The last time Cavalry and Atlético Ottawa met, the North Star Cup was lifted in a match that made worldwide headlines for the “icicle kick.”

Now, with snowy conditions expected once again, the two sides meet at ATCO Field in Cavalry’s earliest home opener.

It doesn’t appear Nathan Ingham will be shovelling snow this time as he did during his days with Ottawa, but the forecast at Spruce Meadows could help cool the lingering tension between these two clubs.

How Cavalry come into the match

The hosts come into this one off the back of a 2-1 victory away at Pacific, with several new faces making significant impacts on debut.

Nathan Ingham, Amer Didic, Nathaniel Edwards, Curtis Ofori, Harry Paton, and Adam Pearlman all made their Cavalry debuts, with Didic and Paton logging full 90s, the latter of which added a set-piece goal.

The Cavs will be looking for a second consecutive win, as well as a statement result against the side that pried the North Star Cup from their grasp in November.

How Atlético Ottawa come into the match

Ottawa's opening match away at Forge did not go to plan, with the defending champions falling 2-0 and failing to register a single shot. They will be eager to bounce back, and history offers some encouragement, with Ottawa winning 12 times and drawing 5 of their last 21 total meetings against Cavalry. The Albertan side last got the better of them in August 2024, winning 2-1.

Canadian goalkeeper Tristan Crampton made his professional debut in the loss to Forge, having been called upon after newly signed keeper Garissone Innocent was absent from Ottawa's lineup.

Atlético Ottawa made a significant move on Friday, reportedly securing 20-year-old Canadian Santiago López on loan from Liga MX side Pumas UNAM. The striker is not expected to be available this weekend, but should feature regularly in the defending champions' lineup as his loan progresses.

Availability

Michael Baldisimo is a question mark for the Cavs heading into the match, having missed out on the 2-1 win over Pacific last weekend.

For Ottawa, Ralph Khoury is unavailable due to an adductor injury, as per head coach Diego Mejía. Garissone Innocent, who missed last week's match against Forge, will travel with the squad.

Projected XIs

Cavalry FC (4-2-3-1): Nathan Ingham; Bradley Kamdem-Fewo, Daan Klomp, Amer Didic, Adam Pearlman; Eryk Kobza, Harry Paton; Goteh Ntignee, Sergio Camargo, Ali Musse; Tobias Warschewski

Atletico Ottawa (3-4-3): Tristan Crampton; Sergei Kozlovskiy, Noah Abatneh, Tyr Duhaney-Walker; Joaquim Coulanges, Manuel Aparicio, Juan Castro, Gabriel Antinoro; Ballou Tabla, Erling Myklebust, Daniel Aguilar

Game information and how to watch

📆 Sunday, April 12, 2026
⏰ 4:00 pm ET / 2:00 pm MT
📺 OneSoccer, TSN
🧑‍⚖️ Michael Venne
🏟 ATCO Field at Spruce Meadows, Calgary, Canada