The New York Sirens could not make a dent on the scoreboard in their regular season finale on Saturday afternoon, losing 4–0 to the Boston Fleet at the Tsongas Center.
Erin Frankel set a new PWHL record with her eighth shutout of the season and Boston scored four times in the third period to earn its 16th regulation win.
New York held a 24–8 lead in shots for the first 40 minutes, but failed to overcome Frankel, who made 30 saves in 60:00. Boston swept the ice in the third, outscoring the siren 16–6.
"I think today's game was a really good sign for our season," Sirens coach Greg Fargo admitted after the game. "We're playing well, we've got a second team, and we can't find a way to get that first or second team. So you get a team that's as good as Boston, and they're going to pay you."
Sirens finished the season in seventh place with 36 points (9-3-3-15); Their 15 regulation losses ranked second in the league behind the Seattle Torrents (16). The Fleet improved to 62 points (16-5-5-4), passing the Montreal Victoire for first place, although Montreal earned the No. 1 seed via tiebreaker.
With no playoff or draft implications on Saturday, Sirens coach Greg Fargo turned to rookie goalie Kelly Shanahan for her third start this season, and New York got things under control early. Boston managed only one shot in the first period, which was completely neutralized by an aggressive Siren forecheck.
But Fleet made a breakthrough in the third, leading Shanahan by three points and reaching a scoreless tie. Former Sirens forward Jessie Aldridge deflected a long shot from captain Megan Keller just 2:53 into the frame to give Boston a 1–0 lead. Ella Huber increased the lead to 2-0 at 7:28, collecting the puck in the slot and speeding past Shanahan on the glove side. With the Fleet on the power play, rookie defender Haley Winn picked up the corner on a long shot from the point, blasting in a one-time feed from Keller to make it 3-0 at 13:43.
Fargo pulled Shanahan to take a 6-on-4 lead after a boarding penalty on Fleet defender Noemi Neubauerova at 14:29 of the third, but Jill Saulnier won a puck battle in Boston's zone and scored an empty-netter at 14:56.
Keller, Eldridge and Liz Schepers each scored two points; Keller led all PWHL defensemen with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 2025–26.
"I thought we did a good job of getting first touches on pucks on both ends of the rink in the first 40 minutes of the game, and that led to a lot of offensive zone time. We had few chances offensively, and were really limited on their timing and the quality of their looks," Fargo said. "I have to give credit to Boston, they definitely had a little something up their sleeves in the third period and came at us. And credit to them for doing that, and the way they finished the game."
The Fleet won their 11th consecutive game against the Sirens, the longest winning streak between two teams in PWHL history. New York's last win against Boston came on March 25, 2024, during the league's inaugural season.
Highlights after Sirens' season ends with shutout loss to Fleet
The siren's crime subsides in the final stages
Despite strong shot totals, New York's offense slowed toward the end of the 2025–26 season.
After losing star rookie Kristina Kaltunkova to a season-ending lower-body injury, Ciaran averaged 1.6 goals in her final nine games, scoring one or fewer goals in six of those contests. Saturday marked New York's fifth shutout loss of the season after being shut out just once in 30 games last season.
Saturday followed a familiar script. The Sirens dictated the game in the first 40 minutes, but had nothing to show. The power play once again faltered and four chances went waste.
New York's offense relied heavily on star forward Sarah Fillear and rookie center Casey O'Brien in the final month. Both performed well, but the Sirens' thin attack proved difficult to sustain, especially against red-hot goaltenders like Regan Kirk, Gwyneth Phillips and Frankel.
The Sirens have outscored opponents in six of their last nine games, and Fargo often praised the offensive process, but this is a results-based business at the end of the day — and the results weren't there when it mattered most.
Fargo 'proud of growth' from youth group
In training camp in November, the Sirens set their sights on the first postseason berth in franchise history. For the third consecutive season, that goal eluded them.
Fargo said after the game, "It's definitely sad to miss the playoffs. We want to be there. That's where we set our goals at the beginning of the year." “But at the same time, you have to appreciate the growth of this group.”
New York was the youngest team ever in the PWHL this season. When the Sirens acquired Minnesota Frost forward Denisa Krisova in a trade in late March, the 31-year-old immediately became the team's oldest player – and the only one over the age of 30.
The young man quickly became one of their greatest assets. Despite major changes in the offseason, a new-look Sirens team started 7–0–0–3. That pace eventually slowed, but the New York rookie continued to impress.
The first-round combination of Kaltunkova (No. 1 overall) and O'Brien (No. 3 overall) headlined a deep rookie class that paced the PWHL with 28 goals and 62 points. Kaltunkova scored 11 goals in 21 games before being placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), and O'Brien led all rookies with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists).
Fourth-round pick Maddie Wheeler (No. 28 overall) made an immediate impact on New York's top six with her physical 200-yard game, finishing fifth in team scoring with 10 points (three goals, seven assists). Second-round pick Anne Cherkovsky (No. 9 overall) wasn't far behind with nine points (two goals, seven assists). Undrafted reserve defender Nicole Valario worked her way into a steady role in the Sirens' defensive core, entering the third pairing following the departure of veteran blue-liner Jincy Rouse.
Fargo said, "We've got a young team with a young core. And I think we were able to take some positive steps this year." "There are parts of our game that we really like. Obviously, we have to find ways to score."
Outside of the rookies, second-year defender Maja Nylen Persson scored a career-high 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 2025–26, and Petey Lewis reached double-digit scoring (10 points) for the first time in his three-year PWHL career.
“I'm really proud of the growth of this group, this organization,” Fargo said. "I think we've taken a lot of steps forward."
Sirens coach addresses 'untenable' extension rumors
Unfortunately for New York, keeping that young core together could be quite a challenge.
The PWHL has not released specific details yet, but all signs point to another batch of expansion teams joining the league this offseason. If last offseason was any indication, another roster overhaul may be in store for the Sirens.
"It's upsetting," Fargo said of the uncertain offseason. "We feel really good about the group we have in the locker room. It's been a challenge to build a team from day one."
Under last offseason's rules, teams were allowed to protect up to three players they had rights to. Once two players were taken to extensions, teams could add a fourth player to their protected list. It's unclear whether this offseason will follow the same format, but anything remotely like that would result in a big loss for New York.
"I think if there's a way to keep a good number of players and staff together in that room, we feel really good about what we're building. It's just a matter of whether we can keep it together for a long time," Fargo continued. “We know there will likely be some bumps in the road, but we will do our best to try and adapt and put together the best group we can possibly have come next season.”
On top of the extension, the Sirens have 11 players set to become unrestricted free agents, including Kristin O'Neal, Taylor Girard and midseason additions Claire DeGeorge and Chrisova. General manager Pascal Daoust has his work cut out for him.
