Ottawa Charge top Toronto, newcomer Larocque gets emotional

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CHARGE 2, SCEPTRES 1

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TORONTO — From crazy to a good cry, veteran defender Jocelyne Larocque went through all the emotions in her first game with the Ottawa Charge.

Less than 24 hours after being involved in a four-player trade, Larocque walked down the hall with her equipment to the visitors’ dressing room. She helped the Charge defeat the Toronto Sceptres 2-1 on Tuesday night.

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Her emotions understandably got the best of her when asked about the on-ice hug she gave her longtime friend and Sceptres defence partner Renata Fast after the final buzzer sounded.

“I think it was closure, yeah, it was a goodbye,” Larocque said as she began to sob. “I’m gonna get emotional.”

Ottawa and Toronto finalized the trade late Monday. The Charge acquired forward Victoria Bach and Larocque in exchange for defender Savannah Harmon and forward Hayley Scamurra.

“I would say that was probably the craziest, weirdest game of my life,” Larocque said. “I’m feeling a lot of shock. I don’t even think I’ve allowed myself to process it, just seeing how there was a game so close to when I found out that I was traded.”

Bach reunites with former Boston University teammate Rebecca Leslie in Ottawa. Larocque and Charge head coach Carla MacLeod were former Canadian national teammates.

“We all say this is a pro league, but we’re still all human. So there’s been a lot of emotion on both sides from everyone involved,” said MacLeod about the Professional Women’s Hockey League, which celebrated its first anniversary on New Year’s Day.

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Fast had no problem performing alongside her new defence partner, Harmon. They played together for two years at Clarkson University.

“It’s tough to see someone who means so much to the team and the organization, and someone who’s been a big part of the player that I am today, to see her move to a different team,” Fast said. “But (Harmon) and I have a history together. We’re really good friends. It was kind of a comfort knowing that (Harmon) was coming as well.”

It also was comforting for the Charge to see the continuation of netminder Emerance Maschmeyer’s brilliant play. She was close to earning the first shutout of any goalie for the PWHL’s 2024-25 campaign.

But Hannah Miller scored during a five-minute power play after Tereza Vanisova took a major boarding penalty that came with a game misconduct.

Maschmeyer wound up with 37 saves to improve her save percentage to a league-leading .938.

“She’s been our backbone, and she’s played great all year,” MacLeod said. “It’s not just these last two games, it’s every game she’s played.”

Maschmeyer made 34 saves in a 3-1 win over the New York Sirens on Sunday.

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On Tuesday night, a fluky, unassisted goal from defender Jincy Roese with 70 seconds remaining lifted the Charge to victory.

Roese’s long-range wrist shot was going wide, but hit the end of the right pad of Toronto goalie Raygan Kirk, changed direction and slid in for the game-winner.

Toronto outshot the Charge 38-13 before 8,278 at Coca-Cola Coliseum.

The Sceptres’ next outing will be in Vancouver against the Montreal Victoire on Jan. 8, while the Charge visit the New York Sirens on Jan. 7.

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