From backup to backbone: Gwyneth Philips' breakout year

Before Gwyneth Philips ever stepped into the PWHL spotlight, she learned how to wait - and how to be ready when the moment came.

She spent the majority of her college career at Northeastern behind Aerin Frankel, a Patty Kazmaier Award winner and one of the most dominant goaltenders in NCAA history. Philips stayed, studied, and quietly built a legacy of her own. When she was finally named starter, she carved her name on the NCAA record books.

She's doing the same in Ottawa.

Philips opened her rookie season as the backup to veteran and Canadian Olympian Emerance Maschmeyer. But when Maschmeyer went down with a lower-body injury in March, it was Philips who took the net - and she hasn't let go.

She's been nearly unbeatable since stepping in. The 24-year-old closed the regular season with a .919 save percentage and has been the backbone of Ottawa's run to the PWHL Finals. In the first round of the playoffs, she led the league with a 0.957 save percentage as Ottawa bullied its way past Montreal in four games.

"She's been phenomenal. She's been great all year," Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner said. "We kind of knew that, practicing against her, how lucky we are to have the goalies we have in our hockey club. It's great to see her come in and play the way she's been playing and we have so much confidence in front of her."

That confidence is well earned. A two-time All-American and the 2023 National Goaltender of the Year, Philips left Northeastern after five seasons as the NCAA's all-time leader in career save percentage (.958). In her two years as a starter, she managed to also set program records: she holds the top spot for wins (34) and games played (38), which she achieved in her final season.

"It's at her core," longtime Northeastern coach Dave Flint said. “She's always, like, just steady - her emotions don't get too high, they don't get too low. It's a really good quality to have when you're a goalie. She's not too hard on herself when things aren't going well, and she's very humble when she's playing well."

Her choice to stay at Northeastern despite years as a backup says plenty about her mindset. Rather than leave in search of more minutes, she spent most of her college career betting on herself and seeing the opportunity others might have missed.

"A lot of kids, especially with the transfer portal now, would have just decided to go somewhere else," Flint said. "It just shows the level of maturity that she had at that time. She liked the school. She was an engineering major. She understood the value of her education. She also understood she was going to get her time."

When that time finally came - after Frankel graduated - Philips was more than ready. She was determined to set a new standard.

"She got tired of hearing early on, 'Are you going to be able to live up to what Aerin accomplished?'" Flint said. "She wanted to carve her own path and be her own person. She just doesn't get rattled."

That unshakable presence has followed her into the pros. Even in high-pressure moments like a four-overtime marathon loss against Montreal earlier in the playoffs, Philips has remained steady. She apologized to her teammates after that game, saying she needed to be better.

"You made 54 saves and gave your team a chance to win," Flint said, laughing. "She's always very team first. She'll take the blame, even when she shouldn't."

That blend of composure and drive has earned her the trust of Ottawa's coaching staff.

"She just loves saving the puck," Charge head coach Carla MacLeod said in a call with reporters before the PWHL Finals began. "She's athletic, she enjoys the job that she's got. And obviously she brings a skill set and a mindset to it that's complementary. She's incredibly competitive, enjoys it."

Philips' relentlessness around the crease has become her calling card. "I think it's just her tracking and her fight on every puck, every rebound," MacLeod said. "She doesn't really give up on a play until there's a whistle. I think when she's at her best, she's rising in those moments and really embracing them and enjoying them."

Today, Philips is the face of a playoff run that could end with Ottawa hoisting the Walter Cup. The Charge scored in overtime against defending champion Minnesota to open the series, leaving them only two wins away from claiming the league's top prize. Philips' former coach isn't surprised.

"I think she deserves it. She's an amazing goalie and an even better person," Flint said. "It's nice to see she's getting some recognition."

Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.