Latest news with #Klee
Hamilton Spectator
09-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Bastion Appoints Head of Revenue Amid Accelerated Company Growth
NEW YORK, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bastion , a pioneer in regulated digital asset and stablecoin infrastructure and NYDFS chartered provider, today announced the appointment of Jared Klee as Head of Revenue. The move marks the fourth strategic executive appointment for the company in the last six months, spurred by strong tailwinds across the digital assets industry and rising demand for enterprise-grade cryptocurrency products. 'The digital assets industry is at an inflection point. Growth is rampant and infrastructure providers are being called upon to support adoption for some of the world's largest companies and establish the framework for the future of our financial systems,' said Nassim Eddequiouaq, Co-Founder and CEO of Bastion. 'Bastion is eager to take on that challenge. Jared's go to market leadership will strengthen our ability to thrive in the rapidly evolving market as demand for stablecoins and crypto trading products booms.' Klee joins Bastion from Vouch, a Series D startup offering insurance solutions for high growth companies with over 5,000 startup and VC clients. At Vouch, he served as Head of Sales and launched and led the company's Web3 practice. Klee also co-founded and served as President and Board Member at Triple Point Liquidity, a blockchain-based fintech startup serving alternative asset managers, their investors, and fund administrators. Prior to Triple Point, he held multiple roles at IBM including leading Digital Assets at IBM Blockchain and corporate development for Industry Platforms, and founding IBM's Watson Risk & Compliance platform. 'It's a pivotal time for the crypto industry, with regulatory clarity on the horizon and mainstream adoption taking hold in many sectors,' added Klee. 'Cryptocurrency solutions are set to disrupt the way we interact with money, and the world's enterprises, fintech, and brokerages can't ignore it or they risk being left behind. I'm looking forward to working with a team at the forefront of this exciting shift.' As Head of Revenue, Klee will oversee Bastion's end-to-end revenue strategy, driving growth and profitability across all customer and commercial operations. He will work closely with Bastion's leadership team to scale go-to-market efforts, deepen customer relationships, and build a durable revenue engine. The new role is reflective of Bastion's accelerated growth and commitment to building a robust team of innovators, leaders, and experts. 'Jared's experience in blockchain, fintech, tech, and in the startup world positions him as a key addition to our growing team,' said Caroline Friedman, COO and Founding Member of Bastion. 'His expertise will enable us to scale up our stablecoin and crypto offerings, better serve our customers, and grow our customer base.' About Bastion Bastion provides regulated infrastructure for enterprises, fintechs, and brokerages to launch and scale digital asset products. With an NYDFS trust charter and additional state licenses, Bastion enables enterprises to offer branded stablecoins to their users, support compliant crypto buy/sell flows, and move value globally within a secure, licensed framework. Visit to learn more. Contact Alethea Jadick ajadick@
The Guardian
09-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Gordon Baldwin obituary
Gordon Baldwin was probably happiest with the term 'sculptural potter' to describe himself. He disliked most definitions because they did not adequately encompass his art, one that explored broadly and complexly the potential of the 'vessel'. He investigated this in lyrical big bowls and striking articulated and enclosed pieces, using the premise of containment to gauge ideas about painting and drawing on new types of form. Baldwin, who has died aged 92, was a modernist in ceramics, but he never eschewed his traditional roots because they enabled him to evolve a highly original language. It led to some of the most convincing and liberated clay sculpture since the second world war. Even though Baldwin made functional work in the early 1950s, the enigmatic objects he produced from the middle of that decade were less influenced by other ceramics, and more by art from early civilisations, and notably 20th-century abstraction. His mature pieces were 'diaries of thought', with poetic titles that often referred to particular artists, literature or music that absorbed him. Visually, figures like Arp, Klee and Brancusi remained significant, prompting fresh responses to these returning obsessions. It was a sign of his endless invention that, often making in series, he remained ahead of the game, even as grand old man. Baldwin used the vessel as a metaphor for imaginary terrains and travel, enjoying the questions it might hold, especially where his sculptures were virtually sealed off but for one small aperture or opening. This fascination with the inner nature of an object or idea was defined by the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins as 'inscape', a phrase he loved. His important locations were often those on borders, where