Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
There’s only so much you can do to prevent the weather from having an impact on sporting events that take place in a venue exposed to the elements. That includes the stadium that was home to the Canadian Premier League final between Ottawa and Cavalry, which was played in the middle of a record-breaking storm that caused some issues during the game.
It’s been 60 years since the Astrodome ushered in a new era when it became the first domed stadium designed to host games that had traditionally been held outdoors. There isn’t a single sport that’s reaped the benefits of those kinds of venues more than baseball, although there are plenty of football teams that have taken advantage of places with either a permanent or retractable roof.
That feature tends to be a bit rarer when it comes to soccer. Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is probably the most notable example in that realm, but for the most part, teams that take the pitch will have to deal with whatever Mother Nature has to throw at them.
Rain is overwhelmingly responsible for games played in inclement conditions, but there was another form of precipitation that threw a wrench in the Canadian Premier League final on Sunday.
A snowstorm caused some issues during the Canadian Premier League final between Ottawa and Cavalry
The Canadian Premier League kicked off the 2025 season at the start of April, and six of its eight teams ended up with the chance to play for a title by the time the playoffs began midway through October.
Atlético Ottawa and Calvary FC ended up as the last two squads standing, and on Sunday, the former welcomed the latter to the nation’s capital for the championship showdown at TD Place Stadium. However, it could best be described as a “snowdown” based on the conditions they had to deal with.
According to CTV, Ottawa set a new record for snowfall recorded on November 9th when the first storm of the season dumped around four-and-a-half inches on the city while the two teams were facing off.
There were five separate stoppages (one every 15 minutes) to address the accumulation, and Ottawa goalie Nathan Ingham even took matters into his own hands by grabbing a shovel during a break in the action in the first half.
NATHAN INGHAM IS SHOVELLING! ❄️
🔴 Watch the #CanPL final LIVE on OneSoccer, TSN & FuboTV pic.twitter.com/AfS6WIaIcD
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) November 9, 2025
The two sides needed extra time to decide a game that was tied at a goal apiece at the end of regulation. The grounds crew took the time to plow the field before it got underway, and that made it a bit easier for Ottawa’s David Rodriguez to score what ended up being the game-winning goal in the 107th minute.
DAVID RODRIGUEZ GIVES OTTAWA THE LEAD IN EXTRA TIME 🚨🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/cyyUlLAOEs
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 10, 2025
It was a pretty goal, although it had nothing on the bicycle kick—which was quickly dubbed the “Icicle Kick”—he netted earlier in the contest to tie things at 1.
Ice cold.