Charge, Frost play with MacLeod in mind after breast cancer diagnosis

Ottawa Charge fans hold signs and wear pink in support of head coach Carla MacLeod, not shown, who announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and would miss the game as she began treatment, during first period PWHL hockey action between the Charge and the Minnesota Frost in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA — Hockey took somewhat of a backseat despite Tuesday’s rematch between the 2025 Walter Cup finalists.

The Professional Women’s Hockey League community came together to support Ottawa’s beloved head coach Carla MacLeod this week in her battle with cancer.

“She’s on our hearts, she’s on our minds and we’re behind her in this battle,” said Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield. “When it comes to her battle, we’re all on the same team and she’s going to win, and we’re all going to win.”

Coyne Schofield’s first career hat trick lifted the Minnesota Frost to a dominant 5-1 win over the Ottawa Charge in the first time the two teams met since Minnesota defeated Ottawa in four games to clinch its second consecutive Walter Cup title in May. Still, MacLeod’s health was the first focus for all parties involved.

On Saturday, MacLeod announced her breast cancer diagnosis to the hockey world, saying her goal is still to “be behind the bench as much as possible.”

The home crowd at TD Place Arena turned the stands pink to support MacLeod, who announced her breast cancer diagnosis on Saturday. Despite her absence, MacLeod still earned a rousing standing ovation from both the Ottawa faithful and the visiting fans.

“It’s so special to play in front of them and to see everyone wearing their pink and so many signs for Carla,” Ottawa forward Emily Clark said. “It’s pretty cool how this community is rallying together and we feel that as a team, and hopefully Carla can feel that from afar too.”

In MacLeod’s absence, assistant coach Haley Irwin stepped up as acting bench boss, with some big shoes to fill.

“We’re professionals in the way that you have to show up and do what’s asked of you, and sometimes that’s just a different role,” Irwin said. “Sometimes players, we ask them to play different roles.

“I just had to play a slightly different role.”

The Charge opened the third and final game of their homestand flat-footed against the two-time reigning PWHL champions.

“We wanted to come out hard for Carla,” Clark said. “Definitely not the first period that we wanted to come out with.”

The reigning champs dispatched their hard-nosed forecheck to build an early 3-0 lead through the first seven minutes of play thanks to goals from Coyne Schofield, Dominique Petrie and Grace Zumwinkle.

“We have a really skilled forward group and we know if we get to work and we’re good on the forecheck, have good sticks, we’re going to be able to create opportunities,” said Minnesota head coach Ken Klee. “We were fortunate to bury a couple right away.”

“We let them get there, we let them skate there, we let them have time and space there,” Irwin said. “We gave them just too much.”

Ottawa regrouped heading into the second, finally finding enough footing to create dangerous chances of their own. But they couldn’t solve Frost goaltender Nicole Hensley, who turned away all 19 shots through the first two frames.

“She made critical saves at critical times,” Coyne Schofield said. “Look at the second period. I don’t know how many 2-on-1s they had, there’s key saves, special teams and it’s very enjoyable to play in front of.”

If there was a bright spot for the Charge, it was rookie defender Rory Guilday’s first PWHL goal on the power play at 5:59 of the third period.

“Sometimes you just gotta rip it and I feel like in that moment I wasn’t really thinking about much else,” the fifth-overall pick of the 2025 draft said.

The Charge now they head into a five-game road trip starting on Thursday when they visit the Toronto Sceptres (1-0-0-1).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2025.

David Cummings, The Canadian Press