Charge clinch spot in 2026 Walter Cup Playoffs

The Ottawa Charge are going back to the Walter Cup Playoffs.

The team clinched a berth in this spring’s postseason with a 3-0 win over the Toronto Sceptres Saturday afternoon, securing the fourth and final playoff spot in the PWHL.

Ottawa finishes the 2025-26 regular season with a 9-8-1-2 record and 44 points. It’s the second consecutive season the Charge have made the playoffs after falling short in the league’s inaugural campaign. They reached the Walter Cup Final against the Minnesota Frost last spring, losing in four games.

Meanwhile, Toronto finished the year with a 10-1-6-13 record and 38 points. It’s the first time in Sceptres franchise history that they will not take part in the PWHL postseason.

Ottawa opened the scoring nearly five minutes into the second frame with a Fanuza Kadirova goal, her 10th of the season.

Sarah Wozniewicz scored her seventh of the year just one minute into the third period to make it 2-0, then with the net empty, Alexa Vasko scored her second of the season to seal a 3-0 victory for the Charge.

Ottawa goaltender Gwyneth Philips stopped 41 shots to earn her third shutout of the season.

The Charge revealed after the game they had surpassed 100,000 total fans in attendance in 2025-26, the first time Ottawa achieved the milestone in a single regular season.

Ottawa now awaits the winner of Saturday’s game between the Montreal Victoire and Seattle Torrent to see if either the Victoire or Boston Fleet clinch the league’s No. 1 spot. Whomever finishes first will decide who they face in the first round of the playoffs.

Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner, who recorded an assist on Wozniewicz’s goal against Toronto, finished the 2025-26 regular season with a team-leading 26 points (12 goals and 14 assists).

Rebecca Leslie led the Charge with 14 goals and finished with 23 points.

Ronja Savolainen led all defenders with 10 points (four goals and six assists).

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