OTTAWA, Ontario — In a thrilling match, the Ottawa Charge claimed a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Frost on Tuesday night, with Alex Vasko leading the charge by scoring twice. However, the victory came with a heavy heart as the team experienced a significant setback during the game.
Emerance Maschmeyer brought the crowd to their feet, earning a standing ovation for achieving her milestone of 1,000 career regular-season saves. Unfortunately, shortly after this achievement, Maschmeyer departed the ice visibly distressed.
Maschmeyer successfully stopped all 19 shots from Minnesota, but the 20th shot by Taylor Heise managed to find its way through. This incident seemed to result in an injury to Maschmeyer’s right leg, which required her to leave the game with assistance.
At the time, the Ottawa Charge held a 2-1 lead with just under nine minutes remaining, prompting backup goalie Gwyneth Philips to step in, making a critical save to help maintain the lead.
In the final moments, Ottawa secured the victory with Vasko scoring a crucial short-handed goal in the third period, marking her second score of the game.
Minnesota momentarily believed they had equalized at 13:18, but the initial call was overturned after a comprehensive review, affirming Claire Thompson’s goal, bringing the score to 2-2.
Takeaways
Charge: Typically facing challenges in the second period, Ottawa managed to create numerous opportunities in this match.
Frost: The Minnesota team gained momentum after being outshot 7-2 in the first period, ultimately surpassing the Charge in shots, with a total of 22-19.
Key Moment
Midway through the third period, Maschmeyer achieved her milestone of 1,000 career regular-season saves, a first for a PWHL goalie.
Key Stat
Kendall Coyne Schofield, who has scored 10 goals, remains the only player in the PWHL with double-digit goals absent of a power-play contribution.
Up Next
The Minnesota Frost are set to face the New York Sirens on Sunday, while the Ottawa Charge will host the Boston Fleet on Saturday.
