The Ottawa Charge are at the Canadian Tire Centre tonight. Here’s what to know

We chat with the GM of the Ottawa Charge ahead of Game 3 of the PWHL Playoffs.

The Ottawa Charge are bringing their playoff series home Friday night, with Game 3 against the Boston Fleet taking place at the Canadian Tire Centre.

The series is tied 1-1. There are still tickets available for the game, according to Ticketmaster.

“It’s always difficult when you go on the road for the first couple of games, so we’re thrilled to come back tied at 1-1,” Ottawa Charge GM Mike Hirshfeld told CTV Your Morning Ottawa. “We don’t feel like we’ve played our best hockey yet, so that’s ahead of us. We’re really excited for the game tonight.”

The last game the Charge played at the Canadian Tire Centre set an attendance record with 17,114 fans.

Puck drop is at 7 p.m. but there will be plenty of fun for fans hours beforehand. Here’s what to know:

Fan Zone

The fan zone opens outside the Canadian Tire Centre at 4 p.m. with a live DJ, face painting, $2 hot dogs, $5 beer, a photo booth, a mullet barber, the Thursty Pedaler, and a Tim Hortons mobile truck.

Electric Avenue will also be rolled out, as the players walk into the area. There will be chances for autographs and photos.

“It should be a really fun afternoon,” Hirshfeld said.

The series

Boston opened the best-of-five semifinal series with a 2-1 victory on April 30, but Ottawa tied it up on May 2 with a 3-1 victory.

Ottawa’s Jocelyne Larocque scored in Game 1, while Ronja Savolainen, Fanuza Kadirova and Gabbie Hughes nabbed the goals in Game 2 to give the Charge the win. Gwyneth Philips has stopped 56 shots so far this series.

Hirshfeld says he hopes the fans will make the winning difference for the Charge.

“The players are super excited,” he said, about playing at the Canadian Tire Centre. “We get some much motivation and lift from our fanbase and the crowd, and the idea that we’d have 15,000-plus people at the arena supporting us, cheering us on, it makes a huge difference.”

Getting to the game

OC Transpo will be running its 400-series buses to and from the Canadian Tire Centre tonight for fans who want to avoid driving.

Game 4

With the series currently tied, Game 4 will also be played at the Canadian Tire Centre.

The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday. It will feature a live performance from Ottawa’s Jamie Fine. The fan zone and Electric Avenue walk-ins begin at noon.

“Maybe have some brunch with your mom and come on out. It’s going to be a great day,” said Hirshfeld.

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