Thursday, December 4, 2025 | 7 p.m. ET | Coca-Cola Coliseum
WATCH LIVE: TSN 2, TSN.ca, TSN App, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com (U.S. / International), More
Daniella Ponticelli (Play-by-Play), Cheryl Pounder (Analyst), Julia Tocheri (Reporter)
OTTAWA CHARGE
1-0-0-2 | 3 PTS | 5TH PLACE (TIED)
Top Scorer: Brianne Jenner – 3 GP, 2-3-5 PTS
Last Game: 5-1 L vs. MIN on Dec. 2
TORONTO SCEPTRES
1-0-0-1 | 3 PTS | 5TH PLACE (TIED)
Top Scorer: Savannah Harmon & Natalie Spooner (2A)
Last Game: 3-1 L vs. BOS on Nov. 29
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: TIED 9-9 IN POINTS (OTTAWA WON 9-6 IN 2024)
Dec. 3 at OTT: 3-2 OTT | Dec. 31 at TOR: 2-1 OTT | Jan. 14 at OTT: 4-2 TOR | Feb. 1 at TOR: 4-2 TOR | Feb. 16 at OTT (EDMONTON): 3-2 TOR (OT) | May 3 at TOR: 2-1 OTT (OT)
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Ottawa is taking on Toronto for the first time since its 2-1 overtime win on the final day of the 2024-25 regular season clinched a playoff berth for the Charge. Each team has scored exactly 30 goals in the 11 all-time meetings between the teams.
The Charge hit the road for the first time this season following three straight home games to open the new campaign, the most in league history to start a season. Ottawa finished last season with four straight road wins (three regulation, one overtime) and have never gone five straight regular-season road games without at least one loss in regulation.
Its 5-1 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday was Ottawa’s 28th time allowing three or more goals in a PWHL regular-season game, tied with New York for most in league history. Toronto has scored three or more goals in 29 regular-season games, the most by any team in PWHL history.
Rory Guilday scored her first career goal on the power play on Tuesday against the Frost and leads all rookie defenders with three points. The Charge are tied for the league lead with two power play goals and are tied for the most power plays (11).
Gabbie Hughes delivered her second power play assist of the season on Tuesday, making her the first PWHL player with multiple PPA in 2025-26 (Hannah Bilka had two on Wednesday for Seattle). Hughes had zero in the inaugural PWHL season but led the Charge with four power play assists last season.
Brianne Jenner became the seventh player in PWHL history to reach 40 career points with an assist on Tuesday. The Charge captain and three-time Olympian leads the team in all-time goals (18) and assists (22).
Kendra Woodland had her first taste of the PWHL when she took a solo helmetless rookie lap ahead of Tuesday’s warmup. The University of New Brunswick graduate was inserted into the lineup with Sanni Ahola nursing a minor injury. All 23 Ottawa active players have now dressed for at least one game.
Toronto scored first in its home opener against Boston on Saturday but allowed three unanswered goals to lose 3-1. The Sceptres have lost by multiple goals in consecutive home games once – their first two home games in January 2024. Last season, they lost consecutively at Coca-Cola Coliseum in their second and third home games in December against Minnesota and Montréal but still tied for the best win percentage at home.
The Sceptres lost Saturday’s game despite allowing just 12 shots on goal by the Fleet, the fewest shots by a winning team in PWHL history. Previously, the lowest shot count by a winning team was 13 recorded by Ottawa on Dec. 31, 2024 in a 2-1 win over Toronto at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
The Sceptres’ lone goal on Saturday came when down a player as Blayre Turnbull scored a shorthanded tally. Prior to that, Toronto had not scored a shorthanded goal since Sarah Nurse did so in the Sceptres’ 2024-25 season opener against Boston. Toronto tied Ottawa for the league lead with three shorthanded goals in the inaugural season, including two by Emma Maltais which is tied for most all-time.
Savannah Harmon and Natalie Spooner currently lead the Sceptres with two assists each. Harmon is the only Toronto player with a two-game point streak and Spooner has the team’s only multi-point game this season, with her assist total equaling her 2024-25 output across 14 games.
Spooner leads Toronto with nine shots on goal in two games. Entering tonight’s action, only two players in the league have recorded 10 or more shots without scoring a goal including New York’s Anne Cherkowski and Ottawa’s Emily Clark, both with 14 shots on goal.
The Sceptres held an event for Season Ticket Members on Sunday where fans were able to experience a team practice. Bench-side interviews with Ella Shelton and Lauren Messier, a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ for Kristin Della Rovere who celebrated her 25th birthday that day, and a fireside chat with the leadership team of Turnbull, Renata Fast, Allie Munroe, GM Gina Kingsbury and Head Coach Troy Ryan were all among the highlights.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“We are heading on the road for the next five games. We want to win those games. We know that every game in this league from the beginning all the way to the very last game is important. We just need to take those games one at time. It’s going to be about building some consistency and understand that we are going to have to do this game in and game out. It’s not just one game and be done.” – Charge Associate Coach Haley Irwin
“We are excited for the battle of Ontario tonight. It’s going to be a fun opportunity for us to build off of last game in front of our home crowd.” – Sceptres defender Kali Flanagan
THURSDAY’S GAME: Toronto welcomes Ottawa for the season’s first edition of the PWHL’s only provincial rivalry. The Sceptres are hosting Stick It To Cancer Night presented by SharkNinja, which coincides with Charge Head Coach Carla MacLeod’s first game behind the bench since she bravely shared the news of her breast cancer diagnosis on Sunday. Sceptres alumna Erica Howe returns to Coca-Cola Coliseum for a ceremonial puck drop almost a year after the PWHL community came together to support her in her own battle with breast cancer. Fans can stop by the Canadian Cancer Society booth on the concourse to learn more about the work they do to support, educate, research and more. Campfire Circle, an organization that supports kids with cancer through camp, will be in attendance as the Intact Community Group. Partners SharkNinja, Canadian Tire and Midea will have also have activations for fans to visit. Ontario’s Minister of Sport, Neil Lumsden, will be in attendance to watch the league’s two Ontario teams. The Sceptres will also welcome teams from the Flamborough Falcons, Huron Heat, Kitchener Lady Rangers, Leaside Wildcats, Mississauga Hurricanes, North Halton Twisters, and Timbits Minor Hockey. Fans are also encouraged to bring a new, unused toy for the Sceptres’ second-annual Toy Drive in support of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.