LOWELL, MA (February 19, 2024) – Gabbie Hughes recorded her second multi-goal game of the season to lead Ottawa to a 4-2 win in Lowell on Monday afternoon.
The win is Ottawa’s first since January 23— entering today’s game, they had lost their previous five, all by one goal, including two overtime losses.
Both of Hughes’ goals came in the second period, the first on the powerplay and second on the penalty kill.
Hughes’ powerplay goal, scored at 15:02, gave her team a 2-1 lead after Boston tied the game early in the second period.
The play started with Emily Clark entering the zone with speed before putting the puck on net. Boston’s Aerin Frankel made the original save, but Hughes was able to get to the rebound in the slot and outwait the goaltender before putting the puck in the back of the net.
After Boston responded just over a minute later to tie the game 2-2, it was once again Hughes who broke the tie with a shorthanded “jailbreak” goal.
With just 20 seconds remaining in the second frame, Hughes and Clark deployed a strong forecheck on the penalty kill, and Clark was able to gain possession of the puck before attempting to jam it in. The play led to a loose puck in the slot, which a wide-open Hughes quickly wired in, top corner.
The goal made the game 3-2 at 19:48 and successfully ended Boston’s powerplay. The tally stood as the eventual game-winning goal, Hughes’ second winner of the season.
Ottawa’s Daryl Watts scored the game’s first goal at 8:08 of the first period to give her team a 1-0 lead. Captain Brianne Jenner provided the set-up with a pass cross-crease on the rush to Watts, who tapped the puck in.
Boston tied the game at 2:08 of the second period with a goal from Taylor Girard—her fourth of the season—assisted by Megan Keller and Loren Gabel.
Just 1:03 after Hughes made the game 2-1, recently acquired defender Abby Cook scored her first goal as a member of Boston to tie the game once again.
Cook shot the puck from the point, which sailed over the shoulder of Ottawa’s Emerance Maschmeyer, who was screened by two Boston players. Keller notched her second primary assist of the game on the goal and Hilary Knight collected the second helper.
Jenner provided the insurance goal for Ottawa at 19:16 in the final frame, an empty net goal with Frankel on Boston’s bench.
Maschmeyer made 30 saves to secure her third win of the season. Frankel stopped 29 in the loss.
Up next, the two teams meet for their second straight game at Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell on Wednesday, with a 7 p.m. ET puck drop.
Postgame Quotes:
Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod on Gabbie Hughes and Emily Clark connecting on two special team goals: “Special teams often end up being a huge part of the game. In the NHL, just like in the PWHL, special teams matter. Some nights you get the bounces and some nights you don’t. Today, those two clicked.”
Ottawa’s Gabbie Hughes on the play that led to her ‘jailbreak’ goal: “In that situation, we just absolutely battled. On the PK, Clarky just went after them in the corner and passed it to me right in the slot.”
Boston head coach Courtney Kessel on her team’s play: “Something’s got to change. If we’re not going to play 60 minutes, we’re going to lose games. You can’t just decide to show up for the third period. The league is too good for that.”
Notes:
- Attendance: 2,849 – Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, Lowell, MA.
- Three Stars 1) Gabbie Hughes (OTT) 2) Daryl Watts (OTT) 3) Abby Cook (BOS)
- Ottawa had the slight edge in shots 33-32 — They outshot Boston in the first (12-10), were outshot in the second (13-12), and were tied in the third (9-9).
- Ottawa’s Brianne Jenner led all players with seven shots on goal — Teammates Emily Clark and Hayley Scamurra were second with five each.
- Boston’s Jamie Lee Rattray had four shots, the most on her team.
- Emerance Maschmeyer’s 30 saves matches a season-high for the goaltender — She also recorded 30 on January 23, her team’s last win.
- Ottawa was 1/2 on the powerplay — Boston was 0/2.
- Ottawa improves on their league-best powerplay, which entered the game clicking at a 26.9% rate — With the goal, they improve to 28.5%.
- Hughes’ shorthanded goal is Ottawa’s second of the season — The first was scored by Lexie Adzija.
- Ottawa and Boston are now tied atop the PWHL in shorthanded goals with two apiece.
- Clark now has five points in her last four games after recording two in her first six.
- Jenner recorded her first multi-point game of the season (1G, 1A).
- With her two primary assists, Megan Keller moves into a tie with New York’s Ella Shelton for the league-lead in points among defenders.
- Keller extends her point streak to three games — She has one goal and four assists during that span.
- Boston’s losing streak extends to a season-high four games — Their last win came on January 27, a 4-3 overtime victory against Minnesota.
- Ottawa (3-0-4-3) secures three points and moves to a tie for fourth in league standings with New York with 13 points.
- Boston (2-2-2-4) now sits in sixth place in the PWHL with 12 points.
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