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CBC
30-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
PWHL Vancouver general manager excited to build expansion team's inaugural roster
Cara Gardner Morey knows her life is about to get very busy. As the first general manager of Vancouver's new Professional Women's Hockey League team, her schedule for the upcoming weeks rapidly filled as the league announced plans for its two expansion teams to build out their rosters. On Tuesday, an exclusive signing window will open. Then there's the expansion draft, followed by a league-wide entry draft at the end of June. Gardner Morey isn't daunted — she's excited. "It's such a cool opportunity," she said Friday. "And I'm kind of chomping at the bit for June 4 when I can start making these calls and kind of talking to the players we're interested in bringing to our franchise." Building a professional women's hockey team is something Gardner Morey dreamt about when she was a player, first at Brown University, then in the National Women's Hockey League where she played with Jayna Hefford, now the PWHL's executive vice president of hockey operations. "We were just excited to be part of something where we didn't have to pay for hockey," Gardner Morey said. "And we've watched it over the years, and we've watched kind of professional hockey for women come and go and waiver. "Then when this league started, just the way that it was structured, the business model, the leadership in place, you could see very quickly that this was going to be a success. And I knew it was something I really wanted to be a part of. I just feel so grateful that I can help be a part of this growth. It's awesome." More than 200 people applied to be the new general manager in Vancouver, Hefford said. Another 200 vied for the same job in Seattle, home of the league's other expansion franchise. Frost captain Kendall Coyne Schofield hoists PWHL's Walter Cup 4 days ago Duration 1:21 Proven herself Gardner Morey was picked because she's proven herself during the 14 years she spent with Princeton's women's hockey team, Hefford added. During her eight years as head coach, Princeton won an Ivy League championship, qualified for two NCAA quarterfinals and set a single-season record for wins (26). She's also worked as an assistant coach for the Canadian women's U-18 team in 2016-17, and for Canada during the Rivalry series against the United States in February 2019. "She has built a program (at Princeton) that has competed at the highest level, proven herself to be a great recruiter in terms of some of the players she was able to bring into that program and the success they've had both there and coming out of that program," Hefford said. "And Cara just comes with such a passion and an energy for the game and the sport." While at Princeton, Gardner Morey coached both current Minnesota Frost defender Claire Thompson, a finalist for this year's PWHL's top defender award, and New York Sirens forward Sarah Fillier, who's up for the top forward and rookie of the year awards. The decision to move from behind the bench to a front office was spurred by the 46-year-old Gardner Morey's passion for leadership and the feeling that the move made sense as the next step in her career. "I did have to think about it, because I'm leaving the coaching realm," she said. "But on some level, I think it's going to be nice to be able to watch the games from up top and not necessarily feel the stress of it on the bench in the moment. So it's something I'm really looking forward to." Now tasked with building a team from scratch, Gardner Morey is working to find players and staff who'll fit her vision for a speedy, skilled, physical team that has an amazing, competitive culture. There are ample candidates for the coaching staff, she said, and her mind long ago turned to plotting the perfect roster. "That's what's exciting about this position, right? Building your own team and this fantasy that you could almost choose anybody you want, which we know that's not quite the way it goes," Gardner Morey said. "But I started thinking about it as soon as I started exploring this position and was watching all the games. You're just watching like, `Ooh, who would be great in this spot?' And building rosters and building puzzle pieces and creating the culture is something I'm really, really excited about."
