Season Summary
It took until the final day of the PWHL regular season, but the Ottawa Charge managed to squeeze into the postseason. The Charge enter as the fourth seed, having beat out the Toronto Sceptres for the last playoff spot.
“The journey for our group has been… a really steady one,” said head coach Carla MacLeod. “I think it’s been exactly what we anticipated heading into the season. We knew it was going to be hard-fought. We knew it most likely would go to the end of the regular season, but our group is just one that continues to show resiliency and is really invested in getting better every day.”
The Charge finished with 17 wins on the season – including nine in regulation. They lost 13 games, with just one loss coming in overtime. Notably, Ottawa enters the playoffs on a four-game winning streak. Their last loss came on April 8, ending a three-game losing skid.
Special teams were a mixed bag during the regular season. Ottawa scored 16 power play goals, second-most in the PWHL. But they also allowed 18, second-most in the league. Overall, their power play (17.8%) was third-best, while the penalty kill was sixth (81.8%).
Also of note, MacLeod is returning to her duties behind the bench. She missed the last five games to focus on her health and treatment for breast cancer. Having MacLeod back will undoubtedly provide a morale boost for the Charge, both on and off the ice.
Past PWHL Playoff Performances
This is the Charge’s second postseason appearance.
In 2025, they also qualified in the last game of the season by virtue of a victory over the Sceptres. Last season, the Victoire chose Ottawa as its opponent. A four-game semi-final saw the Charge come out on top. Their only loss was in a quadruple-overtime game, which set a PWHL record for longest overtime in league history.
After beating the Victoire, the Charge faced the Frost in the final. All four games were 2-1 decisions in overtime. Ottawa won the first game, then dropped the last three. The series included a triple-OT matchup before the Frost became the champions in game four.
“When you have a run like last year, you definitely learn a lot,” Jenner said. “The core of us that are back this year; we’ll draw from that experience. But we know we’ve got a whole new team and it’s a whole new playoff. We’ve just got to be prepared to really work out tails off. That’s what it comes down to; playoffs [are] a grind. It’s an elevated pace of play, elevated physicality. We’re just going to attack it together.”
Players to Watch
Gwyneth Philips led all PWHL goaltenders in minutes played in the regular season. She appeared in 28 games (also a league-high) and had 16 wins. Her 2.12 GAA and .931 save percentage were both four-best, but certainly nothing to turn your nose up at. Philips was the MVP of last year’s postseason, and she may well have been the Charge’s MVP in this regular season.
Brianne Jenner and Rebecca Leslie led the team in scoring. Leslie’s 14 goals were most among Ottawa skaters, while Jenner led in assists (14) and points (26). The two combined registered 15 power play points and three shorthanded points, and Jenner’s four power-play goals were tied for second-most in the PWHL. Considering Leslie had just one goal in the 2024-25 season, it’s been a major season of growth for her. Jenner nearly doubled her point total, too.
Elsewhere in the lineup, don’t count out rookie forward Sarah Wozniewicz or defender Jocelyne Larocque. Wozniewicz had 13 points, sixth-most among PWHL rookies, including seven goals. Among rookies, only New York’s Kristýna Kaltounková (11) had more. Larocque played more of a defensive role during the regular season, but she led all Ottawa blueliners in last year’s postseason, with four points.
Keys to Winning
- Do the little things right. It’s a hockey cliche, sure, but there’s reasoning behind it. The Fleet are going to be a tough opponent. In net, Aerin Frankel looks darn near unbeatable. It’s going to come down to the little things – crisp passes, clean faceoffs, and smart plays to stay physical, but stay out of the box.
- Get in front of the net. If she can see it, Frankel will stop it. Get bodies in front of her and get in her sightline. Deflections, tap-ins and pouncing on any rebound may not be the prettiest way to score, but it gets the job done.
- Limit Boston’s offensive threats. The Fleet have strength throughout the lineup, from Jessie Eldridge to Megan Keller, Alina Müller to Haley Winn. Two of their top four scorers are blueliners (Keller & Winn). They’re the ones the Charge will need to put some focus on, particularly from a defensive standpoint.
Semifinal Schedule & Preview
If the regular season is any indication, the series between the Ottawa Charge and Boston Fleet is going to be a marathon. All four of the regular season meetings went into overtime, and three required a shootout. (Of course, there are no shootouts in the postseason.) The Charge won 3-2 at home, then 2-1 in Halifax. The Fleet took the third meeting 3-2 in Ottawa, while the Charge finished the season with the 2-1 OT win.
Up the ante to playoffs, and it’s only going to get tighter. These games are going to come down to the little mistakes, a game of inches. (Take note of Ottawa’s aforementioned 2025 postseason, which required a lot of overtime.) I hope you’ve got your coffee ready for some late-night hockey; I have a feeling you’re going to need it.
“We’re going to have to go through a really good team if we want to make it to the final,” said Jenner. “We’ve had some really hard-fought battles against Boston this season. It’s probably going to be that at another level in the playoffs. We’re just focused on that first game and looking forward to the challenge.”
Here’s the series schedule:
- Game 1: Thursday, April 30 (Tsongas Center), 7 PM ET
- Game 2: Saturday, May 2 (Tsongas Center), 7 PM ET
- Game 3: TBD (Canadian Tire Centre), TBD
- Game 4: TBD (Canadian Tire Centre), TBD
- Game 5: TBD (hosted by Boston), TBD*
** The location for game five has not been confirmed. It’s possible that this game could be played at TD Garden, depending on the PWHL’s schedule and that of the NHL’s Boston Bruins in their own postseason.