SEATTLE (AP) — Sarah Wozniewicz gave Ottawa the lead, rookie Peyton Hemp scored her first goal and Gwyneth Philips posted her first shutout of the season as the Charge blanked Seattle 2-0 on Sunday despite the return of Torrent's captain Hilary Knight.
Ottawa (6-7-1-9) moved two points in front of the Toronto Sceptres for the fourth and final playoff spot with a match in hand and seven remaining in the regular season.
Wozniewicz was in the right place to bang in a deflection after a shot by Kathryn Reilly hit the skate of a Seattle defender in front of the net at the 9:09 mark of the first period.
Hemp gave the Charge a 2-0 lead when she scored with 1:23 left in the second period. Hemp collected six assists through her first 22 matches.
Seattle began the third period on a two-minute power play after Ottawa forward Brianne Jenner was called for interference in the final second of the second. But Philips was up to the task, finishing with 25 saves.
Corinne Schroeder totaled 27 saves for Seattle (6-1-2-14). She saved a penalty shot by Jenner with 13:58 left to play.
Ottawa came in with a league-high 14 power-play goals but went 0 for 3 against Seattle. The Torrent came up empty on six tries with an extra skater.
Seattle activated Knight from long-term injured reserve before the match. Knight had three goals and seven assists in 14 games before sustaining an injury at the Winter Olympics.
The Charge beat the Torrent for a third straight time following a 4-1 loss in Seattle on Dec. 17.
Ottawa had been the only team without a regulation victory away from its primary home this season.
Ottawa: Hosts the Toronto Sceptres on Wednesday.
Seattle: Visits the New York Sirens on Saturday.
AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
FILE - Seattle Torrent forward Hilary Knight (21) celebrates a goal against the Toronto Sceptres with the bench during the first period of a PWHL hockey game, Jan. 20, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
ABOARD AIRFORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday night said he has “no problem” with a Russian oil tanker off the coast of Cuba delivering relief to the island, which has been brought to its knees by a U.S. oil blockade.
“We have a tanker out there. We don’t mind having somebody get a boatload because they need… they have to survive,” Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington.
When asked if a New York Times report that the tanker would be allowed to reach Cuba was true, Trump said: “I told them, if a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem whether it’s Russia or not.”
Tracking data shows the oil tanker carrying approximately 730,000 barrels of oil, was just off the eastern tip of the island on Sunday night and slated to arrive in the city of Matanzas by Tuesday. Journalists working for Cuban state media also reported the on the boat's expected arrival, though Cuban officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The vessel, Anatoly Kolodkin, is sanctioned by the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom following the war in Ukraine.
Trump, whose government has come at its Caribbean adversary more aggressively than any U.S. government in recent history, has effectively cut Cuba off from key oil shipments in an effort to force regime change. The blockade has had devastating effects on the civilians Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio say they want to help, leaving many desperate.
Island-wide blackouts have roiled Cubans already grappling with years of crisis, and lack of gasoline and basic resources has crippled hospital and slashed public transport.
Experts say the anticipated shipment could produce about 180,000 barrels of diesel -- enough to feed Cuba’s daily demand for nine or 10 days.
Island-wide blackouts have roiled Cubans already grappling with years of crisis, and lack of gasoline and basic resources has crippled hospital and slashed public transport.
Cuba has long been at the heart of geopolitical tug-of-war between the U.S. and Russia, dating back decades. Trump on Sunday dismissed the idea that allowing the boat to reach Cuba would help Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“It doesn’t help him. He loses one boatload of oil, that’s all it is. If he wants to do that, and if other countries want to do it, it doesn’t bother me much,” Trump said. “It’s not going to have an impact. Cuba’s finished. They have a bad regime. They have very bad and corrupt leadership and whether or not they get a boat of oil, it’s not going to matter.”
He added: “I’d prefer letting it in, whether it’s Russia or anybody else because the people need heat and cooling and all of the other things.”
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Associated Press reporters Megan Janetsky contributed to this report from Mexico City and Andrea Rodríguez contributed from Havana.
A man fill containers with potable water during a blackout in Havana, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Activists from the vessel Maguro, that arrived from Mexico, unload solar panels and other humanitarian aid from the "Nuestra America," or Our America convoy, at the port in Havana Bay, Cuba, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (Jorge Luis Banos/IPS via AP, Pool)
People spend the night in the dark on the Malecon during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
