The Ottawa Charge faced off against the Toronto Sceptres in the first of two preseason scrimmages at TD Place, which saw the visiting Sceptres come away with a 3-2 overtime victory.
The Charge did not dress many of their regulars for this first game, including forwards Kateřina Mrázová and Brianne Jenner, along with defenders Ronja Savolainen, Stephanie Markowski, and Emma Bergesen. Goaltenders Gwyneth Philips and Kendra Woodland also sat out, along with forward Alexandra Huszák, who remains out of the lineup due to injury.
An area of particular note in this one was Ottawa's transition game, from both the forward group and defence. An opportunity last season was a strength for the team in this game, as multiple strong, accurate outlet passes led to high danger scoring opportunities in each of the periods. When their defence came under pressure, the forward group stepped in and made smart decisions to get the puck out of their zone. Communication was a key factor in this, which has been a message the coaching staff has been focused on throughout camp and dating back to their inaugural season.
Special teams was a concern for the team last season, where they saw their dominance from the inaugural season drop to among the league's worst. Ottawa did a good job on the penalty kill of limiting Toronto's chances and to keep the puck to the outside. Toronto finished 0/3 on the power play. The Charge had their chances with the player advantage, but were limited in their effectiveness, finishing 0/3.
The Charge suffered in this game from an obstacle they faced on many occasions last season: shots on goal. Though they had many high danger scoring opportunities, they lacked second and third chances. It took them until the final six minutes of the game to reach double digits in shots on goal. This will be an area the team should look to improve as the preseason continues and heading into their home opener.
The Ottawa Charge will face off against the Toronto Sceptres one final time tomorrow at TD Place before they begin the regular season at home on November 22 against New York.