PWHL Players of the Week: Vanisova, Bourbonnais, Campbell have productive weeks

It was another short week of PWHL action in terms of games, but that didn’t mean a few players couldn’t shine for their teams.

With teams battling for playoff seeding and simply trying to get into the postseason, this trio stepped up for their respective teams over the past week.

Tereza Vanisova (F, Ottawa Charge)

You’re darn right if you think a hat trick just almost automatically puts you on the DFO Players of the Week list.

Vanisova has been the firecracker that has powered the Charge for the entire season and her efforts were rewarded once again on Saturday against the Sirens. The Czech star posted her second three-goal performance of the season, notching what ended up being the game-winning goal in a 5-2 win.

Vanisova became the first player in PWHL history to score two hat tricks in a single season. She has scored four goals in Ottawa’s last two games, as she scored one of her team’s two goals in the Charge’s 5-2 loss to the Boston Fleet.

The 29-year-old has catapulted herself into a tie for second in the league in goals (13) with Boston captain Hilary Knight, both one back of Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin. Her grit, matched with skill, has made her a versatile threat that other teams struggle to control.

The Charge is now just two points behind the Minnesota Frost for the last playoff spot. If Vanisova can get into a rhythm, she can be the difference between Ottawa making it to the postseason for the first time or not.

Jaime Bourbonnais (D, New York Sirens)

While the Sirens’ loss to the Charge wasn’t ideal, it didn’t take anything away from what was a fruitful week for Bourbonnais.

Starting in front of a pro-Sirens crowd during the Takeover Tour game in Detroit last Sunday, the two-time IIHF Women’s World Championship gold medalist had her best offensive week of the season. She scored New York’s first goal of the game last Sunday, leading to a 4-1 win over the Frost at Little Caesars Arena.

Bourbonnais proceeded to post three assists over the next two games, including helping on both of the Sirens’ markers against Ottawa on Saturday. With the week that was, the former Canadian National Team blueliner has registered points in four straight games, notching five points over that span.

The 26-year-old’s game has been steady this season, even when things got really bad for New York. Averaging well over 20 minutes a night against the opposition’s best players, and only sitting with a -3 rating, Bourbonnais has been one of the consistent assets in the lineup.

If the Sirens want any chance of making an insane comeback to steal a playoff spot, they’ll need more effort from the rest of the lineup, like what Bourbonnais had last week.

Kristen Campbell (G, Toronto Sceptres)

I was close to putting Sirens netminder Corinne Schroeder in this spot this week, but her rough outing against the Charge put a sour taste in my mouth.

Instead, I’m going with the goaltender who out-dueled Schroeder last Wednesday in Toronto. Kristen Campbell’s game has risen exponentially over the past couple of months, and how she played in a 2-1 victory for New York was another chapter in her return to form.

The Brandon, Manitoba native stopped 27 of the 28 shots she faced for her seventh win of the season, pushing her above .500 for the first time since she won the team’s season opener in November. Since the beginning of February, Campell hasn’t allowed more than two goals in a game, going 5-1-1 over that span.

Her numbers might not be some of the best in the league—she sits fourth in the PWHL in goals-against average (2.16) and save percentage (.913)—but the 27-year-old’s recent outings have made Toronto look like a Walter Cup contender.

Campell has been so good lately that she earned a spot back on Team Canada for the Women’s Worlds and is most likely going to be the No. 2 netminder behind Ann-Renée Desbiens.

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