scored just 31 seconds into the third. Montreal ruined Gwyneth Philips's chance at a second straight shutout when Maureen Murphy scored with just over five minutes to go in the game.
Toronto (2) vs. Minnesota (4)
Toronto finished in second place in the league, earning 48 points in the standings. Minnesota finished in 4th place with 44 points. Minnesota finished behind Ottawa due to their lower number of regulation wins. Toronto lost the season series to Minnesota, holding a 1–1–2–2 record. In game one, Julia Gosling scored twice in her playoff debut in her 3–2 win, giving Toronto a 1–0 series lead. In game two, Lee Stecklein recorded 3 points in a 5–3 victory for Minnesota to tie the series. Brooke McQuigge and Michela Cava each scored twice as Minnesota took game three by a score of 7–5; the highest scoring game in PWHL history. In game four, Kendall Coyne Schofield scored two goals, and Taylor Heise netted the game-winning goal in overtime to send Minnesota to their second straight Walter Cup Finals.Player statistics
Scoring leaders
At the conclusion of the playoffs| Player | Team | ||||||
| Minnesota Frost | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | +1 | 2 | |
| Minnesota Frost | 8 | 2 | 5 | 7 | +1 | 0 | |
| Minnesota Frost | 8 | 1 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 2 | |
| Minnesota Frost | 8 | 0 | 6 | 6 | +2 | 4 | |
| Ottawa Charge | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | +3 | 2 | |
| Minnesota Frost | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 4 | |
| Minnesota Frost | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | +2 | 0 | |
| Minnesota Frost | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | +1 | 2 | |
| Minnesota Frost | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | +5 | 0 | |
| Minnesota Frost | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | +1 | 0 |
Leading goaltenders
At the conclusion of the playoffs| Player | Team | |||||||||
| Ottawa Charge | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 1 | .952 | 1.23 | ||
| Montreal Victoire | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .943 | 1.55 | ||
| Minnesota Frost | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | .932 | 1.75 | ||
| Minnesota Frost | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | .906 | 2.43 | ||
| Toronto Sceptres | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .846 | 3.16 |