the land transforms, perhaps watery places, such as the untamed rocky beach at Porth Neigwl, on the Llŷn peninsula in north Wales, which he christened 'the place of stones'. Or the Normandy coast that Proust knew, another important writer for Baldwin, one who produced his own diaries of thought. This was not surprising for a man brought up in a sea-edged county, Lincolnshire, and as a youth he made a memorable cycle trip from his birth-city of Lincoln to the coast, surely an environment that gave him an early awareness of light, texture and changing atmosphere that would imbue the spirit of his ceramics. He was the only child of Lewis Baldwin, an engineer, and Elsie (nee Hilton). He attended Lincoln school, followed by Lincoln School of Art to study painting, and where he was introduced to pottery by Robert Blatherwick. There Baldwin met Nancy Chandler, a fellow student and his future wife, who became a fine painter herself, and a crucial partner and catalyst. In 1951 both enrolled to study ceramics at the Central School of Art in London, then still surrounded by bomb damage. They were excited by a progressive department run by Dora Billington because it was interdisciplinary and experimental. In addition to pottery tutors, artists such as William Turnbull and Eduardo Paolozzi were brought in, instilling a lively connection between different media and ideas. Billington encouraged hand-building and earthenware, Baldwin's tools in the years ahead, supplemented by occasional making at the wheel, and stoneware. Graduating in 1953, he began an influential teaching career, firstly at Goldsmiths College, London, and then concurrently back at the Central School, from 1956. This followed a break for army national service at Oswestry, Shropshire. Baldwin's output in the late 50s to early 60s included anthropomorphic bottle shapes and more overtly figurative pieces or 'watchers'. They suggested influences from Ancient Egypt, early Greece and Oceania, but also artists such as Picasso and Henry Moore. The work was surreal and ominous, akin to other British sculpture produced in the still-anxious aftermath of a world war, art described by the critic Herbert Read as expressing a 'geometry of fear'. From 1957 Baldwin also taught pottery and sculpture at Eton college, and a year later he and Nancy were married. Dividing his time at Eton with increasing art college commitments, he remained there for almost 40 years, where his approach was characterised by an inspiring sense of inclusiveness and encouragement. Those pupils who felt academically lost found civilisation instead in its drawing schools. Baldwin, who initially must have cut a somewhat avant-garde figure, had an airy first-floor studio there, but he often worked alongside his students, epitomising the power of teaching by example. By the mid-60s he had moved to a palette of metallic matts and mirror blacks on more abstract works, influenced by creative chance and musical improvisation. They had thrown, cut and reassembled elements and possessed a hieratic, ritualistic quality. Some were, he said, 'about the darkness of space inside things'. In 1970 Baldwin began parallel activity in white slip, a clear canvas for painting and colour on objects resembling strange miniature landscapes. From 1979, influenced by Umberto Boccioni's Development of a Bottle in Space, he was freeing up his modelling and marking on dramatic 'developed' bowl and bottle shapes with wing-like extensions. The 80s also saw a remarkable string of monolith forms. There was a confidence about the totemic, dream-like groups of sculpture in his ethereal show Mysterious Volumes at the Boijmans Museum in Rotterdam in 1989, capping his international reputation. No longer teaching by 1996, Baldwin was now based in Market Drayton in Shropshire, close to his beloved Wales. From the mid-80s he sometimes used vivid blues and yellows on his surfaces, but he still liked the nuances of monochromes, and the late work seen at Marsden Woo gallery in London was generally more understated and condensed. The 2012 retrospective toured by York Art Gallery revealed the extent of his activity on paper, drawings and collages which enriched his three-dimensional concerns. Baldwin's eyesight seriously declined after the York show, forcing him to give up clay, but he allayed his frustration with a flurry of playful and spontaneous charcoal drawings which showed that his mind's eye, in many ways so aural too, had not dimmed. Honours came his way, including being appointed OBE in 1992, and a doctorate from the Royal College of Art eight years later, but it was the early morning visits to the studio that really counted, those moments of journey and discovery which had to be shared. An exhibition marking his achievement is now showing at the Kunstverein in Hamburg until August. Nancy predeceased him in 2021. He is survived by his children, Raef, Amanda and Flavia, his grandchildren, Raman, Jago, Freya, Fleur, Harry and Imogen, and great-grandchildren, Otterlie and Theo. Gordon Baldwin, potter and sculptor, born 10 July 1932; died 18 May 2025
USA Today
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Internet celebrity Tiki is up for adoption. The waitlist is full.
