PWHL’s Ottawa Charge set out on crucial road trip after win over Seattle Torrent

OTTAWA – The Ottawa Charge find themselves in a playoff spot with less than half the season to go in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.

Whether they’ll still be there with their next six games away from home is the question.

Ottawa (5-5-1-7) has yet to win a game in regulation on the road this season. Players say they need to simplify their game.

“I really think it’s important that we sort of buy in as a team to take it in increments,” said forward Alexa Vasko. “And you know what? We can’t get too high. We can’t get too low. If things get out of hand we have great leaders who bring us back down to earth.”

The schedule does not play in the Charge’s favour down the stretch. 

They start their road trip in New York, followed by visits to Vancouver and Minnesota before playing Takeover Tour games in Winnipeg and Calgary — with a stop in Seattle in between. The team returns to Ottawa for a matchup with the Montreal Victoire on April 3, but will play at the Canadian Tire Centre instead of TD Place.

The Charge are 0-1 in their lone game played at the home of the NHL’s Senators.

“Yeah, it is a long stretch,” admitted Charge coach Carla MacLeod. “We’ve got two sort of hefty road trips, with western swings to start both of them, but we’re not in the industry of complaining or worrying. We know it’s going to be what it is and we need to take advantage of what we do know being on the road.”

The Charge have rarely made things easy on themselves this season.

Far too often they have given up leads or let them slip away, and losing those extra points has proven costly.

Ottawa leads the league in overtime wins, but those lost points — a regulation win is worth three points, while an overtime victory earns two — could come back to cost the team late in the season.

Wednesday night the Charge found themselves in that exact situation. They jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead over the Seattle Torrent only to find themselves tied 3-3 midway through the third period.

A late penalty to the Torrent provided the Charge with a perfect opportunity, and Fanuza Kadirova capitalized with her sixth of the season and second of the game.

The forward is finding her rhythm and her place on the team in her rookie season in the PWHL.

Hailing from Kukmor, Russia, the 27-year-old took some time to adjust to her new environment, both personally and professionally. 

“She’s getting more and more comfortable,” said MacLeod. “You know, there is a transition piece for players that are new to this league. Obviously, for her, she’s got a few other hurdles with the language and being to Canada for the first time and those variables, but you can see she’s a player.’

MacLeod has no doubt Kadirova will be a solid contributor, recognizing her shooting mentality and capacity.

The Charge have also benefited from the play of defender Kathryn Reilly, a free agent who signed with Ottawa this past summer.

Reilly, who had stepped away from the game to pursue medical school, was drawn back by her love of the sport. She was thrilled to contribute a pair of assists Wednesday — her first points in the PWHL.

When Reilly had a chance to pick up her first career goal, she passed in up to veteran Emily Clark, who made no mistake on a 2-on-1 play. Clark was quick to acknowledge Reilly’s generosity on the ice,

“I think it speaks to Clarkie,” said Reilly. “She’s such a leader and she’s such a wonderful teammate. It’s such a privilege to be on this team.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2026.