Ottawa has extra motivation in sold-out PWHL opener versus Montreal

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For a start-up circuit loaded with the best players in the world, teams in the Professional Women’s Hockey League might want to look for any edge they can get.

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No extra motivation will be needed when Ottawa plays its historic season opener against Montreal at TD Place on Tuesday (7.p.m.), but it is there for the taking.

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Televised on TSN, the game is sold-out with a crowd that will represent the largest ever to attend a women’s professional hockey game.

As hosts, Team Ottawa will want to put on a good show.

Then there are individual players like goalie Emerance Maschmeyer and captain Brianne Jenner who should have a little extra incentive as well, even if they don’t exactly announce it as such.

While Maschmeyer is the backup for Team Canada, the No. 1 tender for the national squad, Ann-Renee Desbiens, will be in the crease for Montreal.

“What friend?,” Maschmeyer said with a laugh when asked about taking Game 1 in a showdown with Desbiens. “It’s very exciting. Anytime we’re playing against our Team Canada teammates it’s actually a lot of fun. I feel like Renee and I, we’ve pushed each other a lot in the past five, six seasons, and so it’ll be a very fun competition out there. But we won’t be friends on the ice (Tuesday), that’s for sure.”

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Truth is, they compete every time they step on the ice, game or practice.

“The way I think of it is, if she’s doing everything that she can to perform and put herself in a position to start games, and I am too, I’m doing everything that I can to put my best foot forward, then it kind of comes down to an outsider’s decision who plays, right?,” said Maschmeyer. “So when we can do whatever we can to put ourselves in the best situation, I think the best thing is, we compete, we battle but then when it comes to games, we support each other.”

Then there’s Jenner, who was named the MVP of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

She’ll be going face-to-face with Marie-Philip Poulin, her Team Canada linemate and widely considered the best women’s player in the world.

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While it’s the first time they’ll face each other at this level, the two 32-year olds (Poulin is about a month older) know each other very well.

“Honestly used to it,” said Jenner. “I’ve been playing against her since we were under 18, Team Ontario and Team Quebec. Played against her a lot in college, and the CWHL, and then last year (in the PWHLPA Secret Dream Gap Tour), so it’s nothing new for me.

“Obviously, sometimes it’s more fun being on her line than playing against her, with her talent. But I think it’s going be pretty special having their team in this building, Ottawa, Montreal, I think that might start a little rivalry, and that it’s sold out, it’s pretty exciting.”

Considering the parity its expected to have, the playoff race in the six-team league essentially starts right out of gate.

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Each team plays 24 games, with three points awarded for a regulation time win, two points for an overtime or shootout win, one point for a overtime or shootout loss and of course nothing for a regulation time loss.

Four teams qualify for the playoffs, which begin in the first week of May.

“I can assure you every team is really good,” said Ottawa coach Carla MacLeod. “That’s the best part of the league. The competitiveness is going to be through the roof and the parity is going to be through the roof, so I think if you’re a fan of the game this is going to be an exciting league, because I think on any given night it’s it’s going to boil down to a bounce here or a bounce there, those little small opportunities. But there isn’t a bad team in this league, I can assure you that,  and the good news is we’re one of those teams in the league, so we’re going, to have our great nights as well.”

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Said Jenner: “I think on paper, every team looks stacked. When you’re starting a league with only six teams … the player pool, I would say, probably would demand a league with a few more teams. But the focus is really kicking this off with what’s going to be feasible, and make you start small and then grow. Hopefully, we’re going to grow soon.

“If you just look at our paper, if you fast forward to the end of the year … put any team and say they’re winning, and I wouldn’t be like, oh, that’s surprising,” she added. “So I think it’s going to be who plays together, I think coaching is going to be a big factor and also teams that can gel. I think it’s going to come down to that, and maybe teams that can stay healthy. It’s going to be those little factors, but I think we certainly believe that we could do it.”

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Even though teams have been together for a short time – the draft was held in September and training camp started in November – the wait for this first season has been forever.

MacLeod feels good with the way her team is coming together.

“It’s been a bit of a runway to get here, so certainly there’s an anticipation for (the season) and excitement for it,” she said. “Really, really pleased with where our group is. From where we started to where we are, there’s some natural growth that we can actually see. At the end of the day you drop a puck and you’re going to find out if it’s working or it’s not, what you need to continue to build upon, what you need to correct. But certainly comfortable and confident in our preparation and feel we’re in a nice spot.”

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Jenner also likes the make-up of Team Ottawa.

“I think we have a really strong D-core, and I think we have pretty much every tool you could imagine within our roster somewhere,” she said. “But I think the what’s going to make us unique is using our different skill sets to play a team game, and  we see that game as being hard to play against, in your face, aggressive, playing on our toes. I think that that’ll come out in different ways with the different skill sets that we have. But I think it’s it’s going to be fast paced hockey, that’s for sure.”

dbrennan@postmedia.com

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