Charge activate Jincy Roese from long-term injured reserve
A potentially crucial return is coming for one team in the PWHL Finals.
On Saturday, the Ottawa Charge announced the team has activated defender Jincy Roese from long-term injured reserve. In return, the team has moved fellow blueliner Sam Isbell to its reserve list.
Roese hasn’t played at all during the postseason, with the team not revealing when or what the O’Fallon, Missouri native hurt leading into the postseason. She did appear in the Charge’s final game of the regular season against the Toronto Sceptres on May 3.
The 28-year-old had been one of Ottawa’s top blueliners this year. Though she has her share of issues in her own zone, the U.S. Olympian finished the regular season with three goals and 11 assists for 14 points in 27 games. She led all Charge defenders in scoring, sitting fifth among PWHL blueliners.
Even in Roese’s absence, the Charge has managed to pull through. After eliminating the top-seeded Montreal Victoire in four games in the semifinals, Ottawa split the first two games of the final against the Frost, losing 2-1 in overtime on Thursday, as the series is shifting to the Twin Cities for the first time on Saturday night. Players like Zoe Boyd and Stephanie Markowski were asked to play bigger roles with Roese on the shelf.
Isbell has dressed in four games in these playoffs, with her name being posted in the lineup for Games 3 and 4 against Montreal, as well as the first two games of the championship series. However, the Thunder Bay, Ontario native didn’t see any ice time. Isbell posted a plus/minus of -1 in four games during the regular season while averaging close to six minutes of ice time per game.
The return of Roese can add some scoring punch to a team that has scored just three goals in this series and has mustered more than two goals in a game just once in the postseason. There’s no question she can be beneficial as they look to move within a win of the franchise’s first Walter Cup.
Puck drop for Game 3 from Xcel Energy Center is scheduled for a little after 5 p.m. ET.