Internet celebrity Tiki is up for adoption. The waitlist is full. Show Caption Hide Caption Foster dog Tiki's viral TikTok journey from fear to affection, and now, adoption Tiki, a rescue dog in Los Angeles, overcomes his traumatic past with love and patience. Now, he's ready for adoption, with hundreds of hopeful applicants. Tiki, who melted millions of hearts with his innocence and recovery, is now up for adoption, his foster Isabel Klee said. The plot twist, however, is that applications and the waitlist are both full after the 5-year-old dog received more than 100 applications in just the first hour alone. The pooch, who got a new lease on life after he was rescued from dire circumstances, became social media famous after Klee documented his journey on TikTok, with some of the videos garnering millions of views. "The response has been so heartwarming," Klee, a content creator and upcoming author based in Brooklyn, told USA TODAY. "The world can be a really harsh place, especially right now. There's a lot going on, and I think everybody just kind of needed this story that was feel good and hopeful to turn to." Tiki's virality also helped New York-based Muddy Paws Rescue, who connected Klee with Tiki, raise over $200,000 through Tiki-themed merchandise and donations, Klee said. Tiki refused to leave his bed when he first came home When Klee first brought him home, Tiki did not eat, drink or leave his bed even to go to the bathroom. Klee was unable to reveal the circumstances in which Tiki was rescued due to privacy concerns, but said she was made aware of the situation, which wasn't very great, when she picked him up for fostering. "There was this big fear he wouldn't get better," Klee said. "There were nights when I would just lay awake looking at my ceiling, wondering what the outcome would be." "Before I picked him up, ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) told us this dog was in really bad shape, and they didn't know if he was going to be able to be rehabilitated," Klee said. "We didn't know what his outcome would be. But Muddy Paws Rescue and I decided to pull him anyway, because I feel all dogs deserve the chance to get better, and a lot of dogs can't get better in a shelter environment, because it can be really stressful." Slowly but steadily, things started looking up. "Day by day, he did get better," Klee said. "I kind of just sat back and learned to exist with him. I didn't push him. I let him come out of his shell on his own." It started with Tiki first only putting his paw outside the crate. Then he started drinking water, then eating. "Every day it was something new, until eventually he was crawling into my lap and asking for cuddles," Klee said. "It happened really slowly, but day by day, he got braver and braver." Curious little pup Klee said it took almost 13 days for her to touch Tiki for the first time because of how hesitant he was. But when it finally happened, "it was well worth the wait." After more than a month in Klee's care, Tiki is now also getting warmed up to being around other people and pets. While he isn't entirely comfortable in their presence, like when Klee has people over, he does come outside and hangs out with them, observing everybody. "He is very curious," Klee said. "He met my mom and allowed her to give him kisses and pets. Every single day with every person he meets, he gets a little braver, and he comes out of his shell a little bit more." Tiki's favorite things As Tiki came out of his shell, one of his favorite things to do is sit with dirty laundry. "He's obsessed with our dirty laundry," Klee laughed. "It sounds really funny, but he'll go into the hamper and take out, like a shirt that I wore and cuddle with it, which is just the cutest thing. He also loves our shoes. It's like he loves to cuddle with the things that smell like us. He never destroys them, he just likes to sit with them." As for his favorite snack, "he's obsessed with cheese," mostly cheddar, Klee said. Tiki and Simon Klee may be putting in most of the effort, but Tiki's favorite person in the house is her 6-year-old dog Simon, who she adopted after fostering him when he was just a little puppy. "Simon is the best partner in fostering," Klee gushed. "He is just so patient (and) understanding. He gets it. He understands these dogs need help and teaches them to be a dog again." Klee credited Simon with teaching Tiki how to play with toys and encouraging Tiki to go outside for the first time. "Having a confident dog in the house is just like the best possible thing when you're fostering a fearful dog," Klee shared. Isabel and Simon have fostered 20 dogs together Klee and Simon have fostered 20 dogs together, though Klee has been fostering dogs for much longer. The content creator shared she's been fostering dogs since she was 25 but took a long break when she adopted Simon after fostering him. "Simon has a lot of complicated health issues so I stopped fostering for a number of years, and then picked it back up about two years ago," Klee said, adding the two have now fostered 20 dogs together. Depending on the dog's need, fosters have been as short as a few days and as long as two months. "It's been a lot, (but) I find it so rewarding," Klee said. "Of course, there are difficult moments, but I think the joyful moments far outweigh it." She added: "Tiki is such a great example. Four weeks (in) and he's a completely different dog. Just being that vessel for change and seeing them grow over a short amount of time is the most magical thing." Tips for fostering For anyone looking into fostering dogs, Klee's word of advice would be to have patience. "Patience is the most important thing," Klee, who is also in process of writing a book on fostering, said. "Whether that's being frustrated that the dog is peeing inside, or that they're barking at you or, whatever it may be. Just come at it with patience and the understanding that this dog is in a brand-new space, and (that) it's scary and terrifying (for them)." Tiki is not going to be with Klee much longer, given the overwhelming response received on his adoption application. However, an adoption doesn't mean their relationship would come to an end. Klee shared she always exchanges information with any family that adopts the dogs she has fostered, and "most of them still keep in touch" with her. "I get pictures all the time," Klee said, adding it is up to the adopter on whether they want to keep a relationship with her. "Luckily most people find the dogs through my page, so they usually do want to keep in touch. I'm very happy about that." Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Everyone wants the internet's favorite dog Tiki to be a 'foster fail' — here's why it's not happening.
