Hometown Heroes Lead Vancouver Goldeneyes to Historic Victory Over Ottawa Charge

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History was made at the Pacific Coliseum on Tuesday night as the Vancouver Goldeneyes secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Charge. In front of an energized crowd of 9,250 fans, Vancouver became the first expansion team in PWHL history to win its first three inaugural season home games. The night was a celebration of local talent, as British Columbia natives accounted for every point on the Vancouver scoresheet.

The scoring opened early in the first period when Richmond, B.C. native Katie Chan found the back of the net at the 7:50 mark. The 22-year-old forward, who was playing overseas only months ago, capitalized on a rebound off a Hannah Miller shot by swatting the puck out of midair. It was Chan’s first career PWHL goal, a surreal moment she later described as a dream come true to achieve in front of friends and family.

Vancouver doubled their lead early in the second period thanks to another local standout. Surrey’s Jenn Gardiner intercepted a puck in the neutral zone and sprinted toward the Ottawa net on a partial breakaway. Gardiner showed immense poise as she held off a defender and fired a perfectly placed shot that pinged off the crossbar and into the net. This marked Gardiner’s second goal of the season and her second consecutive game with a goal, further establishing her as a core offensive threat for the Goldeneyes.

Despite the two-goal deficit, the Ottawa Charge refused to go quietly and dominated much of the final frame, outshooting Vancouver 13-6 in the third period. Ottawa finally broke a five-period scoring drought late in the game when Anna Shokhina buried a centering pass at 14:17 to cut the lead to one. The goal was the first of Shokhina’s PWHL career and breathed new life into the Charge bench for the final five minutes of regulation.

The hero of the closing minutes was Vancouver netminder Kristen Campbell, who delivered her strongest performance of the season. Campbell turned aside 33 of the 34 shots she faced, including a massive shoulder save on a shorthanded breakaway by Ottawa defender Rory Guilday. The victory was Campbell’s first in a Vancouver uniform and was instrumental in moving the Goldeneyes into second place in the league standings with eight points.

While the loss was a difficult one for Ottawa, which has now dropped three straight games, goaltender Gwyneth Philips was exceptional in defeat with 27 saves. The Charge will have little time to dwell on the result as they immediately head south to face the Seattle Torrent on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, the Goldeneyes will look to extend their home winning streak when they host the Montréal Victoire this coming Saturday.