Charge, Fleet set to resume PWHL semifinal series after lengthy layoff

OTTAWA — Rebecca Leslie is hoping her 30th birthday celebrations Friday will include the Ottawa Charge moving one win away from the Professional Women’s Hockey League final.

Leslie and the Charge host the Boston Fleet in Game 3 of their semifinal series with the best-of-five series tied 1-1.

“Obviously, it’s really exciting when you can have a birthday in May and still be playing hockey,” said the veteran winger. “I’m just excited to have family and friends here. It’s obviously a big birthday, but more importantly, just so fun to play playoff hockey on my birthday.”

A victory would give Ottawa its first lead of the series and provide an ideal ending to a day the organization has promoted to fans as ‘Becca’s Birthday Bash.’

An Ottawa native, Leslie will have several friends and family on hand for the game, but plans to limit post-game celebrations.

“We have a tight turnaround for (Game 4) Sunday, so I’ll prioritize my rest and recovery, but definitely give them a quick hi after,” she said. “I take my game-day prep pretty seriously.”

With nearly a week between playoff games, the Charge have had extra time to recover and prepare for Game 3 at home.

Ottawa dropped last Thursday’s opener 2-1 before bouncing back two days later with a 3-1 victory in Boston to even the semifinal series.

Not much separated the two teams through the opening two games of the series, but captain Brianne Jenner felt the Charge were sharper in the second outing while still leaving room for improvement.

“I think there are some things that we’ve got to tighten up without the puck, I think we need to get our forecheck going,” said Jenner. “I think it’s positive to come back with a split, but I think we’ve got some work to do.”

Much has been made about the week-long break between games and the possibility of losing momentum, but players and coaches downplayed the concern.

“It’s a coach’s dream, probably not a player’s dream,” joked Charge coach Carla MacLeod. “It just allows you to coach some variables and look at things differently and try to infuse new ingredients into Game 3.”

After a travel day Sunday, Ottawa took two days off before returning to the ice Wednesday and Thursday.

“I don’t think it’s too long,” said defenceman Rory Guilday. “I feel like we probably prefer to play sooner, but it is what it is, and sometimes you just have to roll with the punches. We’re doing everything we can to keep ourselves at that level still.”

Guilday admitted the first two games were physical, and the extra time off helped with recovery.

Ottawa is playing its playoff games at the Canadian Tire Centre and, with the Senators eliminated from the NHL playoffs, the Charge logo is now at centre ice — a welcome surprise for players looking forward to performing in front of a bigger crowd.

For Leslie, who grew up watching Senators playoff games, the opportunity is one she won’t soon forget.

“Our fans play a huge role for us all throughout the season,” said Leslie. “They are like our seventh player on the ice, so it’s really fun to come back home and play in front of them and to play at CTC and the bigger crowd where more fans can come out and watch us. It gives us extra energy — and we’re just excited.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2026

The Canadian Press