Janson Duench

JansonDuench@THNews

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Janson is a Sault Ste. Marie-based reporter. He is a graduate of Carleton University's journalism and humanities program in Ottawa.

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Alexa Vasko's Pair Of Goals Lift Ottawa Over Minnesota

Mar 12, 25

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Ottawa Finally Scores An Overtime Goal To Oust New York

The Ottawa Charge lifted an enormous monkey off their back on Wednesday night, scoring their first-ever overtime goal to oust the struggling New York Sirens 5-4. Ottawa held an 0-7 all-time overtime record before Feb. 26. After clearing a net-front scramble in her own end to begin the extra frame, the red-hot Gabbie Hughes took a pass from Ronja Savolainen and slung it over the blocker of the Sirens’ Corinne Schroeder to call game. https://x.com/PWHL_Ottawa/status/1894944590299279611 “It's a great moment for us and obviously well-earned by Hughes, but you could feel our momentum building heading into overtime, and again, we just said, ‘let's go win it,’” said head coach Carla MacLeod. Hughes has five goals and three assists in her past five games, putting her on pace to easily surpass her offensive benchmarks of last season. Her clutch ability has been key to Ottawa earning extra points. “In those kind of moments, [you get] a little bit of blackout, you get the adrenaline pumping … but I remember it almost going in in our end and saying ‘I need I need to make up for this,’” Hughes said.  She credited her recent stretch of play to the team’s Feb. 13 game in support of mental health, which brought Hughes’ connection with awareness group Sophie’s Squad into the spotlight. “[The] beginning of the season was a slower start for me, but since having that Sophie’s Squad game here, [that] really gave things a bigger picture of why I'm really playing the sport and who I'm playing it for,” she said. Heading into an eight-day break, it’s only the second time in franchise history that the Charge have recorded points in five straight games, dating back to their 8-3 win over the Minnesota Frost on Feb. 13.  The Charge controlled play for long stretches of the first 40 minutes, highlighted by Taylor House’s first career PWHL goal to give Ottawa a 2-1 lead. It was an unusual first goal for the 26-year-old role player, who said she never even felt the puck touch her stick on its way in. The subtle deflection also eluded the public address announcer, who mistakenly credited the goal to defender Stephanie Markowski. https://x.com/PWHL_Ottawa/status/1894918131463623004 “I was excited for [Markowski], but there's a lot of plays that led to that shot and I'm a big body, so I do like to screen, so it's kind of a ‘me’ goal to get,” House said, laughing. “I knew I swung and I had people say it moved.” However, the final 20 presented unique challenges that threatened to nullify Ottawa’s momentum. With Ottawa holding a one-goal lead with just over half the third period to play, a fortuitous bounce landed in Sirens’ Abby Roque’s glove, allowing her to sneak the puck past an unsuspecting Emerance Maschmeyer. https://x.com/PWHL_NewYork/status/1894937207950934457 Making matters worse was the train to the penalty box that ensued. Ottawa couldn’t catch a break with three straight penalties in five minutes. “There were a lot of variables that were a bit of a head-scratcher at times, and trying to manage that was a big part of our third period,” MacLeod said. “Some nights you just can't seem to get a break and they're getting calls that I'm not sure would be called in other moments.” As MacLeod said, the Charge found a way to break through in the end, something that has eluded them in the past with their previously 0-7 all-time overtime record. “We're on a mission as Ottawa Charge, so we're going to rise in those moments.”1y

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Gabbie Hughes And Rebecca Leslie Score Big For Mental Health

Feb 14, 25

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Ottawa Local Kayle Osborne Collects First PWHL Shutout In Homecoming

Jan 28, 25

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Key Takeaways: Ottawa Thoroughly Outplayed In Loss To Toronto

Jan 15, 25

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Grant-Mentis, Poulin Spoil Ottawa’s Home-Ice Advantage At Canadian Tire Centre

Dec 7, 24

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Third-Period Rebound Lifts Ottawa Charge To Home Opener Win Over Toronto

Dec 4, 24

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Three Keys Heading Into The Ottawa Charge’s Home Opener

Dec 3, 24

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Rookies Show Up, But Ottawa Overreliant On Maschmeyer In Season-Opening Loss

Dec 1, 24

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Markowski And McMahon Impress Their Way Onto Ottawa's Roster Ahead of Season Opener

Nov 29, 24

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Revamped Charge Roster Will Finally See How They Stack Up In Montreal Preseason Games

Nov 20, 24

Women's Hockey Roundtable

‘I'm Going To Make Sure I've Got All The Powers’: Ottawa Charge Reacts To PWHL In NHL 25

Nov 15, 24

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Ottawa Charge Training Camp Notes: New Identity, Goalie Competition and ‘Unfinished Business’

Nov 14, 24

Women's Hockey Roundtable

New Teammates and Roommates Ronja Savolainen and Anna Meixner Taking on Ottawa Together

Nov 13, 24

Women's Hockey Roundtable

'I Know It's Never Guaranteed': A Goaltending Battle Is Brewing In The Ottawa Charge Crease

Nov 4, 24

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Danielle Serdachny’s Third Rivalry Series Her Most Important Ahead Of Rookie PWHL Season

Nov 1, 24

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Five Potential Venues For The Five Mystery Ottawa Charge Games This Season

Oct 25, 24

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Breaking Down The Ottawa Charge 2024-25 Schedule

Oct 15, 24

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Analyzing The Ottawa Charge's 2024-25 Training Camp Roster

Oct 12, 24

Women's Hockey Roundtable

Four Ottawa Charge Players Set For Rivalry Series With Team USA

Oct 6, 24

Women's Hockey Roundtable