There's a new main character on the internet — and he's a dog. His name is Tiki, and his journey from scared to thriving pup is inspiring thousands. Earlier this year, a fluffy, small dog named Tiki was brought into the New York City ASPCA's care with three other dogs from the same undisclosed situation. But the ASPCA knew that Tiki wouldn't do well in the shelter — he was shut down and wouldn't let anyone touch him. That's when the ASPCA contacted Muddy Paws rescue, which helps place shelter dogs in foster homes in both New York and Kentucky. Muddy Paws then reached out to Isabel Klee, a Brooklyn-based writer who runs the SimonSits social media accounts and has fostered more than 20 dogs. 'I wasn't planning on taking in a foster dog this soon, but Tiki just stole my heart,' Klee told Yahoo News about the dog, whose hair around his eyes was shaved following double-cherry eye surgery, revealing an adorable raccoon-like mask. 'We didn't know if he was able to get better, so it was kind of up in the air of what the story would be — we all took a risk on it.' When Tiki was initially placed under Klee's care, he would not even lift his head in his carrier, or leave it to relieve himself. Treats went uneaten, and attempts to coax him out of his cage failed. But slowly over time something happened. Thanks to Klee's slow, careful nurturing, Tiki slowly came out of his shell. 'We started him in his crate, and then we put a little gate around the crate, and we just kind of have been slowly expanding his world one day at a time,' Klee said. That patience worked. Bit by bit, Tiki blossomed — and the internet watched as he took his first bite of cheese from Klee's hand, left his crate to explore the apartment and even played with his foster brother Simon. Now millions are following Tiki's journey, with Klee's videos regularly receiving more than a million likes. 'At this point I'd watch a 24/7 live feed of Tiki's every move,' one TikTok user wrote. 'All I'm saying is whoever is lucky enough to get Tiki better be good to him bc he is TikTok's favorite pup!' another gushed. 'Tiki we are manifesting the best family for you so your mama Isabel can continue this amazing work with other puppies,' a third said. Others praised Klee's patience with Tiki. 'You undid a lifetime of fear and trauma for him in ~3 weeks,' one person commented. 'We don't deserve dogs but you definitely do.' Stars like Kylie Kelce are also reacting to the pup's glow-up: 'Please tell Tiki we are so proud of him!!' the podcaster wrote in the comments section of one of Klee's Tiki TikToks. Rosie O'Donnell shared, 'so exciting to watch the progress- thank u amd tiki.' Meanwhile, the podcast Chicks in the Office, hosted by Francesca Mariano and Maria Ciuffo, gushed about their love of Tiki. For followers of Tiki, things just keep getting better. On May 21, Klee posted an update: Tiki played with his very first toy, a stuffed sunny-side-up egg. 'He was so shut down and depressed when we got him that I could have never predicted he would have such a silly personality,' Klee said. 'He is such a great representation of what dogs can be like when they are fully decompressed and when they're given a space to be themselves.' While so many people want Klee to adopt Tiki, Klee has a very good reason she's not becoming a 'foster fail' and keeping him — noting that there are more than 6 million animals entering the shelter system each year, with more than 600,000 euthanized last year alone due to having no place to go. 'There are millions of Tikis around the world — millions of Tikis who need me and need us,' Klee said, noting that since she started posting about her fostering experience she has received 'hundreds of messages' from people saying they were inspired to foster. 'The other argument is, how will he ever learn to trust again? And my answer is, I've seen it happen again and again with every single one of my fosters,' Klee said. 'Each and every one of them is so incredibly happy in their homes.' Mallory Kerley, the marketing director of Muddy Paws, spoke to Yahoo News about how fosters like Klee are a vital part of ensuring that adoptable dogs remain out of shelters and find their way to forever homes. 'Fostering is an incredible thing that people can do to help local dogs in their communities who are in shelters,' she said. 