Ottawa Charge starts PWHL season on high but room to grow on ice and in attendance with CTC game next

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For the most part, the Ottawa Charge are off to a good, solid start in the PWHL’s second season.

With a home win over Toronto following a road shootout loss to Montreal, the Charge has four points to sit atop the league standings.

Of course, while all six teams have played at least one game, only Ottawa and Toronto have played two, but first place is the best place no matter the details, at any and every point of the season.

The 3-2 victory at TD Place on Tuesday was Ottawa’s first-ever regulation-time win by one goal — last year the team had the dubious distinction of leading the league with 10 one-goal defeats in 11 games (0-1-6-4) — and it was the fourth time Ottawa has defeated Toronto in six PWHL meetings.

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Against no other team does Ottawa own a better record, while no other team has had as much success against Toronto as Ottawa.

“I always think there’s a natural excitement to play against Toronto,” Charge coach Carla MacLeod said late Tuesday night. “I’m fairly new to Ottawa, but I’ve learned verrrrrry quickly there’s a natural energy when Toronto comes into town, so I think maybe that’s part of the vibe.

“But by no means do I think there’s any sort of discrepancy between the six teams in this league. I think they’re all really good.”

Yes, the Charge is off to a good start on the ice.

And then there’s the attendance.

The season opener at TD Place drew just 6,451 fans, the smallest crowd to see a PWHL game this season after Boston at Toronto attracted 8,089, Ottawa at Montreal brought out 10,033 and 8,022 watched New York at Minnesota.

Whether the team made the mistake of holding on to group blocks of tickets too long or whatever the reason, it was disappointing to see so many empty chairs for the first game of the season.

Last year’s home opener against Montreal, which also was on a Tuesday and one week after people watched the Christmas gifts they spent lots of money on being unwrapped, attendance was 8,313.

Only three of Ottawa’s inaugural season home games (5,609 vs. Minnesota, 5,208 vs. Boston, 6,316 vs. Toronto) drew fewer fans than Tuesday, while six games attracted more than 8,000 (the high mark was 8,452 for the finale against Montreal).

The average attendance for Ottawa games in Year 1 was 7,496 — or 1,000-plus more than the turnout for the debut of those spiffy new jerseys.

Is it a concern?

Probably not at this point, but for Ottawa’s first PWHL game at Canadian Tire Centre on Friday, Ticketmaster shows that while the lower bowls are filling up, there are a lot of ducats available in the upper sections.

We’ll soon find out if it was worth their while to move the game to the big arena in Kanata.

“We’re thrilled to get this opportunity to play at CTC and hopefully draw the whole community … it’s a privilege for us to be able to do that,” MacLeod said. “We know our fans are incredible. We hope they’re able to come and support us in that venture too. This isn’t a neutral zone site. This is a home-field advantage. The louder, the better.

“You hear them tonight, they’re booing. You love it. They’re cheering and booing at all the right times. So we’re really excited. We hope the community can get behind us and bring their energy because it sets us apart and it’s something that we certainly never take for granted, but it gives us a boost every game.”

Chilly reception for Watts

The Sceptres were booed when they stepped on the ice for the first time — perhaps because they dashed Ottawa’s playoff hopes in the regular-season finale last year — but Daryl Watts heard it from the fans throughout the night.

After leading Ottawa in scoring with 10 goals in Season 1, she left as a free agent to play in her hometown.

“I think she expected the boos, I think she was looking forward to them a little bit,” Sceptres coach Troy Ryan said. “She was pretty excited about just that. That’s what a lot of these women want to play for. They want the home fans, but they also want the away fans to be chirping a little bit. So she was ready for that.”

Against her old team, Watts was held off the score sheet and didn’t even register a shot on goal.

“I had a feeling they were going to boo me and I understand it’s to be expected,” she said. “The fans here are really passionate. I think it’s good, it’s good for the league to have passionate fans. They do it in the NHL. So it’s no different here.”

The Czech Connection

Tereza Vanisova has two goals in two games, including the winner against Toronto in which she combined on a pretty play with fellow Czech Katerina Mrazova and included Finland’s Ronja Savolainen. Vanisova and Mrazova also assisted on Jincy Roese’s power-play marker that tied the game in the third.

The chemistry between the Czechs is obvious.

“On that third goal … I just said, ]oh, there’s some European hockey right there,’ those little slip plays,” said MacLeod, whose side gig is as coach of the Czech women’s national team. “I think my exposure to the international game has allowed me to see the offensive side slightly different. I think the complimentary piece between them and myself is I bring a little bit of a North American grit when we don’t have the puck, that they’ve embraced.

“But with the puck, I’m smart enough to just stay out of the way and let them play. I’m fortunate to have a front-row seat here and a front-row seat there.”

One for the mantlepiece

While rookie Mannon McMahon scored her first PWHL goal in her second game — “It was a surprise, almost,” she said. Roese also notched her first league goal, in her 26th game. “Good things come to those who wait … isn’t that what they say, or something like that?” asked the second-year defender. It was also a productive day for MacLeod. “I also scored three goals in pre-game skate,” she quipped.