標籤: Victoire

Sirens goaltender Kayleigh Osborne suffered her fourth consecutive loss despite a strong start, stopping Montreal’s first 17 shots. In her league-leading 22nd appearance of the season she finished with 26 saves on 29 attempts.

New York kept things quiet for Osborne by outshooting Montreal 11–2 in the opening frame. Jade Downey-Landry recorded Montreal’s first shot at 1:58, but Victoire went 14:26 without another shot until Michigan native Shian Darkangelo ended the drought at 16:24.

The Sirens took the lead into the first half for the first time since March 8, thanks to Casey O’Brien’s sixth goal of the season. Jaime Bourbonnais’ one-timer went past Desbiens, and O’Brien crashed the net to bury the loose puck at 9:09.

O’Brien extended his point streak to three games. The 2025 No. 3 overall pick leads all PWHL rookies with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists).

Coach Greg Fargo offered after the game, “I thought today was a different story for us than the last few games.” “We got off to a great start. I thought our first period was as good as we’ve played.”

Montreal took the momentum in the second round by defeating New York 15–7. The Sirens maintained the lead thanks to the composed play of Osborne, who stopped Lena Ljungblom on a breakaway and denied Hayley Scamurra twice in a row. Desbiens was just as quick, stopping O’Brien on two breakaways.

New York nearly took a 2–0 lead at 7:54 when Kristin O’Neal deflected a point shot from Micah Zandi-Hart, but the officials ruled out a clear goal for high-sticking after review.

Victoire maintained its lead in the third period – only this time, it showed on the scoreboard.

Dubois took advantage of a miscue by Siren rookie Anna Bergman to equalize at 1:54. The 2025 fifth-round pick (No. 33 overall) sent a cross-ice pass straight to the stick of Victoire rookie Natalie Mlinkova, who quickly led the Montreal Rush and knocked the puck back to Dubois in the high slot. Bergman then collided with Siren forward Claire Degeroge as Dubois stretched it to the left point and fired a wrist shot over Osborne’s blocker.

Dubois gave Montreal its first lead of the day at 6:40 of the third minute, when a slick backhand feed from Darkangelo set up the 30-year-old for a one-touch shot through Osborne’s five-hole. Stacey immediately redirected defender Kati Tabin’s long shot to make it 3–1 at 7:29.

Victoire Fourcheque suppressed any possibility of the siren’s return. New York managed one shot after Montreal took the lead – a Sarah Fillear wrister at 19:47 broke a 14:06 shotless stretch.

“Momentum is a funny thing,” Fargo reflected. “You get a little bit, and I think Montreal started to get a little bit more as that second [period] Close, and they took it to third for good. Some mistakes hurt us.”

Sirens lost for the second time this season after scoring the first goal (6-0-0-2). New York’s points percentage dropped to .391, more than 50 percentage points below the fourth-place Sceptres (.449) and fifth-place Ottawa Charge (.455).

New York was without rookie star Kristina Kaltunkova, who missed her second consecutive game with an unspecified injury. The 2025 No. 1 overall pick is day by day.

Detroit native Elle Hartje joined Fillier and O’Brien in New York’s starting lineup in front of a crowd of 15,938 at Little Caesars Arena. He won four of six face-offs and recorded one shot on goal in 15:15 of ice time.

“It’s been great to be home. That’s a hard question to answer right now,” Hartje said after the game. “Obviously, it’s about hockey, so not getting the ‘W’ is pretty disappointing, but it’s great to see Hockeytown represented all the time.”

Victoire: The siren failed in the third period against the takeaways

New York flips the script on first period problems

The struggles of the Sirens’ first period are well documented. New York entered the opening frame on Saturday with the most goals scored (26) — an even greater increase from the minus-eight goal differential since the Olympic break.

They flipped the script against Victoire thanks to a strong forecheck and impressive play from their top forward line of Fillier, Anne Cherkovski and O’Brien.

“I don’t think we need to change anything,” O’Brien insisted during the first intermission.

This is easy to say but not easy to do. New York was outrebounded 27–13 in the final 40 minutes, having only six shots and three scoring chances in the third.

