Ottawa Charge moves back into PWHL playoff spot with second straight win over Boston Fleet

The new Ottawa Charge logo. Photo by Ottawa Charge /PWHL VIA APArticle content

Shiann Darkangelo returned to Massachusetts – about 40 minutes from Salem and the infamous witch trials of 1692 – to haunt her old team Wednesday night.

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The Ottawa Charge centre scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 victory over the Boston Fleet at the Tsongas Center in Lowell that clinched a postseason berth for the Toronto Sceptres and scrunched the PWHL standings below them.

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With the regulation time win, Ottawa moved back into the fourth and final playoff spot, one point ahead of the Minnesota Fleet and one point back of the Fleet.

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While the league-leading Montreal Victoire and Sceptres have sewn up reservations for the post-season tournament, the Fleet, Charge and Frost will battle for final two spots – with the New York Siren still having a pulse six points back – when teams return from the 24-day break for the women’s world championship to play the final three games of the season.

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On Wednesday, Charge rookie Gwyneth Philips turned in a brilliant 17-save performance for her second shutout of the season and her second victory over the Fleet in four days.

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Darkangelo, who was acquired by the Charge from Boston at last season’s trade deadline for Lexie Adzija and the rights to Caitrin Lonergan, converted a nice setup by Anna Meixner to open the scoring on the power play just 45 seconds into the first period.

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The 31-year-old native of Brighton, Mich., made it 2-0 with a heavy wrister after taking a drop pass from Ronja Savolainen at 7:42 of the second period and, after Jincy Roese gave Ottawa a three-goal cushion with a seeing-eye point shot through a screen just under eight minutes later, Darkangelo completed her ‘trick with a big slap shot from the slot at 6:29 of the third.

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The Charge had 24 shots on goal, including 16 on Team USA starting goalie Aerin Frankel, who was replaced by Emma Soderberg to start the third.

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That final period featured some big hits and chippy play, and saw Charge defender Zoe Boyd take a five-minute major and game misconduct for a hit to the head.

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Ottawa’s final three games after the more than three-week hiatus will be at home to Montreal and Minnesota and then the regular-season finale in Toronto.

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Boston has home games against Toronto and Minnesota sandwiched around a visit to Montreal, while the Frost, before visits to Ottawa and Boston, will play host to New York.

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