Emerance Maschmeyer’s quiet role in Ottawa Charge’s PWHL championship run

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Amid the excitement of the Ottawa Charge reaching both the PWHL playoffs and final for the first time, one of the team’s Day 1 cornerstones quietly has slipped out of the spotlight.

Yet every morning at TD Place, there’s Emerance Maschmeyer — alone on the ice with trainers, steadily working her way back from the injury she sustained on March 11 against the Minnesota Frost.

While she may appear to be more on the fringes these days with rookie goaltender Gwyneth Philips dominating the playoffs, head coach Carla MacLeod insists Maschmeyer remains as vital to the team as ever in its pursuit of a Walter Cup.

“She’s just around,” MacLeod said. “Everyone knows the best part of being on a team is being in that room and being part of the banter — she’s part of the banter.”

After backstopping Ottawa in 41 of its first 46 games of existence, Maschmeyer might not be helping her team in the way she’d prefer, but she has found other ways to make her presence felt.

“I’m still a massive part of this team, whether I’m on the ice or not,” she said. “So for me, it’s making sure that I’m contributing off the ice and the more personal conversations, giving tips to the girls, whatever it may be. I have a different perspective right now, and for me, I want my team to succeed.”

The teammate Maschmeyer has supported most closely is the one who stepped into her role as Ottawa’s starter. She and Philips trained together in the off-season and formed one of the league’s strongest tandems throughout the year.

“She’s been pushing me a ton. It’s really great to have someone who works as hard as she does,” Philips said of Maschmeyer back in October, before training camp.

Few are better equipped to offer guidance than an Olympian and seven-time world championship medalist. While Philips has big-game experience of her own — stepping in for Aerin Frankel in the world championship final and helping Team USA capture gold — Maschmeyer has been there, too.

“We’ve been in situations that other people haven’t been in, so we can relate,” Maschmeyer said. “For me, it’s just supporting her in any way that I can and I want her to be her best so that we can win this.”

And win they have. Since Maschmeyer suffered the lower-body injury that landed her on Ottawa’s long-term injured reserve, the team has seemingly found its stride — winning nine of 13 games, good for a .692 winning percentage. That’s a dramatic turnaround from the Charge’s all-time .370 mark prior to March 11.

Still, Maschmeyer harbours no resentment that it didn’t happen while she was in net, even after carrying the team through some difficult stretches over the past two seasons.

“That’s exactly what we’ve been wanting all season, is consistent play, and it happened to be leading into playoffs, which is not super ironic,” she said. “Of course we’re going to sharpen up our game when we need to win to make it into playoffs.”

Still, that doesn’t mean she’s content watching it unfold from above.

“There’s not a small part of me, there’s a massive part of me that wants to be in net,” she said. “Of course I do. My life is hockey and playing between the pipes is what I want to do.”

From her perch in the box at TD Place, the games can be agonizing to watch — especially for a goaltender who knows all too well how the smallest mistake can change everything.

One of those moments came in Game 1 of the PWHL final, when Philips’ miscue playing the puck behind the goal line led to Minnesota tying the game in the third period. With each of Ottawa’s five playoff games being decided by one goal and two stretching into overtime, Maschmeyer hardly can bear to look sometimes.

“It’s tough to watch these games, I’m not gonna lie,” she said. “I don’t get that same nerve when I’m playing. When I’m playing, I’m in control. When I’m up top watching, I can’t help but get nervous.

“I want to be in there, I want to claim that net.”

While a lot can change in a few days, the reality is that Philips has been the backbone to the Charge’s playoff run, leading the playoffs with a jaw-dropping 1.11 goals-against average and .957 save percentage. Although Maschmeyer said she has made “great progress” on her injury timeline, the odds of her returning to the crease this spring remain slim.

And then there’s the addition of PWHL teams in Seattle and Vancouver next season. Each of the original six PWHL teams only will be allowed to protect three players from the initial selection period, which almost certainly means leaving one of Philips or Maschmeyer exposed.

At 24, Philips is younger, significantly cheaper and making a strong case for playoff MVP. It’s plausible that Maschmeyer, 30, already has played her last game for Ottawa. With a career .914 save percentage and the second-most games played amongst goalies in the PWHL, she’d be hard to pass over for two new teams looking for a steady hand in net.

But with a family rooted in Ottawa, a move to the West Coast could be a non-starter for the netminder.

“(Expansion is) coming up quickly and, so amongst the league, there’s a buzz around it,” she said. “I’m trying to stay in this moment, make sure I get back to 100%, be here for this team, enjoy this season, and we’ll deal with that after.”

While the uncertainty of expansion looms, those within the organization aren’t overlooking Maschmeyer’s impact — past or present.

As one of Ottawa’s first three signees alongside Brianne Jenner and Emily Clark, her place has already been cemented in the young franchise’s history.

Even now, MacLeod said her leadership continues to extend far beyond the crease.

“You don’t necessarily put letters on goalies, but you can see what she’s doing within the dressing room, and just a real professional demeanor to her,” MacLeod said. “She’s been a big part of this Ottawa Charge franchise.”