Confident Offense, Solid Netminding Keys To Sirens' Success

Showing vast improvement from Saturday's poor performance in Toronto, the New York Sirens took a big step toward a return to their capabilities with an encouraging shutout win over host Ottawa on Monday night.

And while there is still some work to be done in lessening the opposition's odd-player rushes and sharpening their transition into the offensive zone for even more quality shots on net (they were outshot in both games), the Sirens earned solid marks for their all-around play versus the Charge.

Not that the loss to the Sceptres did any damage to this team's overall rise in stature as one to be reckoned with in this 2024-25 PWHL season, but the rebound effort in Ottawa served as being both substantive and emotionally satisfying.

Along with the now well-documented play of rookie goalie Kayle Osborne, Head Coach Greg Fargo's road warriors not only persevered in their commitment to have a positive response to Saturday's result but also garnered some individual accolades along the way.

With the Boston Fleet awaiting New York's arrival for yet another pivotal showdown on Friday at 7 p.m., the Sirens have an opportunity to conclude the present road trip on a very successful note before returning to the Prudential Center on Sunday for a 1 p.m. battle with the Montreal Victoire.

Alex Carpenter, who scored her sixth goal -- and second on the power play -- this season stressed the importance of going into Canada's capital city and taking care of business against a team they had lost to twice in New Jersey.

“We knew we didn’t play to the level we could (against Toronto) and tonight we showed the way we wanted to play and how we can play," Carpenter said after the Ottawa win.

It all started between the pipes with Osborne, who surpassed Gwyneth Phillips as the youngest netminder to post a shutout in PWHL history at 22 years, 10 months and 30 days. Phillips' shutout on Jan. 21 now ranks second in terms of age at 24 years, four months and four days.

"(Kayle) played amazingly," Carpenter said. "We just felt so confident with her behind us." Osborne, who finished her career under the tutelage of Fargo at Colgate University with a 61-20-4 record, a 1.64 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage, was thrilled to have performed so well in front of family and friends in her hometown.

“I think it’s cool to do this in your hometown and we really needed a big game on the road tonight," said Osborne, who as a youth attended John McCrae Secondary School where she played soccer and volleyball along with hockey.

Carpenter had a pretty special night herself as she moved into a tie for the league lead in goals. She is also tied with Jessie Eldridge for the second-most points among Sirens players with 12 (6G, 6A) while, as of Tuesday, she is tied for third in the PWHL scoring race. Carpenter and Eldridge also co-lead the PWHL in power play points with six apiece.

The game produced many accomplishments that speak volumes for the Sirens' ability to post a 'W' on any given day.

Eldridge, in fact, had such a great game -- one of many lately -- that she was pummeled repeatedly by a Charge player -- who was subsequently penalized -- while down on her knees alongside her own net.

The Sirens' forward recorded her fourth multi-point game of the season (1G, 1A) and is -- again as of Tuesday -- one of four active players in the PWHL averaging at least one point per game. She is tied for second place among Sirens players in points with 12 (4G, 8A) and tied for third in league scoring.

Oh, and then there's Sarah Fillier extending her point streak to four games with her eighth assist of the season. She leads all Sirens players in points with 13 (5G, 8A), sitting second in the league – and first among all rookies – in the category.

Speaking of point streaks, Abby Roque tallied her fourth helper of the season and now has points in three consecutive games. That ties her career record point streak. Her only other three-game point streak was last season (Jan. 5-14, 2024).

Chloé Aurard scored her second goal of the season in game No. 12, surpassing her total from the PWHL’s inaugural season in which she played 21 games. She now has four points on the season (2G, 2A), two of which have come against Ottawa (1G, 1A).

Maja Nylen Persson also moved up in the league rankings in the Ottawa contest as her fourth assist ties her for third place among PWHL rookies in the category.

Ella Shelton has made a huge statement since returning from injury. She has recorded a point on the power play in back-to-back games. The Sirens' defender is now second among New York blue liners in points on the player advantage with three (1G, 2A), trailing only teammate Micah Zandee Hart (1G, 3A).

Also of note...

The Sirens scored on their first shot on net for the second time this season, with the first coming on Jan. 5 in a 5-0 win over Minnesota. Only five games this season has a team’s first shot resulted in a goal, that being Montréal and Minnesota.

New York won its sixth game of the season when hitting the score sheet first, improving to a 4-2-0-1 record when notching the game’s first goal. The Sirens' only loss this season when scoring first was against Ottawa on Jan. 7, in a 3-2 loss.

Ottawa was held off the scoresheet for the first time this season, and for the second time in the team’s history. The first time was on April 27, 2024, in a 2-0 loss to Montréal.

After going 0-8 on the power play in their two previous meetings against Ottawa, the Sirens struck twice in five chances on Monday. Their league-leading power-play efficiency now stands at 24.4 percent. New York has scored multiple power-play goals in three games this season, picking up the win in all three.

New York has recorded three shutouts thus far this season, matching the league-leading total achieved by both Toronto and Minnesota in the 24-game inaugural season.