On Saturday, Jan. 3, the Ottawa Charge hosted the Minnesota Frost for their third matchup of the 2025-26 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season. Both teams had one win under their belt in the season series, but it was the Charge who now lead the season series with a 5-2 win in this game.
Game Recap
Just four minutes into the game, the Frost tried to take the puck into their zone, but the Charge stole it in the neutral zone. Sarah Wozniewicz gained control of the puck by the boards and skated it around the back of the net. She dropped it down for Rory Guilday who tried to take a shot through traffic. The puck found Brianne Jenner in front of the net, and she tipped the puck in to put the Charge on the board first.
With 33 seconds left in the first, Guilday took a seat for slashing. The Frost started the second period on the extra-player advantage, and this proved successful for them. Mae Batherson took a shot from the blue line, but Gwyneth Philips made the initial save. Kelly Pannek was in front of the net and picked up the rebound. She maneuvered the loose puck around the back of Philips to tie the game.
Five minutes in, Emily Clark gained control of the puck in the Frost’s zone and turned on the jets. She skated it around the back of Philips’ net and followed the boards around to reach Maddie Rooney. She hit the faceoff dot and ripped a shot, giving the Charge the lead once more.
Three minutes later, the Frost tried to clear the puck from the Charge’s zone, but they kept it in. Ronja Savolainen skated it back from the neutral zone and into Otttawa’s. She had Wozniewicz on her left, and she sent a pass to her. She took a shot for Ottawa’s two-goal lead.
11 minutes in, Britta Curl-Salemme took a seat for boarding. On the power play, Jocelyne Laroque passed the puck to Anna Shokhina in the faceoff dot. She took a slap shot, but Rooney made the initial save. The loose puck found Katerina Marzova in the center of the ice, whose shot hit the top corner of the net for the Charge’s fourth goal of the game.
With six minutes left in the second, Pannek gained control of the puck by the boards and passed it down to Curl-Salemme, who was in front of the net. She immediately elevated it into the net to try to get Minnesota back in the game.
In the third, the Frost took two penalties, but the Charge failed to score on these extra-player advantages. As the minutes began to dwindle in the game, the Frost pulled Rooney from the net. Jenner scored on the empty net with three minutes left to bring home the win for the Charge.
Next Up
The Frost will be back in action tomorrow, Jan. 4, as they take on the Montreal Victoire. The Charge will be back on Friday, Jan. 9, when they host the Vancouver Goldeneyes.
