New York Suffers Slow Start As Frost Hold On In A Shootout

Regulation play was once again not enough to produce a winner in Sunday's high-noon Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) showdown between the Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens at The Prudential Center in Newark.

In what is already the second meeting this season between these two PWHL heavyweights, more than 60 minutes of hockey was necessary before the outcome could be decided.

Adding to their dramatic finishes -- four of the seven games between these two have extended beyond regulation -- today's matinee went the absolute limit as Minnesota prevailed in a shootout (3-2) to emerge with a 4-3 victory.

Denisa Krizova, Grace Zumwinkle and Taylor Heise connected for the Frost, while Noora Tulus and Alex Carpenter were successful for the Sirens in the shootout.

Extending the game into the one-on-ones would not have happened without Frost netminder Nicole Hensley's sensational performance in overtime. Hensley faced several New York breakaway chances during that five-minute stretch and wound up stopping all five of the Sirens' high-quality chances.

Even down the stretch in regulation -- and having allowed three straight goals to New York after her team staked her to an initial 3-0 lead -- the first goaltender selected in the 2023 PWHL draft (second round) came up big against an all-out offensive onrush by the Sirens.

Hensley, making her second start this season, nevertheless was up to the challenge and turned aside 33 of 36 shots by the hosts.

"Going into Christmas break with a win is huge. We had to grind it out and find a way," Hensley said after the game. "That New York team is really really good this year. They're a lot of fun to play but they're also a very scary team to play too."

Indeed they were scary as Carpenter completed the charge back from the 3-0 deficit to tie the contest at 3-3 with an unassisted and perfectly placed goal. Her fourth of the young campaign found the smallest of spaces over Hensley's right shoulder at the 8:55 mark of the third period.

While the Sirens continued solid pushes and maintained quality time in the offensive zone, the Frost withstood the storm and in fact created several good scoring opportunities of their own in the closing moments.

Kayle Osborne, making her first career appearance for New York, replaced starter Abigail Levy at the beginning of the second period. Minnesota had scored two goals on its first three shots and New York coach Greg Fargo decided between periods to make the switch.

Osborne, who played under Fargo at Colgate University, was stellar with 18 of 19 saves.

The one goal against her came on a deflection off the skate of Paetyn Levis after an initial pass attempt by Taylor Heise with the Frost on the power play. Osborne went to her right anticipating the cross-ice feed but the puck caromed off Levis' right blade and sailed into the open left side. Heise was credited with her first goal this season.

Heise's goal seemed to compound the misfortunes that the Sirens experienced in the early going.

Benefiting from a very positive start in which the hosts controlled the action in the 'O' zone, the momentum was on the Sirens' side until the Frost turned to their captain to right the ship.

Kendall Coyne Schofield twice found herself in right-place, right-time situations for a pair of first-period goals -- her second and third this season -- that Levy probably would like to have back. She was beaten on a tuck-in under her pad for the first goal just over five minutes in, and misdirected a clearing attempt while far out of her net and under pressure to allow the second tally some 10 minutes later.

The attempted clear, while near the circle to her right, backfired when the puck found the stick of Coyne Schofield. She immediately sent it top shelf into the wide open net.

The Sirens, however, once again showed their perseverance in the face of adversity as Brooke Hobson and Elizabeth Giguere beat Hensley to cut the lead to 3-2with each's first of the season heading into the third period.

Hobson's goal came just 42 seconds after Heise's goal had put Minnesota up by three.

OF NOTE

The Frost and Sirens are now on equal footing in terms of 2024-25 wins in extra time. New York won round one -- also 4-3 -- on Dec. 1 when Alex Carpenter's breakaway goal just 19 seconds into OT produced the winner. This time it was the Frost with the 4-3 outcome...With her goal, Alex Carpenter ties teammate Sarah Fillier and Minnesota's Claire Thompson for the league points lead with seven. Frost teammates Kendall Coyne Schofield and Taylor Heise stand in second place with six points apiece via their scoring efforts on Sunday...Minnesota defender Maggie Flaherty was back on the ice after serving a two-game suspension, and New York defender Olivia Knowles made her Sirens' debut. She appeared in 20 games for Toronto in the PWHL inaugural season.