The Forecheck: ‘Super excited to bring it home’

It’s been a long time coming, but Winnipeg will finally get its first look at live women’s pro hockey.

“I’m so excited to play in Winnipeg,” said Ottawa Charge defender and Ste. Anne product Jocelyne Larcoque last Friday in a virtual presser.

“We did (played in Winnipeg) in 2018 with the national team, and this is the first time as a professional athlete in the league that a lot of my friends and family are gonna be able to watch me play live.”

Fellow Manitoban, Winnipegger and Montreal Victoire defender Kati Tabin agreed.

“Same goes for me,” Tabin said. “I’m just super excited to bring it home.”

When asked what fans could expect from the Sunday clash at Canada Life Centre, Tabin and Larocque are excited for fans to enjoy the physicality of the game.

“I think that’s something that fans might not be expecting, is the level of physicality in our league and the speed,” Tabin said. “It’s a fast game.”

Sunday’s contest should also be a good one. Games between Ottawa and Montreal this season have been anything but dull. The teams have played each other twice previously, with both games coming down to the wire.

The first clash was Jan. 13 in Montreal, where the Victoire got up early with a two-goal lead in the first. Ottawa would answer with a late goal in the opening frame, but couldn’t net the equalizer in the tight-checking affair.

“I think that’s something that fans might not be expecting, is the level of physicality in our league and the speed.”

A similar story followed on Jan. 24, also in Montreal, when the Victoire again carried a two-goal lead, this time into the first intermission. Ottawa would strike back in the second, but an empty-netter in the dying seconds of the third would cap off the win for the Victoire.

“Every team in this league is super competitive, super skilled,” Tabin said. “So every single game is throat-to-throat.”

“To echo what Kati said, it’s going to be (a) fast, competitive game,” Larocque said. “They’ve won both, so maybe we’re looking for a little bit of revenge.”

And the weight of the game is not lost on either of the PWHL alternate captains.

“I think these Takeover games are really important because I think of myself as a kid, and I’m sure when Kati was a kid, we would watch the Winnipeg Jets live,” Larocque said. “But for young women to be able to see it in person — watching on TV is one thing, and it’s fabulous to be able to watch it on TV — but to be able to see it live, I’m really excited for the young girls in the stands.”

“It definitely makes me think back when I was young, and I would have been insanely ecstatic if I could have watched this game.”

The historic implications of the game in Winnipeg was also not lost on the Manitoban pair. While the Takeover Tour clash will make history as the first women’s pro league game in the Manitoba capital of any sport, a PWHL expansion team would be the first women’s pro league club in the city.

“I think it would be super cool for Winnipeg as the first female team in a league to go there,” Tabin said. “I think they would embrace it well.

“There’s such a love for hockey in Winnipeg.”

“I think it would make a lot of sense logistically (for Winnipeg to have a PWHL hockey team),” Larocque said. “And the city loves hockey, so I definitely see a team in Winnipeg in the future.”

With the impact of the game set, here are three storylines to follow when the puck drops on Sunday.

Playoff fight

After a 4-1 Thursday night thumping of the Seattle Torrent, the Victoire are now in a three-way tie in points for first in the league standings. Montreal, alongside the ascending Minnesota Frost and league-dominating Boston Fleet, all have 39 points with only 10 games remaining in the season.

“It definitely makes me think back when I was young, and I would have been insanely ecstatic if I could have watched this game.”

Meanwhile, Ottawa sits three points out of a playoff spot — recently bounced out of fourth place by the surging Toronto Sceptres. However, the Charge has been the workhorse of the league all season, with six gritty overtime wins. Essentially, if the Charge can push overtime, they can steal a win from the Victoire and be back in the final playoff position. The club will also be looking for a revenge win after being shut out by the Frost 5-0 on Wednesday.

Battle of the goalies

The Victoire and Charge boast two of the best goalies in the world in Olympians Ann-Renée Desbiens and Gwyneth Philips.

Team Canada’s current starter, Desbiens, is a three-time Olympian (one gold, two silvers) and is on pace to match her best PWHL career numbers last season (15 wins). The Clermont, Que., product currently has 12 wins under her belt and is boasting a 1.23 goals-against average and .951 save percentage. She also leads the PWHL overall in goals-against average and is second overall in netminder stats.

Meanwhile, the Charge’s starter and golden Team USA backup Gwyneth Philips has been a constant nightmare for goalscorers this season. Philips sits third in overall netminder stats this season, just behind Desbiens. While her 2.56 GAA and .920 SV% isn’t as strong as Desbiens’, Philips is a game-stealer. In the 2025 playoffs, the Athens, Ohio, product led the league with 257 saves, more than 100 saves higher than second-place Minnesota Frost netminder Maddie Rooney, and she has rattled off a bevy of highlight-reel saves this year.

Tightly contested matchup

While this might be beating the horse here, it cannot be understated how tightly matched these teams are. Both games between the two clubs were essentially one-goal contests with extremely defensive efforts from both sides. Do expect Larocque and Tabin to showcase their own defensive talents as Olympic-mettle defenders.

It will be interesting to see if Ottawa has the advantage Sunday, since it is unlikely Captain Clutch Marie-Philip Poulin will hit the ice as she recovers from a knee injury she suffered during the Olympics. Though, the Victoire have proven they are doing just fine in the absence of the team’s captain.

Meanwhile, in the league standings, the Charge’s Rebecca Leslie is tied for second overall in goals this season (11) and is tied with teammate Brianne Jenner for third place overall in points (18). The lone Victoire league leader outside of goaltending is Abby Roque, who currently sits third overall in assists (11).

Either way, both clubs can’t seem to play an uninteresting game against each other, so buckle up for a good one.

winnipegfreepress.com/graceannepaizen