PWHL Players of the Week: Gardiner makes history; Larocque, Philips play big
In the second-to-last week of the 2025-26 regular season, we had several marquee matchups as teams both jockeyed for position in the Walter Cup Playoffs, with some simply trying to grab that fourth and final playoff spot.
From big goals to big saves, the following three players stepped up, with one player having a performance to remember forever.
Let’s look at the players who came up big for their respective teams in crunch time.
Jenn Gardiner, F (Vancouver Goldeneyes)
Prior to Saturday, there had been 17 hat tricks in the PWHL since its inception, including three this year. When the Goldeneyes took on the Seattle Torrent, Vancouver forward Jenn Gardiner added her name to that list, and then some.
In a game that the Goldeneyes had to win in regulation to stay in the playoff race, Gardiner delivered not just the best performance of her young pro career, but the best the league has ever seen. She spurred a rally in the latter half of the game, scoring a hat trick in less than 20 minutes of game time, before becoming the first player in PWHL history to score four goals in a single game, as she notched the winning goal in overtime.
BC'S OWN!!!!!!
The record-setting day was dampened by the fact that the Goldeneyes were officially eliminated from Walter Cup Playoff contention. Yet, Gardiner was able to have herself an afternoon that will be remembered for a long time. Now, the team hopes she can bring that scoring touch as they battle with the Torrent for draft-order points in the race for the first-overall pick.
Jocelyne Larocque, D (Ottawa Charge)
The oldest player in the PWHL seems to find a way to remind us that she can be a productive player every now and then. Jocelyne Larocque was a notable presence against the New York Sirens in the Charge’s lone game this past week. She logged the most minutes of any skater in the game (24:04) and finally scored her first regular-season goal with Ottawa, a jailbreak goal no less, which ended up being credited as the game-winner on Saturday.
🚨 Brianne Jenner (11) 🍎🍏 Jocelyne Larocque
The 38-year-old added an assist on captain Brianne Jenner’s goal in the third to seal a 5-1 victory. It was the first time Larocque had placed her name on the scoresheet in eight games, while she hadn’t scored a goal in the regular season since January 2024.
Larocque certainly understands that her time left in the game is limited and that she has to make the most of it. She certainly isn’t leaving anything in the tank. She leads the team with 22:41 average time on ice, and is having her most productive season since posting 10 points with Toronto during the inaugural season.
Gwyneth Philips, G (Ottawa Charge)
I was tempted to give Ann-Renee Desbiens the nod for the second week in a row after a solid effort against the Boston Fleet. However, in a game where the Charge had a chance to distance itself from the Sirens and Sceptres for the last playoff spot, Philips came up clutch. In dealing with plenty of traffic from New York’s best, including being run into numerous times, the right-handed catching netminder stood her ground, gave a few shots back, and turned away 23 of the 24 shots she faced on Saturday afternoon.
With the effort, Philips became the first goaltender in PWHL history to make 700 saves in a single season. She has been the biggest workhorse in the league this season and is doing what she did during last year’s playoffs – dragging a pesky Charge team further than what many believed previously. In playing 26 of Ottawa’s 28 games so far, the Athens, Ohio native is third in the PWHL with 14 wins, with a .927 save percentage that’s good for fourth.