Ottawa Charge looking to build on playoff appearance as new season begins

The Ottawa Charge are preparing for their third season in the PWHL.

The Ottawa Charge are looking ahead to the new season after a storybook run to the finals last spring that ended with a loss.

The Minnesota Frost defeated the Charge in four games to win their second Walter Cup championship in May.

The Charge will drop the puck on their third Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season on Saturday with their home opener at TD Place against the New York Sirens.

Goalie Gwyneth Philips and defender Kathryn Reilly joined CTV Your Morning Ottawa on Wednesday to talk about what the new season has in store.

“I think having that ending is going to fuel our fire this year,” Philips said. “I don’t want to be in that spot again. I want to be hoisting the trophy, so I’m looking forward to the whole season, but especially the end.”

Reilly said she’s looking forward to playing with the team this year.

“I think it’s a really good group. Lots of speed,” she said. “I think it’ll be a lot of fun.”

Recently, the Charge were thrust into the centre of discussions around the Lansdowne 2.0 project, with PWHL executives telling Ottawa City Council that the plan to build a smaller hockey arena would risk the financial viability of the team. On Tuesday, the league’s VP of business operations, Amy Scheer, told reporters at a news conference that the Charge “will not play at Lansdowne 2.0.”

Philips said the players are just focused on the game.

“Right now, we’re just focused on the upcoming season. We still have a few more years, I think, at the original TD (Place) and we love playing there. We trust that the higher-ups in the PWHL are going to take care of us,” she said.

The Charge will play 13 games at the Arena at TD Place during their third season, along with two designated home games at non-primary venues—the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg on March 22, 2026, and the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on April 1, 2026.

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