Why an important PWHL-record setting win was secondary to the Ottawa Charge
Article content
After a much-need offensive breakthrough that turned into a PWHL record-setting performance, flanking Ottawa Charge coach Carla MacLeod at the post-game media conference was Rebecca Leslie — who had just picked up her first two points as a member of her hometown team — and Gabbie Hughes, who had finally found the back of the net with her first two goals of the season.
As big as any group and personal accomplishments were in the 8-3 victory over the Minnesota Frost, more important to the two players was the added platform it gave them to promote Mental Health Awareness Night.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Why an important PWHL-record setting win was secondary to the Ottawa Charge Back to video
Leslie was both a teammate and close pal of Daron Richardson, who took her own life in 2010 at the age of 14 and is remembered through the popular Do It for Daron (DIFD) initiative.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Hughes, a native of Lino Lakes, Minn., helped start Sophie’s Squad in 2021 after the suicide of 14-year-old Sophie Wieland, a minor hockey player in Minnesota.
Her father Terry, the president of Sophie’s Squad, dropped the puck for the opening faceoff in front of 5,854 supportive and sign-waving fans at TD Place.
“Daron was a great friend of mine, and I think that it just shows how strong the hockey community is in how we all band together in situations like that,” Leslie said. “It’s pretty crazy to think that Gabbie and I have both experienced something similar. But the outcome of tragedy has been to raise awareness for youth Mental Health and I think that that is what’s really important, that we can inspire conversations and these games just raise awareness.
“We’re really proud to represent the mental health community and then to get a win is just, it’s just great.”
Hughes, who was tied as Ottawa’s second-leading scorer with nine goals last season, spoke of how her drought ended at a most appropriate time.
“I think that’s very normal to get frustrated (when not scoring) especially when we don’t win,” she said. “But just sticking with what our team drives into us, playing hard and playing for each other, those things kind of make that all go away. It doesn’t matter who’s scoring the goals at the end of the day, but today’s were a little special.
“The first one for Sophie, the second one for Daron. It was pretty cool to get those two today.”
Of what the night meant to her as a whole, Hughes said: “It’s hard to put into words. When we were in Minnesota, it’s kind of easy to have a game there for Sophie Squad, but for it to travel all the way here to Ottawa, for (the Charge) support staff to reach out and say they wanted to have us here, you can’t even put into words how special that is. It was amazing.
“I’m just very grateful for the crowd and for the teammates and all of our staff really supporting and gathering around mental health awareness today.”
How do some PWHL players prepare for a big game on a snowy day?
Same as everyone else.
“I shoveled a lot of snow today, I cheaped out on the plow,” Leslie said. “I was worried I wasn’t going to get down my street.”
“I had Irv shovel,” MacLeod cracked, presumably referring to assistant coach Haley Irwin.
“I had a one windshield wiper break off, so my roommate ended up having to drive,” Hughes said. “But nothing major.”
On a day when the malls and Costco outlets had far fewer visitors than usual, Leslie was impressed with the attendance.
“To see that many people show up for us on a Thursday in a snowstorm just goes to show how great a community we have here and how supportive our fans are of our team,” she said. “It’s really exciting for us to pull it a win on this type of night. They were super loud.”
Perhaps there was just a little more to it than a strong game from the home team.
“When I was a kid, if there was a snowstorm like that, and I didn’t have school, or I could skip school and then go to a hockey game at night, that would be a dream come true,” Leslie said.
What does the offensive outburst mean to Ottawa?
The Charge were averaging 1.8 goals per game (27 in 15) so they bumped their average up to 2.18 when eclipsing by two the record for most goals in a PWHL tilt.
The explosion in the first game of the second half of the season should give Ottawa some confidence going forward.
“It’s just nice to see our group be rewarded,” MacLeod said. “That’s the part that makes it fun. This is a group that’s been grinding all year and working their tails off all year, and to be rewarded the way that we were tonight is really positive and well-earned, and I think that’s what we’re most proud of.”
Who has become the “one way or another she’s gonna get you” player on the Charge?
That would be 29-year-old Czech forward Tereza Vanisova, who was acquired from Montreal in a trade for defender Amanda Boulier last March.
With Thursday’s hat trick, Vanisova has seven goals, tied for third-most in the league.
She also leads the PWHL with 28 penalty minutes.
What’s up next for the Charge?
First, it’s Sunday’s Takeover Tour game against the Toronto Sceptres at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
From there, the Charge play three in a row and five of their next six at TD Place.
“We did a really nice job in the first half,” MacLeod said. “We were on the road for 80-85% of those games, which isn’t easy, and now we get a chance to settle in here and make our home genuinely our home.
“We are looking forward to that.”
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.