Ottawa Charge place Emerance Maschmeyer on long-term injured reserve
Terrible news for a team trying to win its way back into the playoffs.
On Friday, Ottawa Charge general manager Mike Hirshfeld announced the team has placed goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer on long-term injured reserve.
In response, the Charge has signed netminder Lucy Morgan off the Minnesota Frost’s reserve list to a standard player agreement (SPA).
Charge fans: Many of you have kindly reached out to inquire about Masch. Unfortunately, we are going to have to place her on LTIR but we are cautiously optimistic we will see her back on the ice before the end of the season.
Gwen and Logan are going to be great! See you tomorrow
Maschmeyer suffered an apparent lower-body injury in Tuesday’s game against the Frost. During the play that led to Minnesota forward Taylor Heise’s game-tying goal, Maschmeyer seemed to have tweaked something in her left leg. She was helped off the ice and wheeled back into the dressing room.
Hirshfeld took to his own social media account to spill the news, saying that the team hopes to have Maschmeyer back by the end of the season.
“We are cautiously optimistic we will see her back on the ice before the end of the season,” Hirshfeld wrote.
Maschmeyer has been the backbone of the Charge since the league began. While her numbers haven’t been as great as they were in year one, she has produced some standout performances. In 18 games, the 30-year-old has a record of 6-7-2 with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.
Per the PWHL’s LTIR rules, Maschmeyer will be eligible to return to the lineup on April 2, when Ottawa takes on the Boston Fleet in its final game before the break for the IIHF Women’s World Championship.
This could put a wrinkle in Team Canada’s plan for the tournament in Czechia. Maschmeyer has been the No. 2 behind Ann-Renée Desbiens for the last several years. That might open the door for Toronto Sceptres goaltender Kristen Campbell to sneak back onto the roster. Corinne Schroeder of the New York Sirens was the No. 3 during the last Rivalry Series window, but her play has been lackluster over the last month.
Morgan will sit behind Gwyneth Philips on the depth chart, along with Logan Angers, who has been on the main roster all season.
Morgan does have one game under her belt. With Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley ill, Morgan made her PWHL debut on Jan. 4, making 29 saves in a 5-0 loss to New York. Prior to turning pro, the North Dakota native played four seasons at St. Lawrence before rounding out her career at the University of Minnesota.
The Charge (8-1-4-9) is fifth in the PWHL, five points back of the Frost for the last playoff spot.
This post was edited after an error made on Angers’ contract situation.