Latest news with #RebeccaLeslie
Calgary Herald
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
‘We've been in these moments before': Ottawa Charge embraces do-or-die Game 4
Article content After dropping a triple-overtime Game 3 marathon in the PWHL finals, the Ottawa Charge is entering new territory as a franchise. Article content Having defeated the first-seed Montreal Victoire 3-1 in the semifinals, the Charge had yet to face elimination in a playoff game. On Monday night, the Walter Cup will be in the building as the Minnesota Frost can lay claim to the PWHL's first two championships. Article content Article content Yet Rebecca Leslie, tied for third in team playoff scoring, believes the group has been prepared for situations like these all along. Following starting goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer's injury on March 11, Ottawa sat five points out of a playoff spot with eight games remaining in their season. Article content Article content 'Our second half of the season has kind of been a do-or-die situation,' she said. 'We've been in these moments before.' Article content On the final day of the PWHL regular season, the Charge entered Toronto's Coca-Cola Coliseum needing a win to squeak into the playoffs. Katerina Mrazova scored in overtime to make it happen. The team won four of its final five regular-season games. Article content Not to mention rookie goaltender Gwyneth Philips, who gave up just six goals in those five games with a .949 save percentage. Article content In the post-season, few players have thrived under pressure as well as Leslie, who opened the scoring in both the clinching game of Ottawa's semifinal series and Game 1 of the PWHL finals. Article content Article content The 29-year-old Ottawa local also noted that many of her teammates have been exposed to more all-or-nothing moments than their male counterparts through Olympics, world championships and college national tournaments. Brianne Jenner, Emily Clark, Jocelyne Larocque and Ashton Bell are some of those players with big-game experience on the biggest stages. Article content Article content Clark leads the Charge with five points and scored the Game 1 overtime winner. Jenner is second in team scoring. Larocque and Bell have formed arguably the best shutdown tandem in the playoffs. Ottawa's best players have elevated their games, but more is still needed to unseat the defending Walter Cup champions. Article content 'Every game is kind of just a do-or-die situation for us,' Leslie said. 'We live for these moments, so we're excited to embrace it.' Article content Still, for all the clutch moments and experience belonging to the Charge, they've been equally snake-bitten when it matters most. Four of their seven playoff games have gone to overtime, and they've only come away victorious in one of them. Extra-time hockey was always a weakness for Ottawa in the regular season — they lost six out of eight games that went beyond regulation.
Vancouver Sun
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
‘We've been in these moments before': Ottawa Charge embraces do-or-die Game 4
After dropping a triple-overtime Game 3 marathon in the PWHL finals, the Ottawa Charge is entering new territory as a franchise. Having defeated the first-seed Montreal Victoire 3-1 in the semifinals, the Charge had yet to face elimination in a playoff game. On Monday night, the Walter Cup will be in the building as the Minnesota Frost can lay claim to the PWHL's first two championships. Yet Rebecca Leslie, tied for third in team playoff scoring, believes the group has been prepared for situations like these all along. Following starting goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer's injury on March 11, Ottawa sat five points out of a playoff spot with eight games remaining in their season. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Our second half of the season has kind of been a do-or-die situation,' she said. 'We've been in these moments before.' On the final day of the PWHL regular season, the Charge entered Toronto's Coca-Cola Coliseum needing a win to squeak into the playoffs. Katerina Mrazova scored in overtime to make it happen. The team won four of its final five regular-season games. Not to mention rookie goaltender Gwyneth Philips, who gave up just six goals in those five games with a .949 save percentage. In the post-season, few players have thrived under pressure as well as Leslie, who opened the scoring in both the clinching game of Ottawa's semifinal series and Game 1 of the PWHL finals. The 29-year-old Ottawa local also noted that many of her teammates have been exposed to more all-or-nothing moments than their male counterparts through Olympics, world championships and college national tournaments. Brianne Jenner, Emily Clark, Jocelyne Larocque and Ashton Bell are some of those players with big-game experience on the biggest stages. Clark leads the Charge with five points and scored the Game 1 overtime winner. Jenner is second in team scoring. Larocque and Bell have formed arguably the best shutdown tandem in the playoffs. Ottawa's best players have elevated their games, but more is still needed to unseat the defending Walter Cup champions. 'Every game is kind of just a do-or-die situation for us,' Leslie said. 'We live for these moments, so we're excited to embrace it.' Still, for all the clutch moments and experience belonging to the Charge, they've been equally snake-bitten when it matters most. Four of their seven playoff games have gone to overtime, and they've only come away victorious in one of them. Extra-time hockey was always a weakness for Ottawa in the regular season — they lost six out of eight games that went beyond regulation. Katy Knoll's triple-overtime winner for the Frost marked Ottawa's second marathon loss this spring after an even longer quadruple overtime blow against Montreal in the semifinals. After playing four overtime periods, the mood in the Charge locker room was still remarkably positive — players were laughing over pizza and Gatorade, while defenders Ronja Savolainen and Aneta Tejralova ran sprints through the halls of Place Bell. If that wasn't relaxed enough, Leslie said the team's spirits were even higher after their most recent loss in Minnesota. 'I was a little bit more stressed for the Montreal game, because I just thought everything was on the line, but you realize that it is a marathon,' she said. 'Obviously it's a little frustrating at the beginning when you're just finishing off the game, but it's a series — you're not going to win or lose in one game.' In Game 4, that won't be the case. It's time to see which version of the Ottawa Charge shows up. 'You gotta choose how you respond,' Clark said. 'The story is still unwritten.'
