How Jocelyne Larocque is leading the Charge in PWHL playoffs

Ottawa Charge Jocelyne Larocque during practice at the Bell Sensplex in Ottawa Tuesday. Photo by TONY CALDWELL /POSTMEDIA

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Talk to Ottawa Charge players about Jocelyne Larocque and you’ll hear one word again and again used to describe the veteran defender: Leader.

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“She’s very much a leader for us within our organization, certainly on the back end,” head coach Carla MacLeod said.

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“We’ve always relied on her all season and she’s never let us down as a leader,” captain Brianne Jenner added.

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The leadership role attached to donning the “A” on her jersey is one that the 37-year-old defender carries with a sense of pride and responsibility on and off the ice.

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And now, she’s become a leader in a more unexpected sense during the PWHL post-season. The league’s most veteran player also just so happens to be leading the Charge in points and ice time through the first two playoff games.

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After scoring a tip-in goal in Game 1, Larocque picked up a pair of assists in Game 2 — all the while logging an average of 24 minutes of ice time on the blue line.

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As it would for most good leaders, her increased role on the ice isn’t driven by an individual mindset, but how she can best contribute to the group’s success.

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“I just want to help the team to be successful,” Larocque told reporters Tuesday. “Whatever amount of minutes I get, I just am trying to help the team succeed and win and play the way that I can.”

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Ottawa Charge Jocelyne Larocque walks with her dog, Monkey, after practice at the Bell Sensplex in Ottawa Tuesday. Photo by TONY CALDWELL /POSTMEDIA

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Over the past season-and-a-half playing in Ottawa, Larocque says she’s found her “sweet spot” in the team’s defensive structure under the helm of MacLeod.

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While she’s logging big minutes, it’s actually a reduction from the ice time she was seeing in Toronto. Before being traded to Ottawa on Dec. 31, 2024, Larocque averaged more than 27 minutes a game through the 28 outings with the Sceptres.

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For Larocque, that reduction in ice time in Ottawa has helped her find her best hockey and rise to the post-season occasion.

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“My body feels great. I’m hitting a sweet spot,” she said.

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While offence may not always be her calling card with just two regular-season goals in 82 games on her career stat line, her usage in Ottawa has helped her reclaim her title as one of the world’s best shutdown defenders.

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Now fully acclimated to a system that suits her playing style, she’s showcasing her high hockey IQ and starting to take some well-timed offensive chances.

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She’s tallied two goals and five assists in 10 playoff games over her past two seasons with the Charge, while also riding a three-game post-season point streak dating back to last season.

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She’s even earned a spot on the Charge power play, which is a brand-new role for her on the team. But as a student of the game, she said it wasn’t a huge transition.

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“I always made sure that even when I wasn’t on (the power play), I’m aware of plays that they’re trying to make, faceoffs, breakouts, things like that so I’m always read to go on it,” she said. “And now I am, which I’m thrilled about.”