Some players wilt under the pressure of the playoffs, while others thrive. Ottawa Charge forward Rebecca Leslie is firmly in the latter group.
Before the 2025 Professional Women's Hockey League postseason, Leslie was considered an adequate bottom-six forward. In 51 regular-season games, split between PWHL Toronto and the Ottawa Charge after general manager Mike Hirshfeld brought her home as a free agent, she managed just three goals.
But when the Charge faced the Montreal Victoire in the 2025 playoffs, something clicked. Leslie transformed into one of the team's best players. While her offensive production wasn't the only factor—only Emily Clark scored more goals (three) for the Charge than Leslie's two in eight games against the Victoire and the Minnesota Frost in the Walter Cup final—her overall game reached new heights.
Carrying Momentum into the Season
The confidence Leslie gained during that playoff run carried into the 2025-26 season. She became a star, not just on her team but across the entire league. Given a full-time role on the top line, she excelled in a strong two-way game. Leslie scored 14 goals, tying Boston Fleet's Jessica Eldridge for second in the PWHL, just two behind Minnesota Frost's Kelly Pannek. She also added nine assists, tying for fifth in league scoring.
Entering the 2026 playoffs, Leslie acknowledged that the turning point in her career came exactly one year earlier—when the games mattered most.
Finding Extra Grit in Championship Moments
“I think that when you get in these opportunities to play for championships, you find that extra little bit of grit, and you find that a little extra bit of excitement in your game,” Leslie said before the Charge traveled to Boston for the first two games of a best-of-five series against the Fleet. “And for me, I was just so excited to have the opportunity to play in the playoffs for a Walter Cup. I think that I got excited for the physicality, the opportunity to win games, and I’m just hoping to continue to build off this season and help our team.”
The series opener on Thursday ended in a 2-1 Fleet victory, a rare regulation-time result. The four regular-season meetings between the teams all went to overtime, with three extending into shootouts, and the average goals per game was four. In the opener, the Charge were outshot 28-18 and outhit 18-11, as the Fleet leveraged their size advantage—a pattern consistent with the regular season.
