PWHL Ottawa has squandered two chances to secure a playoff berth. But as coach Carla MacLeod says, "We still have another opportunity to control our own fate."
PWHL Ottawa has squandered two chances to secure a playoff berth. But as coach Carla MacLeod says, "We still have another opportunity to control our own fate."
A playoff spot was in sight after 20 minutes for PWHL Ottawa. By the end of the second period, it was gone. A devastating collapse occurred in the second period where Ottawa squandered a two goal lead giving up four unanswered goals in the second period to lose 4-3 against PWHL New York, the worst team in the PWHL.
Ottawa has the playoffs on their mind, but on Tuesday night they did not show that they were a playoff calibre team.
It was never a foregone conclusion for PWHL Ottawa heading into their matchup against last place PWHL New York needing a regulation win to clinch their playoff berth, meanwhile New York needed 1-point to clinch the first overall pick.
The game started as you would have expected heading into the game.
PWHL Ottawa was relentless on their forecheck, hitting New York with wave after wave of pressure. It didn't take long for Ottawa’s pressure to be validated. Leading into the game, Ottawa had the most time in possession of the puck all season, it was on full display to start the game.
Akane Shiga opened the scoring to make it 1-0 for PWHL Ottawa. Ottawa’s patented speed in the neutral zone created an odd-woman rush where Harmon trailed. Receiving a pass from Natalie Snodgrass on the left-hashmark, Harmon drew Corinne Schroeder's full attention and proceeded to see Shiga wide open in front who tapped home her second goal of the season. A significant moment for the team but also for Shiga who didn't play a single second in PWHL Ottawa's last game. With Vanisova's injury, Carla Macleod trusted her to go back up to the 3rd line. Shiga justified her coach’s decision to re-insert her into the lineup.
Ottawa would double their lead to 2-0, later in the first period when Gabbie Hughes found Hayley Scamurra wide open in the right slot. Scamurra promptly teed off on a wrist shot in the right slot, rocketing a shot over Schroeder's glove.
However, as the period progressed New York began to create chances.
“I'll be honest, I don't think we were very happy with our first period,” said Brianne Jenner. I think some of the things that kind of killed us in the second were starting to creep into our game in the first. That's what we were talking about was cleaning things up and we weren't able to do that.”
PWHL Ottawa was inches away from extending their lead to 3-0 when Becca Gilmore rang a shot off the post to begin the second period.
From that point on, however, PWHL New York turned the tables in the second period.
New York stifled Ottawa’s possession game and turned the puck over consistently. Eventually Ottawa’s turnover would bite them, with an errant neutral zone giveaway leading to a quick New York transition finished by Jade Downie-Landry toe-dragging a puck past Ashton Bell and sneaking a wrist through Emerance Maschmeyer to cut the lead to 2-1 Ottawa.
Less than two minutes later, Ella Shelton found herself behind the Ottawa defence to snipe a shot past Maschmeyer tying the game.
The calamity of the second period for Ottawa was just getting started.
The collapse was completed for Ottawa when Emerance Maschmeyer was unable to catch a floating puck and then Kayla Vespa potted it home to make it 3-2 New York.
The damage wasn’t over as New York made it four straight unanswered goals when Elizabeth Giguere banged home a rebound to give New York a 4-2 lead after two periods.
“For various reasons, some I'm aware of, some I'm not, we didn't really have a counter at that point,” said Carla Macleod. "Certainly not the second period, you dream up by any stretch of the imagination."
After the devastation, the second period that has been Ottawa’s worst period all season, it took roughly 10 minutes into the third period to recoup the calm they lost in the second frame. Ottawa began initiating offensive zone time as head coach Carla MacLeod decided to only play her top four defenders benching Sam Isbell and Emma Buckles.
Daryl Watts managed to cut the NY lead to one goal with 58 seconds left but it was too little too late.
"At the end of the day we didn't get the job done for ourselves tonight,” said MacLeod. "We still have another opportunity to control our own fate. And that's not lost in us either."
For MacLeod’s captain it was clear that Ottawa deviated from their game plan.
“We weren't playing our style of hockey,” said Jenner. “We got to be more aggressive, be on our toes, create turnovers, physical, clean puck movement, all those things when we've been successful, I think we're missing those tonight.”
The message is clear from head coach Carla MacLeod to her team heading into their last game.
“You don't walk away from this one kicking garbage cans. But you're certainly learning from some of the moments.”
Ottawa will have one more game on Sunday night to earn a playoff spot. With Boston playing on Saturday, Ottawa will know what they need to earn a playoff spot. They will need to at the very least match the point total that Boston earns against Montreal to make the playoffs.
If not….. Ottawa will look back at this game and their 3-0 collapse against NY to lose in overtime earlier in the season as games that sank their season.
Ottawa has inspired very little confidence heading into their last game of the season to make the playoffs. In the end, it will be up to Ottawa whether they want to make the playoffs or not. They control their own destiny.
"We have that same opportunity that we had today an opportunity to punch our ticket to the playoffs,” said Jenner.