Ottawa Charge Hold End Of Year Press Conference With Heads Held High

The Ottawa Charge held their end-of-the-season press conference on Friday, giving select players, along with management, an opportunity to reflect on the season one final time before many departed for home for the summer. And while much uncertainty lies ahead with the upcoming expansion, much as it did this time last season, there remains a great deal of pride within the organization in the work that was done, which became a theme throughout the morning's event. "It's definitely still fresh, still upset, still disappointed," said Rebecca Leslie, who had a breakout season with her hometown team.

"But I'm feeling a lot of gratitude for our group and pride to represent the Ottawa Charge, the city. It was an incredible season for our group. " Credit: Ellen Bond After posting a 9-8-1-12 regular season record, the Charge made it to Game Four of the Walter Cup Finals for a second consecutive season, falling short this time to the Montreal Victoire.

And while the sting of losing once again is still fresh, the team remains focused on the work done in the locker room and the internal growth the organization showed this season. "Something that I'll always remember from this season is the team and the culture that we created," said assistant captain Emily Clark. "It really was something special and something that I was so proud to be a part of.

" That culture, and how close the team became during the season, was certainly a result of the players, and more importantly, the people, who were brought in through free agency, trades, and the draft. Another larger element to that was how the group came together in support of their head coach, Carla MacLeod, and her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. "It's always hard to see someone you care about go through something so difficult," said Rory Guilday.