The Ottawa Charge returned to the practice ice ahead of their matchup against the Vancouver Goldeneyes, looking to bounce back from a 4-0 shutout to the New York Sirens in their home opener. This game carries extra meaning for both fans and players, with the city set to welcome back familiar faces in Emerance Maschmeyer, Ashton Bell and Tereza Vanišová. Vancouver arrives following their own home opener, a 4-3 overtime win versus their fellow expansion team in Seattle.
The Return
"We're excited to welcome Emerance, Ashton and Tereza back," said head coach Carla MacLeod. "Those three were big parts of how we were able to establish our franchise and gave everything they had while they were here."
Forward Gabbie Hughes echoed the emotional element of the night and what the return of former teammates means to the group.
"I think welcoming some of the girls back here to Ottawa will be emotional and special,” she said. “Last year, our team was such a tight knit group, so to see some of our best friends in different colours this year, in our home building, it’s going to be emotional but exciting to see them. I can’t wait to hear the fans cheer for them when they get their welcome back video.”
Despite the different jersey, Maschmeyer, Bell and Vanišová recognize how special the moment will be to play in front of the fans who spent so much time cheering for them.
“This rink is so exciting for me and it holds a lot of great memories in my professional career,” said Maschmeyer. “I think it’ll really feel like a homecoming tomorrow. The support that I’ve always felt here, I had so much love and support. Ottawa is an amazing place to play and the fans are incredible. I’m excited to play in front of the fans, even though they’ll be cheering against me, it doesn’t matter.”
For Bell, who was named captain of the Goldeneyes prior to their inaugural game, the sentiment is similar. “It’s definitely bittersweet. Just having lots of flashbacks to last season and getting to see the girls is tough just because we were such a close group and I loved it here in Ottawa.” Bell went on to say “I’m just super excited to play in this barn again. I know how electric it is, even being on the other side. It’s just such a fun atmosphere to play in and it’ll be nice to see some familiar faces as well.”
Practice
During practice, Ottawa focused on two key areas: defensive zone exits with defenders activating in the offensive zone, and the player advantage, an area in which the team struggled in the first game with an 0 for 6 showing. Including the team’s defenders as offensive options provides more shooting support, which is something head coach Carla MacLeod had stressed post game against New York.
Ottawa’s Keys to Success
For Ottawa to find their first win of the season, they will have to work to contain Vancouver’s speed. From top to bottom, the Goldeneyes have a lineup full of players who, if able to get the first step, will be difficult to catch, and know how to create lanes for themselves. They cannot take a shift off and will have to bring that physical presence they demonstrated especially well in the first period against New York. They will also have to make sure they take advantage of the opportunities they are given, and that most certainly includes the power play.
The Ottawa Charge face-off against the Vancouver Goldeneyes on Wednesday at 7:00 pm at TD Place.