VANCOUVER — The Ottawa Charge are surging to make a late-season playoff push, and head coach Carla MacLeod said this part of the Professional Women’s Hockey League campaign is about picking up any sort of positives.
“We’ve been able to work our way out of games and earn some points from games that weren’t going our way,” said MacLeod.
Charge captain Rebecca Leslie’s 11th goal of the season in overtime gave the Charge the 3-2 win on Saturday after they trailed 2-1 with less than a minute left in the third period.
MacLeod said while the comeback win is something to build on, she knows winning games like this isn’t sustainable.
The Charge had just 17 shots against the Goldeneyes, but goaltender Gwyneth Phillips stopped 34 of the 36 shots she faced, and MacLeod said a performance like this is a way for her team to pick up momentum and confidence.
“When you look at the way (Phillips) played, she was just in control. It’s a benefit to our team,” said the Charge’s bench boss.
MacLeod praised her team for the resilience it showed, particularly in a game with a bulk of the scoring chances on its own net.
“This is a professional industry and you have to earn your way out. This isn’t the model we want to replicate, but our group has stuck with it for 60-plus minutes and that’s something we’re proud of,” she said.
Leslie, who moved into a tie with New York’s Kristyna Kaltounkova for the most goals (11), said despite the lack of scoring chances on Saturday, the Charge feel confident knowing how lethal the squad can be when they do get in front of the net.
“If we find ways to get any shots through, we’ll have more opportunities to win these games,” said Leslie.
The Charge boast two of the top goal scorers in the league. Alongside Leslie, Brianne Jenner’s nine goals is tied for the third-best mark.
Leslie’s winner was assisted by Jenner, notching both players’ 18th point of the season, tied for the second most in the PWHL behind Taylor Heise of the Minnesota Frost with 20.
“I’ve been lucky to play with (Jenner) this season and she’s always going to find me,” said Leslie.
While MacLeod and Leslie were glad to pick up critical points from a difficult away game, they reiterated they don’t want to be known as a “comeback” team.
“We have a no-quit attitude (and) we’ve shown that throughout the season, but we need to be better.”
Despite the overtime win, Leslie said her team could have won in regulation if it cashed in on more of the opportunities.
“We need to play a full 60 minutes because in this league everything is tight and we need those regulation points,” said Leslie. “I believed in this group through the end and I knew we’d continue to push, but we need to find more consistency in our game.”
The Charge have won four of their last eight games, still searching for the consistency Leslie talked about.
The Charge currently sit in fourth place (28 points). Last season, they were the third seed, finishing the year with 44 points.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2026.
Rois Chand, The Canadian Press
