Cavalry grabbed all three points in Ottawa thanks to an early offensive onslaught.
Extended rest was a clear advantage for the Albertan side in the first half as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead inside the opening 20 minutes.
Cavalry scoring leader Tobias Warschewski was absent from the lineup after suffering a midweek ankle injury, but Caniggia Elva made an immediate impact in his replacement role. Elva's ninth-minute corner kick found Sergio Camargo in the box, who was able to send a header past goalkeeper Kalongo to open the scoring.
The Cavs continued to pile on the offensive pressure in the opening quarter-hour, ultimately capped off by Goteh Ntignee burying an Ali Musse rebound into a wide-open goal in the 17th minute.
Atlético Ottawa found their footing in the next phase of play, but the pair of former Atlético teammates, Amer Didic and Nathan Ingham, shut down their old club's only chances at Cavalry's goal.
After an extended period of cautious back-and-forth play once both teams settled in, Cavalry found their third thanks to a completely uncontested header from Elva, highlighting the aerial dominance enjoyed by the Cavs in the first half.
Down 3-0, interim manager Drew Beckie made a triple substitution to open the second half. The left side of his 4-3-2-1 was completely overhauled with the removal of Erling Myklebust, Jonatan Villal, and Daniel Aguilar, and the introduction of Emiliano Garcia, Joaquim Coulanges, and Wes Timoteo.
The fresh legs provided a significant possession advantage for the home side in the opening minutes, but their efforts were stifled by Cavalry's defence.
As the direction of play returned to neutral, Cavalry enjoyed two opportune scoring chances in the ensuing minutes, but were unable to finish either as their lead remained at three.
Tommy Wheldon Jr. removed Goteh Ntignee and Harry Paton in the 60th minute, as both players had received cautions in the first half and the risk of playing a man down or facing a future suspension was too great with a 3-0 lead.
The pace of play for most of the second half slowed significantly, as the high temperatures became a factor on top of Cavalry being content to sit back and preserve their lead.
With the win, Cavalry keep pace with Forge at the top of the CPL standings, while Ottawa remain comfortably in third place with 17 points. The two sides will meet again on August 22 for the third of four regular-season matchups.
As the Canadian Premier League enters another abbreviated break, both sides will shift their focus to the first leg of the Canadian Championship quarter-finals next week.
Following their memorable road win against Toronto FC in May, Atlético Ottawa will travel to Stade Boréal to face FC Supra on Wednesday, July 8, but will not play the return leg in Ottawa until mid-August. Ottawa will return to CPL action on Friday, July 17, when they host Inter Toronto.
Later on July 8, Cavalry FC will face reigning domestic champions Vancouver Whitecaps FC, who were given a first-round bye and have been away from action for an extended period due to MLS's midseason break. As a result of a scheduling quirk, Cavalry will host the return leg the following Monday, July 13, in their first match at ATCO Field in over a month.