Globe and Mail
28-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
After close loss in PWHL final, Ottawa Charge brace for roster shakeup
The Ottawa Charge have plenty to be proud of after a strong showing in the Professional Women's Hockey League's second season, but the real test lies ahead with inevitable roster changes on the horizon. Following a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss to the Minnesota Frost in the deciding Game 4 of the Walter Cup final on Monday, players were still processing the defeat while also dealing with uncertainty about what the team will look like next season. As the league prepares to expand into Vancouver and Seattle, the Charge, and the other five current teams, will lose four players to the expansion draft. Each team can protect three players initially, with the option to protect a fourth after two are selected. Protection lists are due next Tuesday, and with significant changes expected, the Charge's path forward is anything but certain. General manager Mike Hirshfeld said they have already decided on who they will protect and will be letting players know Thursday during exit meetings. 'It's going to be a tough day,' Hirshfeld said. 'I'm sure of it, not looking forward to some of the conversations, but I also understand that this is a great moment for this league.' The Charge (12-2-4-12) finished third in the regular season to advance to the playoffs for the first time. Ottawa beat the number-one seed Montreal Victoire in the opening semi-final round to earn a berth in the final. Ottawa had a strong showing in the final, but an inability to score when most needed proved costly as defending champion Minnesota took the best-of-five series 3-1. Every game required overtime and was decided by one goal. 'There's a lot to be proud of this group and this year, highs and lows, injuries of top players, and there's a lot that happened this year and to be where we ended up is pretty special,' said forward Gabbie Hughes. 'That just speaks volumes to the group that we have.' There was much to like from where Ottawa started the season to where it ended. The Charge failed to qualify for the playoffs last season, but were able to persevere and punch their ticket on the final day of the regular season. 'Really proud of the gains we made here from year one to year two,' said coach Carla MacLeod. 'But, you know, by no means are we going to sit back and rest on our laurels. We're going to keep going here, so there's a lot of opportunity ahead of us.' Much will be made of goaltender Gwyneth Philips' emergence. Philips had a limited role as Emerance Maschmeyer's backup early in the season, but when the veteran netminder went down in March the 25-year-old rookie stepped in with poise making a strong impression in net. Through eight playoff games Philips posted a .952 save percentage, made 257-of-270 saves throughout the Charge's playoff run and was named the 2025 Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP. 'For a goalie to have success, you know, people in front of them have to be playing well, and I think we played really well, especially defensively,' Philips said. 'And so I think definitely some other people in the series it could have gone to them, but I think it does kind of validate how good we were defensively.' Philips admitted the expansion draft served as incentive through the playoffs. 'We knew this team wasn't going to look the same, and how much respect and love we had for each other, we wanted to go out with a bang.' Brianne Jenner, Emily Clark, and Maschmeyer were Ottawa's first signings when the league launched, but it would be surprising to see all three return next season. While they understand it's part of the business it doesn't make it any easier. 'I think growth for the league is great, it's exciting,' said Clark. 'But obviously it's not lost on us that the reality is that there could be some big changes.'
Globe and Mail
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Globe and Mail
Curl-Salemme scores tying goal, OT winner as Frost even PWHL final against Charge
Britta Curl-Salemme scored the game-tying goal and the overtime winner to lift the Minnesota Frost to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Charge in the Professional Women's Hockey League final Thursday. The Frost evened the best-of-five Walter Cup championship series 1-1 heading into Game 3 in Minnesota on Saturday. Goals continued to be at a premium in the series with both goaltenders coming up big. Maddie Rooney was the busier of the two, making 37 saves for Minnesota. Ottawa's Gwyneth Philips turned away 22 shots. Curl-Salemme buried the winner when she dove for a rebound and beat Philips stick side for her second of the game at 16:24 in the extra period. Ottawa opened the scoring with 2:35 left in regulation as Jocelyne Larocque converted her first of the playoffs by skating out front and beating a sprawled-out Rooney. Rebecca Leslie won a battle for the puck behind the net to set up Larocque. Minnesota pressed for the equalizer and caught a break when Tereza Vanisova was called for tripping with 37 seconds remaining in regulation. Curl-Salemme beat Philips with 16 seconds left to force overtime while Frost had a two-player advantage with Rooney on the bench for an extra attacker. Minnesota went 1-for-5 on the power play. The game remained scoreless after 40 minutes. Minnesota failed to capitalize on its first two power plays, generating just one shot. The Frost nearly gave up a short-handed goal when both Emily Clark and Gabbie Hughes generated chances for Ottawa. The Charge controlled play for much of the second period and dominated the shot clock 16-6, but Rooney stood tall for the Frost. In the first period, Ottawa had an 8-3 edge in shots, but Minnesota's forecheck was a challenge for the Charge. Taylor House replaced Katerina Mrazova in the Charge lineup. Mrazova took a couple big hits in Game 1.