Ottawa Citizen
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
‘We've been in these moments before': Ottawa Charge embraces do-or-die Game 4
After dropping a triple-overtime Game 3 marathon in the PWHL finals, the Ottawa Charge is entering new territory as a franchise. Article content Having defeated the first-seed Montreal Victoire 3-1 in the semifinals, the Charge had yet to face elimination in a playoff game. On Monday night, the Walter Cup will be in the building as the Minnesota Frost can lay claim to the PWHL's first two championships. Article content Article content Yet Rebecca Leslie, tied for third in team playoff scoring, believes the group has been prepared for situations like these all along. Following starting goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer's injury on March 11, Ottawa sat five points out of a playoff spot with eight games remaining in their season. Article content Article content 'Our second half of the season has kind of been a do-or-die situation,' she said. 'We've been in these moments before.' Article content On the final day of the PWHL regular season, the Charge entered Toronto's Coca-Cola Coliseum needing a win to squeak into the playoffs. Katerina Mrazova scored in overtime to make it happen. The team won four of its final five regular-season games. Article content Not to mention rookie goaltender Gwyneth Philips, who gave up just six goals in those five games with a .949 save percentage. Article content In the post-season, few players have thrived under pressure as well as Leslie, who opened the scoring in both the clinching game of Ottawa's semifinal series and Game 1 of the PWHL finals. Article content Article content The 29-year-old Ottawa local also noted that many of her teammates have been exposed to more all-or-nothing moments than their male counterparts through Olympics, world championships and college national tournaments. Brianne Jenner, Emily Clark, Jocelyne Larocque and Ashton Bell are some of those players with big-game experience on the biggest stages. Article content Article content Clark leads the Charge with five points and scored the Game 1 overtime winner. Jenner is second in team scoring. Larocque and Bell have formed arguably the best shutdown tandem in the playoffs. Ottawa's best players have elevated their games, but more is still needed to unseat the defending Walter Cup champions. Article content 'Every game is kind of just a do-or-die situation for us,' Leslie said. 'We live for these moments, so we're excited to embrace it.' Article content Still, for all the clutch moments and experience belonging to the Charge, they've been equally snake-bitten when it matters most. Four of their seven playoff games have gone to overtime, and they've only come away victorious in one of them. Extra-time hockey was always a weakness for Ottawa in the regular season — they lost six out of eight games that went beyond regulation.
CTV News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost
PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Minnesota Frost forward Klara Hymlarova (71) celebrates her goal against the Ottawa Charge with teammate Katy Knoll (6) during third period PWHL final action, Tuesday May 20, 2025 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Minnesota Frost's Claire Thompson (42) collides with Ottawa Charge's Zoe Boyd (3) during first period PWHL final action, Tuesday May 20, 2025 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa Charge forward Rebecca Leslie (37) celebrates her goal against the Minnesota Frost during second period PWHL final action, Tuesday May 20, 2025 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Minnesota Frost goaltender Nicole Hensley (29) protects the puck from Ottawa Charge's Tereza Vanisova (13) during third period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa Charge forward Emily Clark (26) celebrates her game winning overtime goal with teammates Mannon McMahon (18) and Gabbie Hughes (17) during overtime action against the Minnesota Frost in the PWHL final, Tuesday May 20, 2025 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 An official tries to separate Minnesota Frost's Taylor Heise (27) and Claire Thompson (42) from Ottawa Charge's Tereza Vanisova (right) during third period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Minnesota Frost forward Brooke McQuigge tries to deflect a puck past Ottawa Charge goalie Gwyneth Philips (33) during second period PWHL final action, Tuesday May 20, 2025 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa Charge forward Emily Clark (26) celebrates her game winning overtime goal with teammates Mannon McMahon (18) and Gabbie Hughes (17) during overtime action against the Minnesota Frost in the PWHL final, Tuesday May 20, 2025 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa Charge's Rebecca Leslie (37) celebrates her goal against the Minnesota Frost with Shiann Darkangelo (27), during second period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips (33) makes a save on Minnesota Frost's Denisa Krizova (41) during second period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa Charge's Tereza Vanisova (13) looks for the puck after it bounces off her leg in front of Minnesota Frost goaltender Nicole Hensley (29) during first period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa's Victoria Bach (12) skates the puck between Minnesota Frost's Katy Knoll (6) and Liz Schepers (21) during first period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Minnesota Frost goalie Nicole Hensley (29) poke checks the puck away from Ottawa Charge forward Tereza Vanisova (13) as she is pressured by Frost's Sophie Jacques (16) during second period PWHL final action, Tuesday May 20, 2025 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Minnesota Frost forward Michela Cava (86) is stopped by Ottawa Charge goalie Gwyneth Philips (33) during second period PWHL final action, Tuesday May 20, 2025 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa Charge