Ottawa Charge moves back into PWHL playoff spot with second straight win over Boston Fleet

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Shiann Darkangelo returned to Massachusetts – about 40 minutes from Salem and the infamous witch trials of 1692 – to haunt her old team Wednesday night.

The Ottawa Charge centre scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 victory over the Boston Fleet at the Tsongas Center in Lowell that clinched a postseason berth for the Toronto Sceptres and scrunched the PWHL standings below them.

With the regulation time win, Ottawa moved back into the fourth and final playoff spot, one point ahead of the Minnesota Fleet and one point back of the Fleet.

While the league-leading Montreal Victoire and Sceptres have sewn up reservations for the post-season tournament, the Fleet, Charge and Frost will battle for final two spots – with the New York Siren still having a pulse six points back – when teams return from the 24-day break for the women’s world championship to play the final three games of the season.

On Wednesday, Charge rookie Gwyneth Philips turned in a brilliant 17-save performance for her second shutout of the season and her second victory over the Fleet in four days.

Darkangelo, who was acquired by the Charge from Boston at last season’s trade deadline for Lexie Adzija and the rights to Caitrin Lonergan, converted a nice setup by Anna Meixner to open the scoring on the power play just 45 seconds into the first period.

The 31-year-old native of Brighton, Mich., made it 2-0 with a heavy wrister after taking a drop pass from Ronja Savolainen at 7:42 of the second period and, after Jincy Roese gave Ottawa a three-goal cushion with a seeing-eye point shot through a screen just under eight minutes later, Darkangelo completed her ‘trick with a big slap shot from the slot at 6:29 of the third.

The Charge had 24 shots on goal, including 16 on Team USA starting goalie Aerin Frankel, who was replaced by Emma Soderberg to start the third.

That final period featured some big hits and chippy play, and saw Charge defender Zoe Boyd take a five-minute major and game misconduct for a hit to the head.

Ottawa’s final three games after the more than three-week hiatus will be at home to Montreal and Minnesota and then the regular-season finale in Toronto.

Boston has home games against Toronto and Minnesota sandwiched around a visit to Montreal, while the Frost, before visits to Ottawa and Boston, will play host to New York.