Captain's Performance Powers Charge to First Win
Ottawa Charge captain Brianne Jenner delivered a spectacular four-point performance Wednesday night, leading her team to a convincing 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Goldeneyes at Ottawa's home arena. The dominant win marked Ottawa's first of the young PWHL season after being shut out 4-0 by the New York Sirens in their opener.
Jenner's remarkable night included two goals and two assists as the Charge improved their record to 1-0-0-1. The victory was particularly sweet for Ottawa, who responded strongly after their disappointing season opener where they failed to score.
Scoring Breakdown and Key Contributors
The Charge established control early and never looked back. Jenner opened the scoring on the power play after Vancouver defender Emma Greco took a major penalty for a hit to the head of Ottawa's Peyton Hemp just two minutes into the game.
Mannon McMahon extended Ottawa's lead midway through the second period with her first goal of the season. Stephanie Markowski created the opportunity by picking off a clear at centre and finding Gabbie Hughes, who slid a perfect pass to McMahon at the top of the slot.
The third period saw Ottawa cement their dominance with Rebecca Leslie scoring early to make it 3-0. Though Vancouver's Claire Thompson eventually beat Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips high glove-side to make it 3-1, Ottawa quickly responded.
Anna Meixner grabbed a loose puck and scored through traffic with 5:22 remaining, and Jenner capped her outstanding night with an empty-net goal.
Notable Debuts and Historical Moments
The game featured significant historical moments for the PWHL as Anna Shokhina, Ottawa's second-round pick, made her league debut alongside sixth-round pick Fanuza Kadirova. The pair became the first two Russian players in PWHL history.
Vancouver's lineup included three former Charge players facing their old team, including starting goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer, defender Ashton Bell, and forward Tereza Vanisova. Maschmeyer stopped 30 shots in the losing effort.
For Ottawa, Rory Guilday and Gabbie Hughes each contributed two assists, while goaltender Gwyneth Philips made 18 saves to secure the victory.
The expansion Vancouver Goldeneyes, who won their first game 4-3 in overtime over the Seattle Torrent on Friday, struggled to match Ottawa's momentum throughout the game and were often pinned in their own end.
The Charge will look to build on this momentum when they host the Minnesota Frost on Tuesday, while Vancouver travels to face the New York Sirens on Saturday.
