The Ottawa Charge look to bounce back from a 4-0 loss in their season opener as they host one of the PWHL’s new expansion franchises, the Vancouver Goldeneyes, tonight on TSN.
Watch the Charge host the Goldeneyes in PWHL action LIVE at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on TSN5 and streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App.
The Charge struggled against the New York Sirens on Saturday. Goaltender Gwyneth Philips stopped 38 of 41 shots she faced and kept New York off the board until the third period before Sirens forward Taylor Girard scored a hat trick in the final frame.
Ottawa did not solve Sirens goaltender Kayle Osbourne as she recorded a 28-save shutout. Charge forward Emily Clark led the way with five shots on goal, but the Charge also failed to score on six power-play opportunities.
In Vancouver, the Goldeneyes dropped the puck for their inaugural season against expansion sibling Seattle at Pacific Coliseum on Friday and skated away with a 4-3 overtime win.
It was a back-and-forth affair as the two teams traded goals all night long. Sarah Nurse, Gabby Rosenthal and Claire Thompson all found the back of the net in regulation before forward Abby Boreen scored the overtime winner over the Torrent.
Goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer picked up the win in net with 24 saves. Maschmeyer played the previous two seasons in Ottawa before she was left unprotected in the expansion draft after a season-ending injury in March led to Philips taking over in the Charge net as she backstopped them to the PWHL Finals.
Goldeneyes’ defender Ashton Bell and forward Tereza Vanisova also make their return to Ottawa tonight. Bell was the first pick in the expansion draft by Vancouver and was named the first captain in franchise history on Friday. She had three goals and six points in 27 games last season.
Vanisova led the Charge in scoring last season with 15 goals and 22 points in 30 games last season and added four points in eight playoff games.
Vancouver signed Nurse, Thompson, Vanisova and Maschmeyer during the exclusive signing window in June while Boreen and Rosenthal were both taken in the expansion draft from Montreal and New York respectively.
Tonight is the start of a three-game road trip for the Goldeneyes as they will also swing through New York and Boston before returning home on Dec. 6. It is the opposite for Ottawa, who begin the season with three games at home followed by a five-game road trip.