CBC
23-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Curl-Salemme plays hero as Frost edge Charge in OT to even PWHL Finals
Social Sharing Britta Curl-Salemme scored the game-tying goal and the overtime winner to lift the Minnesota Frost to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Charge in the Professional Women's Hockey League final Thursday. The Frost evened the best-of-five Walter Cup championship series 1-1 heading into Game 3 in Minnesota on Saturday. Goals continued to be at a premium in the series with both goaltenders coming up big. Maddie Rooney was the busier of the two, making 37 saves for Minnesota. Ottawa's Gwyneth Philips turned away 22 shots. WATCH | Curl-Salemme's OT winner helps Frost even series with Charge: A pair of goals by Britta Curl-Salemme including the overtime winner gives Frost a Game 2 win over Charge 18 minutes ago Duration 2:21 Curl-Salemme buried the winner when she dove for a rebound and beat Philips stick side for her second of the game at 16:24 in the extra period. Ottawa opened the scoring with 2:35 left in regulation as Jocelyne Larocque converted her first of the playoffs by skating out front and beating a sprawled-out Rooney. Rebecca Leslie won a battle for the puck behind the net to set up Larocque. Curl-Salemme beat Philips with 16 seconds left to force overtime while Frost had a two-player advantage with Rooney on the bench for an extra attacker. Minnesota went 1-for-5 on the power play. The game remained scoreless after 40 minutes. Minnesota failed to capitalize on its first two power plays, generating just one shot. The Frost nearly gave up a short-handed goal when both Emily Clark and Gabbie Hughes generated chances for Ottawa. The Charge controlled play for much of the second period and dominated the shot clock 16-6, but Rooney stood tall for the Frost. In the first period, Ottawa had an 8-3 edge in shots, but Minnesota's forecheck was a challenge for the Charge.
Washington Post
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Emily Clark's OT goal lifts Charge over Frost 2-1 in final series opener
OTTAWA, Ontario — Emily Clark was just hoping for a shorter overtime. After experiencing quadruple overtime in her team's tough semifinal series, the Ottawa Charge forward was keen to put an end to things early. Clark did just hat, scoring at 2:47 of overtime on Tuesday night to lead the Charge to a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Frost for a 1-0 lead in the Professional Women's Hockey League best-of-five championship series for the Walter Cup. 'I had an opportunity the shift before with some speed and the puck kind of rolled off my stick and, you know, I was just trying to shake that off,' Clark said. 'And I just had in my mind that if I have another opportunity I was just going to try to use my speed and get it to the net. Obviously, happy with the result.' Game 2 is Thursday in Ottawa. Ottawa is a perfect 3-0 on home ice through the playoffs. The Frost have never won Game 1 of a playoff series in four attempts. Minnesota also lost the first game of their semifinal series to Toronto and came back to win three straight. 'We know it's gonna be a tight series,' Frost coach Ken Klee said. 'They're a good team. We know goals are gonna come at a premium and, obviously, they got one more than us tonight.' In the extra period, Clark came down the wing and wired a shot past Nicole Hensley, who finished the game with 17 saves. The game required extra time after Gwyneth Philips had a rare miscue early in the third period, leading to the Frost's tying goal. Philips, who stopped 25 shots, mishandled the puck while attempting to play it, turning it over to Katy Knoll. Knoll quickly fed a pass to Klara Hymlarova, who buried the wide-open chance to tie the score 1-1. 'You know, those little missteps are going to happen,' Charge coach Carla MacLeod said. 'That's the reality of sport. That's the reality of hockey. There's little mistakes that can occur, but she doesn't let it faze her, and we know that about her, too.' With 6:08 remaining in regulation the Charge were set to go on the power play but officials then reviewed an incident that saw Rebecca Leslie cross check Mellissa Channell-Watkins. It was initially assessed as a major but then downgraded to a minor creating offsetting minors. 'I was definitely freaking out a little bit,' admitted Leslie, as she waited for the call. 'I was disappointed, and don't like to be in those situations. So, just glad it was a minor and we killed it off.' Leslie had brought the crowd to its feet midway through the second period when she beat Hensley high glove side to give Ottawa a 1-0 lead. Moments earlier the Frost had been generating a number of chances on the power play, but Philips was solid. As the penalty was expiring the Charge were able to clear the puck with Jocelyne Larocque making a cross-ice pass to Tereza Vanisova who dropped a pass to Leslie. Hensley couldn't get a clear view of the shot, partially screened by her teammate Lee Stecklein. 'I think that this league is unbelievably hard to score in, and I think you work all season to try to put yourself in opportunities to score goals,' Leslie said. 'And those are some pretty big goals for me, and I think it does help my confidence a little bit.' ___ AP Women's Hockey:
