Charge’s Brooke Hobson to return after seven-game absence
Some reinforcements heading into the final day of the regular season.
The Ottawa Charge announced that defender Brooke Hobson has been activated from long-term injured reserve. In response, the team placed defender Vita Poniatovskaia on its reserve list, while reserve blueliner Alexie Guay has been released.
Hobson suffered an upper-body injury during practice on March 24, which has led to her missing the past seven games as a result. The Prince Albert, Sask. native has appeared in all 22 games prior to getting hurt, scoring a goal and three assists for four points, matching her point total from last season with the Sirens. She has a plus/minus of -5 while averaging 16:44 of ice time.
In her absence, the Charge have stayed afloat in their push for the Walter Cup Playoffs, going 4-3-0. They get set for a crucial game on the final day against the rival Toronto Sceptres. After beating the Boston Fleet in overtime on Wednesday, the Charge expanded its cushion from the Sceptres for the fourth and final playoff spot. Ottawa has a three-point lead on its provincial rival. With Toronto already having 10 regulation wins to the Charge’s nine, another win in 60 minutes for the Sceptres means they nab fourth place and a third consecutive trip to the playoffs.
Poniastovskaia has been on Ottawa’s reserve list since the onset of the season, but signed a standard contract after Hobson was placed on LTIR. The 22-year-old appeared in all seven games during her absence, but didn’t register a point. She was invited to training camp back in the fall, but didn’t crack the main roster. The rookie entered the pro ranks after four years at Yale, where she scored 27 goals and 62 points in 131 career games. The Chelyabinsk, Russia native represented her country in the past, winning bronze at the 2020 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship.