A Great Debut

Based on what I know about Kendra Woodland, I don't think she concerns herself with being the first to do anything. I assume it would be nice to be the first to accomplish something big, but everything I've read and heard about Kendra suggests that she only wants to be her best self when she's in net to help her team. Tonight in Minnesota, she finally got that chance with her new team as the Ottawa Charge called upon her to make her first appearance in the PWHL, marking only the second time that a former U SPORTS goalie has made an appearance in the professional league's history. To Kendra's credit, it wasn't under the best circumstances tonight that Woodland made her appearance, but this is something to celebrate if you're a fan of Canadian university women's hockey!

After Kelly Pannek made it 3-0 for Minnesota just 14:50 into the game, Charge head coach Carla MacLeod made the decision to pull starter Gwyneth Phillips, giving Woodland her first-ever opportunity to play in any PWHL game. Just 1:25 later, it was 4-0 as Kaitlyn O'Donohoe beat Woodland one her own rebound that looked like it may have gone in off her glove, but O'Donohoe's goal stood to become the first professional player to score on Woodland in the PWHL.

The former UNB Reds goalie settled herself down, got into a groove, and looked fairly solid from that point forward. Pannek would add a fifth goal in the second period as she caught Woodland moving with a shot through the wickets, but Woodland looked very good in her professional debut as she stopped 14 of 16 shots against the two-time Water Cup champions and a handful of US Olympic stars!

As stated above, Woodland became the second U SPORTS goalie to play in a PWHL game, following former Alberta Pandas netminder Lindsey Post as the only two goaltenders sent out to a PWHL crease after having played U SPORTS hockey. Post got her shot in 2024 in two games that season where she stopped 35 of 37 shots over 74:31 of work. Ironically, the two goals she allowed were against the Minnesota Frost as well as Denisa Křížová and Grace Zumwinkle beat her, but New York would prevail 5-2 to give Post the victory.

Woodland's situation is a little more complicated than her just being the back-up netminder for Ottawa. Sanni Ahola, an Olympian, and Gwyneth Phillips, an Olympian, are both ahead of her on the depth chart, so Woodland's been doing her best to crack the lineup. With Ahola back in Ottawa this week battling an illness, Woodland got promoted up the depth chart where she got her chance tonight. Will that remain the case? It would appear that things will go back to normal when Ahola returns, but it should give all eight teams and any potential new teams an idea of Woodland's abilities for next season.

What I can tell everyone from having watched her play five seasons in Fredericton with the UNB Reds is that she's a gamer and she'll be ready each and every time she's called upon to stop pucks. She proved that again tonight in Minnesota as she threw on the helmet, gloves, and blocker and made her way out to the Ottawa crease. While the situation wasn't the best for her to get her first professional appearance, I have no doubt that Kendra Woodland will be successful in her PWHL for as long as she wants it to last!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!