Local players Chan, Gardiner play hometown heroes for Vancouver Goldeneyes as they score the goals that led to their team’s victorious game against the Ottawa Charge. The game, which was held in Vancouver on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, saw Katie Chan, a 22-year-old forward from Richmond, B.C., and Jenn Gardiner, a Surrey, B.C. native, put up points for the Vancouver Goldeneyes, demonstrating their talent and passion for the sport in front of a home crowd.
Katie Chan’s First PWHL Goal
Katie Chan, who was playing hockey overseas just a few months ago, scored her first PWHL goal in dramatic fashion. Hannah Miller, a North Vancouver native, set up the strike, blasting a shot off from inside the faceoff circle, but it was turned away by Charge goalie Gwyneth Philips. However, the puck popped out to Chan who was stationed at the side of the net, and she swatted it in from mid-air to give Vancouver a 1-0 lead 7:50 into the game. The crowd went wild, and Chan admitted that the next few moments were a blur to her. “It was a really surreal moment, for sure,” she said. “It was definitely a dream come true. To be able to be home and to score my first goal really meant the world to me.”
Jenn Gardiner’s Second Goal of the Season
Jenn Gardiner, another local player, added the home side’s second goal 3:36 into the second period. The top-line forward picked a puck off a stick in the neutral zone, sprinted into Ottawa territory while holding off Charge defender Rory Guilday, and fired a shot in off the crossbar for her second goal of the season. Both of the tallies have come in Vancouver, and Gardiner acknowledged the privilege of playing in front of friends and family. “It’s pretty special,” she said. “Just to know the future of female hockey in B.C. as a whole, and where it’s going, it’s going to be an incredible future. And to see all the young girls in the crowd, it means so much to all of us who grew up here and maybe didn’t have this to cheer for.”
Chan’s Journey to the Goldeneyes
Chan’s journey to the Goldeneyes wasn’t certain. After playing four seasons at Cornell University, she went to Sweden for a stint in the SDHL before getting invited to Vancouver’s training camp. There, head coach Brian Idalski found Chan to be a “super dependable, super reliable” player with a solid all-around game. “She’s someone who’s earned my trust quickly just because she’s such a smart player all over the ice and plays a good 200-foot game for us,” he said.
Campbell’s Crease
Meanwhile, Kristen Campbell made 33 stops to earn her first victory in a Goldeneyes’ jersey. The 28-year-old goalie spent the past two seasons in Toronto before getting dealt to Vancouver in June. “It’s been incredible, honestly. I’m having so much fun here,” Campbell said Tuesday. “Just the team, the staff, everyone’s been so supportive and uplifting. I just couldn’t be happier here.”
Fine Lines
The Charge saw their losing skid stretch to three games Tuesday. The team has not won since Nov. 26 when they beat the Goldeneyes 5-1 in Ottawa. Charge head coach Carla MacLeod said there wasn’t a massive difference in how her team played across those two games. “This is this league,” she said. “When the puck drops, it can go either way on any given night. Every team is a great team. Sometimes you get the opportunity to put a few goals in … I think there’s a lot of respect between all the teams in this league, and that showed again tonight.”
