Charge get ‘needed’ three points ahead of Olympic break thanks to clutch play

OTTAWA – The Ottawa Charge needed a win, and they found an extra gear late to get the job done.

Rebecca Leslie scored twice in the final 5:14 of the game to tie, then put Ottawa ahead before Emily Clark added the insurance marker in a 4-2 win over the Seattle Torrent Wednesday night.

Charge head coach MacLeod said the win held a little extra importance ahead of the Olympic break because “it allows the group that’s remaining in Ottawa to be excited about getting better.” 

The win brought the Charge within just two points of a playoff spot while the Torrent remained in last place in the PWHL standings.

Even though Ottawa’s stands were filled with thousands of promotional captain Brianne Jenner novelty bobbleheads for a fan event, the Charge were all business on the ice.

“Regardless of the bobbleheads or not, we needed those three points,” Jenner said.

Tied at 1-1, the Torrent took the lead halfway through the third period when Danielle Serdachny stole the puck from Ottawa defender Jocelyn Larocque and found teammate Jessie Eldridge for a one-timer finish.

“I saw an opportunity there that I thought could result in a turnover, so I pressured their defence there and Jessie did a great job of jumping into the play,” Serdachny said.

Leslie scored the tying goal with 5:14 remaining, finishing a telegraphed passing-play from Jenner and Sarah Wozniewicz.

With only a minute left to play, Seattle defender Megan Carter took a cross-checking penalty, giving the Charge their best chance to win the game in regulation.

According to MacLeod, capitalizing on the advantage was the game plan coming out of the locker room ahead of that final frame.

“Needing our power play to step up at the end of the game, we challenged them in the intermission, and obviously they delivered,” MacLeod.

With 30 seconds until time expired, the puck found Rory Guilday, who delivered a pass to Leslie’s tape, which was already mid-swing, launching a one-timer from beyond the offensive zone faceoff dot that muscled through Corinne Schroeder’s pads and over the line.

“To be on the power play, we knew we needed to do our job when we’re given a chance like that at the end of the game,” Leslie said.

Seattle will host the Toronto Sceptres after the Olympic break on Feb. 27, forcing the Torrent to wait a month before having another chance to escape last place in the PWHL standings.

“We’re aware we’re in the bottom right now, but as we’ve seen in the past, so much can change,” Serdachny said.

With eight players plus MacLeod herself parting for Italy, carrying the momentum from the win through the month off will be key for the Charge to hit the ground running on the other side. When the PWHL action returns, Ottawa will host the first-place Boston Fleet on Feb. 28. 

“Obviously our players that are going to go to Italy will be playing and keeping up that pace,” MacLeod said. “We know the group here is actually going to be doing the exact same thing.”

“Coming off a win there’s a little more pep in the step when that time comes,” MacLeod added.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2026.