Ottawa Charge's Jocelyne Larocque not losing a step in fast-paced final
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If you had to guess who'd be logging the most minutes by this point of the PWHL playoffs, odds are most wouldn't choose the league's most senior player — on a team given longshot odds to make the finals.
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And yet, that's exactly where Ottawa Charge defender Jocelyne Larocque stands. Through five gruelling postseason games — including a marathon quadruple-overtime loss to Montreal in Game 2 — the 37-year-old has logged over two-and-a-half hours of ice time. Her endurance has reaffirmed herself as a workhorse for the Charge and its steady hand en route to its first finals appearance.
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Still, after all those minutes played, it's actually been a reduction in ice time — and a helping hand from her fellow blueliners — that has rejuvenated Larocque's game since being traded by the Toronto Sceptres in the league's first blockbuster swap earlier this season.
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After averaging more than 27 minutes per game through 28 outings with the Sceptres, Larocque's ice time has fallen to just over 23 minutes across 29 games with the Charge, a figure skewed upward by an entire minute as a result of the Charge's Game 2 epic. For most players, a cut in minutes might be frustrating. For Larocque, it's been liberating.
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'It's helped my game tremendously,' Larocque said about her usage under coach Carla MacLeod in Ottawa.
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Selected second overall by Toronto in the PWHL's inaugural draft, Larocque was regularly tasked with heavy ice time for the Sceptres alongside Renata Fast, clearing 30 minutes on seven occasions last season. Her usage only increased in last year's playoffs, a 3-1 series loss to the Minnesota Frost.
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Despite her strong reputation as Team Canada's longtime defensive stalwart, Larocque didn't always find her footing within Toronto's loose defensive system. Known for her unique ability to box out opponents in the defensive zone, Larocque was often pulled out of her element trying to sneak offensive chances. She admitted the heavy workload also took a toll on the quality of her play.
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'Last year, it was more difficult to give those extra bumps, and really be diligent on box outs and things like that,' Larocque said. 'They're really the tasks that require a lot of effort.'
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Those struggles to excel in the Sceptres' desired structure contributed to Larocque's inclusion in the league's most seismic trade to date: Ottawa's Savannah Harmon and Hayley Scamurra packaged to Toronto for Larocque and Victoria Bach. Immediately, the Sceptres were declared the outright winners based on the defenders involved: Harmon was a 29-year-old, smooth-skating puck-mover, while Larocque's best days as a shutdown defender appeared to be behind her.
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