“Some parts of our game that we liked – the way we were handling the puck – as the game went on, we started to get away from it a little bit for one reason or another,” Fargo explained. “We have to find a way to match and exceed that effort moving forward.”

Despite strong offensive pressure out of the gate, the Sirens failed to finish second behind reigning PWHL Goalkeeper of the Year Desbiens. New York was clearly frustrated when Dubois tied the score in the third and offered little resistance in the face of a heavy Montreal forecheck.

“When we have a tough game or something that ends up in the back of your net, we’ve got to find a way to respond a little better in those moments, because bad things are going to happen,” Fargo said. “we know that.”

The sirens are still chasing ‘the full 60 minutes of hockey’

There are some serious issues in New York right now, but continuity is key.

O’Brien said after the game, “I don’t think we’ve played a full 60 minutes of Siren hockey in a long time.” “And we know that if we do that, we’ll win.”

Whether it’s a slow start or a late-game collapse, the end result has been all too familiar lately. And at this stage of the season, the Sirens cannot afford to leave points on the table.

“I think the important thing for us is to stay connected to our game on a more consistent basis,” Fargo said. “Playing a complete game with good habits, great structure and great energy – that’s what it takes to win at this level. You can see that the difference between winning and losing in the PWHL is really small.”

Even as the Sirens entered the Olympic break in a playoff spot, questions arose from time to time about their consistency, especially with such a young roster. Those concerns only grew with this second half’s decline.

Fargo added, “We have to put together 60 minutes of hockey with our habits and the details of our game.” “The team is working through it. They want to win. We all want to win, and it’s going to change for us. We just have to stay on track with what we’re doing.”

New York doesn’t have much time to right the ship.

Do you get déjà vu?

The Sirens lost six out of seven games after the Olympic break and nine out of 10 through January 20. If this vibe sounds oddly familiar, you’re not imagining things.

In 2024–25, the Sirens lost nine consecutive games (0-0-3-6) from January 31 to March 5. They finished the season last in the PWHL, missing the playoffs by seven points.

Last season, the New York Sirens lost 9 consecutive games from January 31 to March 5.

Some déjà vu this season. Since January 20, the Sirens have lost 9 out of 10 games. 4 points out of a playoff spot with only 7 games remaining. If they miss the playoffs again, you know where to look.

– Lou Orlando (@SweetLouuuu) 28 March 2026

This year’s team still has a chance to avoid that fate, but it will need a sharp turnaround to do so.

“Obviously, nobody likes to lose, so I’m not happy about it, but I don’t think anybody is disappointed,” O’Brien said. “We all know what a great team we have.”

If the Sirens look for a spark to break out of this slump, they will have to find it on home ice. New York returns to the Prudential Center on Wednesday to host the Minnesota Frost before Saturday’s matchup against the Seattle Torrent in front of a Madison Square Garden crowd.

Lou Orlando is an alumnus of Fordham University, where he covered the New York Rangers for three seasons… More about Lou Orlando

Frost ranks third league-wide in goals against per game (2.00) and save percentage (.927). It will be tough to match Boston or Minnesota in net, but the Rooney-Hensley tandem can hold its own.

Both offense and scoring ability will be tested this week, as Minnesota hosts Victoire on Wednesday and Fleet at Grand Casino Arena on Sunday. First place in the standings – and these are power rankings – is on the line.

2. Boston Fleet (42 points, 10-5-2-4, +15 GD)

Previous ranking: 2 (-)

A highly anticipated matchup between Fleet and Victoire on March 15 lived up to the billing. Boston erased a 3–0 deficit in the final 13:59 of regulation, and Ella Huber provided the game-winner 1:33 into overtime. This was not without controversy. Lauren Gabel’s goal, which opened the scoring for Boston at 6:01 of the third minute, was initially ruled out for goaltender interference. Despite a significant collision between Fleet captain Megan Keller and Victoire goalkeeper Anne-Reneé Desbiens, officials overturned the decision after video review and credited Gabel with the goal.

