Leslie Scores Overtime Winner As Charge Beat Montreal For The First Time This Season

Rebecca Leslie charged up an enthusiastic Winnipeg crowd firing an overtime winner through Montreal's Ann-Renee Desbiens to lift the Charge to a 2-1 victory. For Leslie, it was her 12th of the season, tied with Minnesota's Kelly Pannek for the league lead, and for the Charge, it was their first win of the season against the Montreal Victoire. The win moved Ottawa within one point of Toronto for the fourth and final playoff spot, and the overtime loss kept Montreal only two points back from Minnesota and Boston who sit tied for first in the PWHL.

Playing in front of a sold out crowd of 15,225 at Winnipeg's Canada Life Centre as part of the PWHL Takeover Tour, neither team managed to score in the opening frame as Desbiens and Ottawa's Gwyneth Philips kept the game knotted at 0-0. In the second period, Peyton Hemp walked the goal line toward the net before shuttling a pass to the backdoor where Gabbie Hughes made no mistake on her one-timer. Passing the midway point of the game, Abby Roque won a draw in the offensive zone cleanly back to Nicole Gosling.

Wasting no time with the puck, Gosling slung a wrist shot toward the net that beat Philips five hole on a goal she certainly would like back. Gosling's second of the season was the final tally of regulation as the teams played a scoreless third period en route to a 1-1 tie. In overtime however, Rebecca Leslie wasted no time for the Charge.

With Abby Roque in the box for a late in regulation slash, Leslie came down the right side before wristing the winner through Desbiens. Montreal is back in action Wednesday against Minnesota before heading to Detroit for another stop on the PWHL Takeover Tour against New York on Saturday. Ottawa is now off for a full week before they head out west to face Seattle.