Toronto Sceptres' Emma Woods, right, reaches for Ottawa Charge's Jocelyne Larocque during second period PWHL Takeover Tour hockey action in Calgary, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal

By The Canadian Press

Connors has goal and assist, leads Sceptres to 2-1 win over Charge in Calgary

Apr 1, 2026 | 10:18 PM

CALGARY — Maggie Connors had a goal and an assist for the Toronto Sceptres in a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Charge in a PWHL Takeover Tour game Wednesday in Calgary.

Claire Dalton scored her first career goal for the Sceptres and captain Blayre Turnbull had two assists for Toronto, which leapfrogged over Ottawa into fourth in the PWHL standings.

Toronto’s goalie Raygan Kirk stopped 28 shots for the win in front of an announced crowd of 16,150 at the Saddledome.

Her Charge counterpart Gwyneth Philips stopped 22 shots. Fanuza Kadirova scored for Ottawa.

The PWHL made its debut in Calgary in the penultimate game of this season’s 16 neutral-site games.

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Wednesday’s game in Calgary featured two PWHL teams vying for the fourth and final playoff spot with less than a month remaining until the regular-season finale April 25. All eight teams in the league will play that day.

Toronto (9-1-5-10) was one point up on Ottawa (6-7-1-10) after the three-point victory in regulation.

League-leading Boston, and the Montreal Victoire with a 3-0 win over Vancouver on Wednesday, have clinched playoff berths. The Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost rank third, nine points up on Toronto.

The Charge didn’t register a shot on net until almost seven minutes into the opening period, but carried a 20-17 edge after two periods when the score was tied at 1-1.

Toronto scored a go-ahead goal 57 seconds into the third period, however, when Dalton converted a rebound off a Connors attempt.

Philips got enough glove on a Emma Woods shot from a breakaway early in the second period.

Kadirova pulled the Charge even with one minute 26 seconds left in the first period when she wired a shot upstairs over Kirk’s left shoulder.

The Sceptres struck at 3:34 of the opening period when Turnbull threw the puck on net and Connors converted the rebound from Ottawa’s doorstep.

Takeaways

Sceptres: First Takeover Tour win this season after losing two in shootouts, Had the edge in the faceoff circle at 55.8 per cent. Improved to 7-5 away from Toronto.

Charge: Power play held scoreless on four chances. Lost its first Takeover Tour game this season after winning three in extra time. Rookie forward Sarah Wozniewicz of nearby Cochrane, Alta., drew big cheers at the Saddledome. The 22-year-old played hockey at a Calgary prep school.

Key moment

After 44 games without a goal, Dalton’s tenacity around the net yielded the winning goal less than a minute into the third period.

Key stat

Toronto’s Connors recorded her first multi-point game of the season with a goal and an assist.

Up next

Charge: Host the Victoire at Canadian Tire Centre on Friday.

Sceptres: Host the Charge on April 11.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2026.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press