forward Danielle Serdachny (92) collides with Minnesota Frost forward Britta Curl-Salemme (77) during second period PWHL final action, Tuesday May 20, 2025 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa Charge's Gabbie Hughes (17) lunges forward to keep the puck away from Minnesota Frost's Kendall Coyne Schofield (26) and Michela Cava (86) during second period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Minnesota Frost goaltender Nicole Hensley (29) makes a save as Claire Thompson (42) boxes out Ottawa Charge's Shiann Darkangelo (27) during first period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Minnesota Frost goaltender Nicole Hensley (29) Sophie Jacques (16) clear the puck, as Claire Thompson (42) falls while defending against Ottawa Charge's Shiann Darkangelo (27) during first period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips (33) watches the puck as Minnesota Frost's Dominique Petrie (14) looks for a chance in front of Charge's Stephanie Markowski (6) during second period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ellen Ilic, dressed as the Charge's Queen, watches the Ottawa Charge take on the Minnesota Frost during third period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa Charge forward Rebecca Leslie (37) scores on Minnesota Frost goalie Nicole Hensley (29) during second period PWHL final action, Tuesday May 20, 2025 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Minnesota Frost's Sophie Jacques (16) skates away as Ottawa Charge players celebrate Emily Clark's goal during overtime PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa Charge fans cheer before the start of the PWHL's Walter Cup Final against the Minnesota Frost, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa Charge's Rebecca Leslie (37) celebrates her goal against the Minnesota Frost with teammates on the bench, during second period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Minnesota Frost forward Kendall Coyne Schofield (26) battles with Ottawa Charge defence Zoe Boyd (3) for control of the puck in front of goalie Gwyneth Philips (33) during first period PWHL final action, Tuesday May 20, 2025 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Minnesota Frost forward Katy Knoll (6) tries to control the puck under pressure from Ottawa Charge defence Stephanie Markowski (6) as Charge goalie Gwyneth Philips (33) looks on during first period PWHL final action, Tuesday May 20, 2025 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips (33) makes a save on Minnesota Frost's Michela Cava (86) during second period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa Charge's Emily Clark (26) gets tangled up with Minnesota Frost's Kelly Pannek (12), during third period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang PWHL Finals: Ottawa Charge vs. Minnesota Frost - Game 1 Ottawa Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips (33) reaches to cover the puck against Minnesota Frost's Denisa Krizova (41) as Charge's Aneta Tejralova (2) keeps Frost's Dominique Petrie (14) away, during second period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
National Post
21-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Rebecca Leslie continues her emergence as Ottawa Charge's hometown sparkplug
Article content In these PWHL playoffs, the Ottawa Charge have had a penchant for starting games off on the right foot. Article content Article content Aside from their Game 2 overtime thriller in their semifinal series against Montreal Victoire, the Charge has scored the first goal in each game of their playoff run. Article content That continued in Game 1 of the PWHL final, where Ottawa local Rebecca Leslie blew the roof off TD Place with the game's first goal 11:34 into the second frame. It stood as the team's only offence until Emily Clark played overtime hero to lift Ottawa to a 1-0 series lead over the Minnesota Frost. Article content After scoring just a single goal in the regular season, not many would've put down Leslie to open the scoring — in back-to-back games, no less. Last week, the Charge's summer free-agent signing was an unlikely source of offence when she found the back of the net just two minutes into their series-clinching game against the Victoire. Article content 'This league is unbelievably hard to score in and I think that you work all season to try to put yourself in opportunities to score goals, and those are some pretty big goals for me,' Leslie said. Article content Even more unlikely was the manner in which Leslie scored Ottawa's first-ever PWHL final goal. While the Charge aren't the kind of team to look for pretty goals, Leslie's fit that description. Article content With Teresa Vanisova dropping the puck backwards at the top of the right faceoff circle, Leslie pulled and dragged it around the outstretched stick of Lee Stecklein, one of the best defenders in the world, before wiring a shot bardown over Minnesota goaltender Nicole Hensley's shoulder. Article content '(Stecklein's) stick is so long it makes it extremely difficult to play her,' Emily Clark said. 'But Rebecca's goal was incredible. To be able to get that shot off, let alone the placement of it … It was a huge boost for us just to get on the board first.' Article content Article content After a first period in which Ottawa struggled to generate shots against a stifling Frost defence, Leslie's marker was a moment of relief. As much as the Charge respected Montreal's ability to lock down defensively, Minnesota is on another level when it comes to forcing turnovers, stepping into shots and taking the body. Article content The fact that Vanisova was only seconds removed from exiting the box after a successful Charge penalty kill only added to the momentum swing, which brought the home crowd into the equation. As a former Ottawa 67's season-ticket holder and even an employee of Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, Leslie is well positioned to place her goal among the most frenzied at TD Place.
