OTTAWA - Atl茅tico Ottawa forward David Rodr铆guez had never seen snow until February of this year.
Months later, he scored twice in snowstorm conditions and ankle-deep snow to clinch the North Star Cup and to distinguish himself as the 好色tv Premier League Finals MVP.
Not to mention that his first goal of the final was a bicycle kick. It was a dose of championship magic that earned high praise from Ottawa head coach Diego Mej铆a.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the best goal ever in this league," Mej铆a said. "Ever in this league."
Thanks to his heroics, Atl茅tico Ottawa have won the North Star Cup for the first time in their history, albeit it took four hours to record a 2-1 win in the snowstorm showdown against the defending champions Cavalry FC of Calgary.
鈥淓ven if we had played in water, in a pool, we鈥檇 win the match,鈥 Mej铆a said.
It took extra time for Rodr铆guez to score the deciding goal, his second of the night, which he chipped past Cavalry goaltender Marco Carducci in the 106th minute. After the final whistle blew, an emotional Rodr铆guez circled the field alone to show his gratitude to the fans who watched his heroics through hours of snow.
鈥淚鈥檓 never going to forget this night,鈥 Rodr铆guez said. 鈥淚 just want to thank all the people that showed up tonight.鈥
Home-field advantage has been a real factor for the second-seeded Atl茅tico (15-2-11), who have gone undefeated at home since Aug. 3, 2024, when they lost to this season鈥檚 third-seeded Cavalry (11-8-9).
This time, TD Place was blanketed by a thick fog of heavy snowfall, setting up a distinctly and stereotypically 好色tv bout.
鈥淭hat wasn鈥檛 a game,鈥 Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said. 鈥淭hat was a fight.鈥
Atl茅tico, a side often focused on ball movement under Mej铆a鈥檚 leadership, adapted to the weather with speed up the sides of the pitch. The visitors held strong in their disposition as one of the most solid defensive groups of these 好色tv Premier League playoffs, allowing only one goal in two matches.
The stalemate broke when a desperate tackle from Ottawa midfielder Kevin Dos Santos led to a penalty shot as Cavalry鈥檚 attack broke through Ottawa鈥檚 defensive line.
At the 33rd minute, Cavalry defender Fraser Aird tucked the ball into the bottom right corner. In a testament to the rivalry between the sides, the celebrating visitors were met with a barrage of snowballs from Atl茅tico fans.
But just six minutes later, Ottawa midfielder Gabriel Antonaro lobbed a ball into the box that evaded the crowd through the snow until Rodr铆guez attempted a daring bicycle kick, striking a bar-down beauty for the game鈥檚 tying goal. It was a difficult manoeuvre to attempt in any conditions, but dumbfounding to actually convert the attempt in a snowstorm.聽
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think about it,鈥 Rodr铆guez said. 鈥淚 just did it.鈥
Chances were difficult to find in the second half as an ever-increasing blanket of snow caused players to blow a tire with the lack of traction.
Best protecting the stalemate was substitute Ottawa midfielder Aboubacar Sissoko, who made a heroic goal-line save with just over 10 minutes left in regulation.
After snowplows cleared the bulk of the snow, extra time was a different game now that the players weren鈥檛 struggling to stay on their feet.
That led to a fast-break play where Atl茅tico鈥檚 Rodr铆guez played hero for the second time, racing past the Cavalry defender and goal-scorer Aird and chipping the championship-clinching goal past Carducci.
Cavalry desperately challenged the lead in the waning minutes of extra time, but Atl茅tico held on to lift the North Star Cup.
As CPL champions, Atl茅tico is set to play for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup, where they will go up against the best clubs across North and Central America as well as the Caribbean.
Looking ahead to next season, Ottawa will have to find a way to defend its title without their top scorer, 2025 CPL MVP and league Golden Boot winner Sam Salter, who is leaving to play in Sweden. On the field right after the match ended, Salter, who scored a CPL record 19 goals in the regular season, had a simple message for Ottawa fans.
鈥淚 love you guys,鈥 Salter said. 鈥淭hank you so much for all the support.鈥
Even heading into the 2026 campaign as reigning CPL champions constitutes its own new challenge according to Cavalry鈥檚 head coach who has plenty of experience after defending his own title this season.
鈥淭here鈥檚 going to be no easy week for them,鈥 Wheeldon Jr. said. 鈥淓specially when they play us next year.鈥
This report by 好色tvwas first published Nov. 9, 2025.
