Serdachny and Savolainen emerged as early contributors, but leaky defensive play hindered Ottawa
Serdachny and Savolainen emerged as early contributors, but leaky defensive play hindered Ottawa
You might not know this, but Ottawa Charge starting goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer recorded the lowest save percentage of the PWHL’s starting netminders in the league’s inaugural season.
Her .915 save percentage was tied with Minnesota’s Maddie Rooney for last among goalies with 480 minutes played, and while that isn’t a bad mark by any means, it showed just how elite the competition was in the six-team league.
Many circled Maschmeyer as a question mark going into this season, and GM Mike Hirshfeld’s determination to overhaul Ottawa’s crease certainly gave the impression that there were concerns about the position.
But if the 30-year-old’s season-opening performance against the Montréal Victoire said anything, it’s that she’s determined to prove she belongs with the PWHL’s best. In fact, she should be the very early (way too early) frontrunner for goaltender of the year. She turned aside 42 of 45 shots in the 4-3 shootout loss on Saturday night, earning second star honours.
Unfortunately for her teammates, that meant giving up 30 shots just halfway into their season opener. Despite holding a 3-2 lead heading into the final frame, Ottawa couldn’t lend their goaltender enough support to prevent a comeback.
Throughout the game and especially in the first half, defensive lapses marred their attempts to break out of their zone, highlighted by defender Jincy Roese’s costly second-period turnover, which led directly to a goal against.
Even with a lot of defensive homework cut out for them after handing a shooting gallery to Montreal, Ottawa should feel extra confident moving forward with Maschmeyer.
She was the best goalie in the first three games of the Canada-U.S. Rivalry Series, posting a .973 save percentage in a 4-1 win in Game 3. She was also the best goalie in the PWHL’s pre-season mini-camp games, recording an identical .973 save percentage in a 6-1 win over the Boston Fleet last week. Until proven otherwise, Maschmeyer is the best women’s goalie in the world as of late.
But to avoid a repeat of last season’s burnout, Gwyneth Philips is going to have to step up. Hirshfeld and head coach Carla MacLeod have both made it clear that ideally, Maschmeyer won’t be playing anywhere near 30 games this season after playing 23 of 24 last time around.
Rookies lead the way
Thankfully, the Charge’s much-anticipated rookie additions delivered everything they could’ve been asked for and more. Captain Brianne Jenner was unavailable for the first game, so Ottawa was depending even more on their new talent.
Second-overall pick Danielle Serdachny factored heavily into Ottawa’s first two goals, scoring the second on an intelligent wrap-around play that banked off a defender’s skate and past Ann-Renée Desbiens. Serdachny fired four shots on net and was a plus-one in the game.
Meanwhile, eighth-overall selection Ronja Savolainen was a breath of fresh air on the blueline, providing an assist, three hits and steady defensive play. She was the Charge’s most physical defender, dishing a massive early hit in the early seconds of the first period.
It’s incredibly early into the season, but Ottawa appears to have the pair of cornerstone players they seemingly lacked in their inaugural season. Especially in the 3-on-3 overtime period, Serdachny and Savolainen controlled possession with a calmness and assuredness that should inspire confidence for the season ahead.