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Ottawa Charge

From Collapse to Comeback: Charge Fight Back Into the Top Four

Vanišová scores twice in 32 seconds as Ottawa completes a stunning third-period turnaround.

From Collapse to Comeback: Charge Fight Back Into the Top Four
Tereza Vanišová during the game in St. Louis. (Photo Credit: PWHL)

Tereza Vanišová delivered when it mattered most, and in record time.

The Ottawa Charge forward scored twice within 32 seconds late in the third period to lift her team to a crucial 2–1 victory over the Boston Fleet on Saturday afternoon at Enterprise Center, in the final stop of the PWHL Takeover Tour. The comeback win vaults Ottawa into fourth place in the PWHL standings, inside the playoff picture for the first time in nearly two months, with just four games remaining in the regular season.

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Coming off a painful collapse earlier in the week, where Ottawa surrendered a 3–0 third-period lead to New York, the Charge entered Saturday with something to prove. Boston struck first at 8:24 of the opening frame, as Susanna Tapani picked off a turnover and buried her 11th of the season to give the Fleet a 1–0 lead. It would remain that way through nearly 56 minutes of hockey.

But then, the Charge flipped the script.

With just under four minutes to play, Vanišová broke through to tie the game, igniting the Ottawa bench.

Just 32 seconds later, this time on the power play after a failed Boston coach’s challenge, she buried the game-winner, rewriting PWHL history in the process. Her two goals are the fastest scored by a single player in league history, surpassing Tapani’s own mark of 49 seconds set earlier this season.

“I’m just grateful for the group we have,” said defender Jincy Roese, who recorded her third assist in three games and returned to her hometown of St. Louis for this matchup. “You saw our team in the third period.”

Goaltender Gwyneth Philips was rock-solid once again, turning aside 27 of 28 shots to earn her fifth career win, and first in three tries against former teammate Aerin Frankel. Ottawa outshot Boston 31–28 and held the Fleet scoreless on five power play opportunities.

For Ottawa, the win couldn’t have come at a more important time. With Boston still four points ahead in third place, every point counts in a tight postseason race.

The Charge and Fleet will meet one more time before the international break, facing off again on Wednesday night.

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