In this league, you bet against chronic championship underachievers at your own peril.

Queen of the World, for example, has given us every reason to do so. “We have a history of getting to the final year after year and then losing,” explained Andrea Devico, one of the few playoff panelists who had yet to turn her back on her own team.

Lucky she didn’t, because Queen ended that terrible curse with a 2-1 win over FC Boisbriand this Sunday thanks to Natasha Cognee’s two-goal performance, marking the first time the team has won since the winter of 2013. “This year we just tried to play the final as if it was any other Sunday. Less pressure…less stress…better results, I guess.”

It was a similar story in the FC2, where Blue Ice stunned the greater part of the panel with a 2-1 win over the Wild Cats. It was the team’s first championship since the summer of 2016, and their first winter celebration in seven attempts. “We’ve been the underdogs most of our Totalcampo careers,” explained Jessica Pyton of the squad’s 15-year tenure. “This year we had a mix of seasoned players and a younger generation of amazing girls whom we hope will stick around for seasons to come.”

Not every final came as a shock.

Half of us had the top seed FC Sparks conquering the FC1 Division, although maybe not in the form of a 7-0 blowout against Blitzz. “Although it was our first season together,” wrote Caroline Benoit, “I think that we really proved that there was a special spark between us. I love the support and energy we have on the field and how we always push each other to be better players.”

And while FC Repentigny were far from heavy favourites this time around, the defending champ’s own narrow 2-1 victory over Chelsea was not completely unexpected, given the fact the two had split their last two winter finals before this one.

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