'We hear a lot of feedback from people who say, 'I could never do it. I would keep them all,' or 'It would be too hard.' But what we really want people to understand is that you can. Keeping a foster is not the end of the world, but we have fosters in our community who have fostered more than 100 dogs. Maybe they keep one or two, but the vast majority of our fosters do get their dogs adopted.' Kerley explained that pulling a dog from a shelter — which can be a stressful place for dogs, even as the shelters are 'doing their best with limited resources' — and getting them into a foster home can be extremely helpful in getting a dog adopted. That's because when a dog is in a foster home, they are able to navigate 'realistic situations that they'll encounter when they're an owned dog,' such as going out for walks, seeing dogs on the street or interacting with children. It's also a way to assess a dog's preferences, and for rescues like Muddy Paws to 'really get to understand the dogs in our care and be able to match them with a family based on what that family is looking for and what that dog needs.' Klee told Yahoo that being a great foster parent to a dog is all about meeting the pup where they're at. 'I think a lot of people adopt a dog or foster a dog, and they want to see change overnight,' Klee said, noting that there can be hurdles to overcome, like accidents in the house or excessive barking. 'But remembering how overwhelming it is and how scary it is for them is the most important thing. That has really allowed Tiki to blossom — he knows that I'm never gonna push him past his comfort zone.' Tiki is set to be up for adoption in just a few weeks — and, naturally, the internet-famous dog is receiving plenty of interest. Klee is not a part of that process, something she thinks would be 'so much pressure.' 'I'm sad,' she said, 'but it's really such a wonderful thing.'
CBC
06-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Chasing the Walter Cup: Trio of Canadian teams hunt for glory in PWHL playoffs
The reigning Walter Cup champions. A first-time playoff team. Two teams who had playoff hopes dashed in the first round last year. Those are the four teams vying for the Walter Cup after a chaotic final day of the regular season. The Ottawa Charge defeated the Toronto Sceptres in overtime to secure its first playoff berth. Soon after, the Minnesota Frost routed the Boston Fleet 8-1 to lock down its post-season position, leaving the Fleet on the outside looking in. Teams three through five all finished with 44 points. It all came down to regulation wins as a tiebreaker. "The parity and competitiveness in our league is second to none," Frost head coach Ken Klee said a day after his team won its way in. By virtue of finishing first, the Montreal Victoire had the power to choose the team's playoff opponent, and picked Ottawa over Minnesota. Proximity was a factor, according to head coach Montreal Kori Cheverie. No doubt the fact that Montreal has won four of six against Ottawa this season played a role, too. WATCH | The best of the PWHL Mic'd Up series in 2024-25: PWHL Mic'd Up: Best of 2024-25 season 3 days ago Duration 5:45 That leaves the second-place Toronto Sceptres to play the Minnesota Frost, in what will be a rematch of last year's first-round series. Toronto built a 2-0 series lead before Minnesota stormed back to win the next three, and went on to win the inaugural Walter Cup final. The Toronto-Minnesota series opens on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, while the Charge will travel to Montreal for the series opener on Thursday at 7 p.m. A Canadian team is guaranteed to be in the finals. Here's a preview of the best-of-five first round of the Walter Cup playoffs. Toronto Sceptres (2) vs. Minnesota Frost (4) Don't let the seeding fool you. Minnesota is far from the underdog. Just ask Toronto, the team that chose to play a fourth-place Minnesota team in the first round last year, only to lose in five games. Now, the Sceptres have a chance to rewrite the script. Minnesota returns the same core of players who won the Walter Cup, starting with captain Kendall Coyne Schofield and playoff MVP Taylor Heise. They make up the Frost's top line alongside Michela Cava, a proven winner who can bring it in the post-season. On the back end, the team is led by one of the best shutdown defenders in the world in Lee Stecklein, and two smart, offensive-minded blueliners in Sophie Jaques and 2024 first-round draft pick, Claire Thompson. "She's just a player who's a gamer," Klee said about Jaques. "She wants the puck on her stick at critical times and she wants to go make an offensive impact all the time." The Frost relied on both Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley in net in last year's playoffs. Klee suggested the team plans to do that again, giving him some insurance should one falter. But the biggest advantage for Minnesota is that many players on the team know what it takes to win, having outlasted both Toronto and Boston last year. Minnesota goes into the series with the league's worst regular-season penalty kill. Meanwhile, Toronto has capitalized on more than 25 per cent of its power-play opportunities. It means the Frost will need to try to stay out of the penalty box. But Klee is also relying on his penalty kill finding another gear in the playoffs. The Sceptres enter the post-season in a different