<p>A shot by Ottawa Charge's Jincy Roese (71), not shown, beats Toronto Sceptres goaltender Kristen Campbell (50) as Charge's Hayley Scamurra (14) plays in front, during third period PWHL hockey action in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</p>

OTTAWA - Scoring goals is a thrill for most players, but when you’ve waited an entire season for your first, it carries even greater significance.

For Jincy Roese, the wait made the moment even sweeter. Her joy was undeniable Tuesday night as she netted her first Professional Women’s Hockey League goal for the Ottawa Charge in their 3-2 win over the Toronto Sceptres.

The veteran defender isn’t counted on for her offence, but seeing her contribute, and at a most opportune time, was significant for the 27-year-old and her teammates.

“It was good,” said Roese, with a big smile. “Good things come to those who wait, isn’t that what they say or something like that? It felt really good, especially at home in front of fans here who are just excited for us, excited for me, so it was awesome.”

With Ottawa (1-0-1-0) trailing 2-1 the goal couldn’t have come at a better time.

With the Charge on the power play Roese fired a shot from the point and managed to get it past Kristen Campbell, who made 28 saves.

Head coach Carla MacLeod spoke of Roese’s leadership and consistency and said “you’re always pleased when a player, like, who works as hard as she does, and then, really, we got a crew of that, you're always pleased when they're rewarded.”

The Charge gained momentum from the goal and went on to score and take the lead just over three minutes later when Czech linemates Katerina Mrazova and Tereza Vanisova connected. Mrazova saw Vanisova at the side of the net to redirect the pass high on Campbell.

“We’re starting to see the best of the best from around the world in this league,” said MacLeod. “And you could see very quickly that they all deserve it. They belong here.”

Toronto pushed for the equalizer but was unable to beat Emerance Maschmeyer, who stopped 20 shots.

Sceptres coach Troy Ryan wasn’t overly impressed with his team’s performance and definitely sees room for improvement.

“A frustrating game, a disappointing game,” admitted Ryan. “I just thought a lot of our play was sloppy, disconnected, uninspiring to be honest. Like we just looked really sloppy, like just kind of beating the puck around. Didn't look connected at all.”

While it’s just Game 2 and Ryan is able to keep it in perspective, he felt the performance was out of character for his group.

Ottawa’s Mannon McMahon opened the scoring early in the first, but Toronto was able to tie the game with a power-play goal with Sarah Nurse tipping a Hannah Miller shot.

Toronto took the lead late in the second when Izzy Daniel was able to knock home a loose puck across the goal line.

Second period breakdowns were an issue for the Charge last season, but are adamant this is a different group.

“I think we rebounded quickly, and I think we rebounded when we needed to,” said Roese. “It's a long season, there's gonna be ebbs and flows, but I think you're gonna see a really consistent group from us. We got a dog in us, we got a fight in us.”

The game marked the return of Daryl Watts to the nation’s capital. Watts had been a solid player for the Charge last season, but felt under appreciated and wanted more opportunity.

Watts was booed at times by fans and when asked about it seemed to love the attention and the passion.

“You know, I understand, it’s to be expected,” said Watts, who looked unaffected. “But you know, like I said before, the fans are really passionate. So, you know, I think it's good, it's good for the league to have passionate fans.”

The Charge will seek redemption Friday night as they host the Montreal Victoire at the Canadian Tire Centre, where they will play for the first time. Montreal beat Ottawa in a shootout in the season opener.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published December 3, 2024.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2024