position than last year. Toronto dominated the inaugural regular season, led by league MVP, Natalie Spooner. This time around, the Sceptres dealt with significant injuries. Spooner didn't return from off-season knee surgery until February. Around the same time, Sarah Nurse went down. Most recently, Hannah Miller has been getting back up to speed after getting hurt. "The expectation is that they're able to perform at the level when they left, and it's just not reality," Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan said. A promising sign: Spooner had two shootout goals in a recent win over the New York Sirens, while Nurse recorded her first goal since March in the regular-season finale against Ottawa. Miller has been a do-it-all forward for Toronto this season. Even if her offensive numbers dip, Ryan is a fan of her "honest and responsible game." On the offensive side of things, Toronto's top power play has been led by off-season acquisition Daryl Watts, whose skill earned her a spot on the Canadian national team, and defender Renata Fast. She is, in Ryan's estimation, the best defender in the world right now. She's also difficult to play against, which makes her even more of a weapon during the playoffs. "When we have her on our team, she gives us a chance to win," Ryan said. Rounding out Toronto's back end is Kristen Campbell, the reigning goaltender of the year. Campbell had a difficult start, but has found her game as the season has gone on. Montreal Victoire (1) vs. Ottawa Charge (3) Cheverie felt her team played their best three games of the season in last year's playoffs, but fell in three straight overtime games to Boston. It was a hard lesson, but one both Cheverie and captain Marie-Philip Poulin weren't eager to dwell on. "That was hard last year," Poulin said. "It'll be harder this year." Winning will require the Victoire to be relentless, gritty and consistent, the captain said. That starts with the best player in the world and Montreal's heart and soul, Poulin. She led the league in goals overall (19) and game-winning goals (six). No player is more clutch when it matters most. But Poulin is also a gritty player who won't think twice about making a hit or blocking a shot. She's made up what might be the PWHL's best line this season with Laura Stacey and rookie Jennifer Gardiner. Stacey's game translates well to the post-season, earning breaks with her speed and using her size to create space. The key for her will be finishing, something that was a challenge last season against Boston goaltender Aerin Frankel. Beyond the top line, Montreal struggled to find consistent depth scoring as the season went on. Depth was an issue for Montreal against Boston last year, so Montreal is hoping a deeper overall lineup this time around will be able to produce when it counts. Drafting Cayla Barnes means less of a load on Montreal defender Erin Ambrose this season. Add in two of the league's top shot blockers in Mariah Keopple and Anna Wilgren, and Montreal is a hard team to get by. When pucks do make their way to the net, starter Ann-Renée Desbiens has been there to stop them. Between the world championship and the stretch run of the PWHL season, Desbiens has been able to work her way back from an injury, and finished with the top goals-against average and save percentage. "She's a wall back there," Poulin said. WATCH | Charge secure a playoff spot with an overtime win over the Sceptres: Mrázová's overtime winner sends Charge to PWHL postseason for 1st time 3 days ago Duration 2:08 The Charge enter the playoffs for the first time missing starting goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer, who was injured in March. It remains unclear if she'll be back this season. In the meantime, rookie Gwyneth Philips has run with the opportunity. "She's obviously a very talented goalie as well, but she's just been able to really just take the reins and settle in," Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod said. "She's such a likable gal and it's pretty easy to rally around her." The Charge got contributions from up and down the lineup during the team's playoff push, from captain Brianne Jenner, to tough-to-play Tereza Vanišová, to Shiann Darkangelo, who was acquired at the trade deadline last year. But it was Kateřina Mrázová, back after a stint on long-term injury reserve, who scored the goal that sent Ottawa to the playoffs for the first time. Without a star quite like Poulin, the Charge will continue to require support from their full roster. When they're playing their best, they can be relentless. That's the team that will need to show up against the Victoire. "There's a speed component," MacLeod said. "There's a physicality. There's just a puck movement piece that when we know we're on, we can feel it. We feel it on the bench and there's just a camaraderie on the bench."