For now, that win keeps them two points ahead of Montreal with nine games left to play. Toronto beat the Fleet 2-0 on Tuesday, but Boston responded with a 3-0 win over Seattle Torrent on Saturday behind Erin Frankel’s league-leading fifth shutout.

Fleet general manager Daniel Marmor added another scoring threat on Monday, acquiring winger Jessie Aldridge from Seattle Torrent in exchange for Theresa Scheftezahl. Boston thrived in low-scoring games thanks to Frankel and a strong defensive system, but the offensive-minded Aldridge helps address its biggest weakness.

Aldridge was scoreless in his first two games, but having him in the top six makes Boston much more dangerous.

3. Montreal Victoire (40 points, 10-4-2-5, +21 GD)

Previous ranking: 1 (-2)

Despite two losses last week, Montreal extended its point streak to nine games (7-0-2-0). Overtime losses to Boston and Ottawa led to a 4-1 win over Seattle on Thursday.

The Victoire have a clear path to the league’s top seed, sitting just two points out of first with matchups remaining against Boston and Minnesota. The biggest concern is the condition of Captain Marie-Philippe Poulin, who was placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) on Tuesday.

Poulin ejected during the first period of Montreal’s March 15 matchup against Boston after taking a hit on the boards from Fleet forward Shay Maloney. Palin appears to have injured his right foot – the same injury that ruled him out for two games during the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. The 34-year-old missed Thursday and Sunday’s games with a lower-body injury.

Palin is eligible to return on April 5. Montreal’s bottom-six production has made big strides since the New Year, but any prolonged absence for its top goal-scorer will be difficult to absorb.

4. Toronto Sceptres (31 points, 8-1-5-8, -12 GD)

Previous ranking: 6 (+2)

Scepters seem to be heating up at just the right time. Toronto earned a point in all six games since the Olympic break (4-0-2-0) and moved into a playoff spot after a snowy first half.

Sceptres made it four consecutive 2-0 wins last week, highlighted by a win against the Fleet in a statement on Tuesday. Regan Kirk recorded the first two shutouts of her career, stopping all 58 shots over the two games. Toronto’s No. 1 starter now ranks fourth league-wide in save percentage (.929) and fifth in GAA (2.05).

Toronto has turned in an inspiring stretch after floundering in December and January, although its attack may be difficult to sustain. Sceptres scored two or fewer goals in four of the six games following the Olympics. Daryl Watts and Blair Turnbull have shined, but they will need more overall production to stay above the cutline.

5. Ottawa Charge (30 points, 5-7-1-9, -8 GD)

Previous ranking: 5 (-)

If the Charge reach the playoffs in 2025–26, they can thank their 7–1 overtime record. Rebecca Leslie scored 12 seconds into overtime on Sunday to lead Montreal to a 2-1 win. Ottawa has two more overtime wins than any other team in the PWHL.

Since New Years, there’s been nothing strange in Ottawa. The Charge have not won or lost any consecutive games since January 11. This has helped them keep within striking distance of a playoff spot, but it has also made it difficult to separate from the pack.

This can work in their favor, especially when battling for position with the highly volatile Sceptres Squad and Falling Sirens.

6. Vancouver GoldenEyes (24 points, 6-1-4-10, -10 GD)

Previous ranking: 8 (+2)

Vancouver has earned points in three of its last four (1-0-2-1), although only one game ended in a GoldenEyes victory. That win – a 5-2 blowout against New York – was Vancouver’s first since January 25.

The GoldenEyes still have a long way to go to get back into the playoff mix, but a strong performance against the Sirens has given them a boost in our power rankings. Vancouver’s struggling power play led to a goal Wednesday, and the GoldenEyes got exciting contributions from their bottom six.

Vancouver is seven points behind Toronto with nine matches left. There’s no doubt the GoldenEyes can make some noise going forward, but they haven’t proven they can win with any consistency.

7. New York Sirens (27 points, 8-0-3-10, -8 GD)

Previous ranking: 4 (-3)

The siren chose the wrong time to hit the skid. New York has lost four of five games (1-0-0-4) after the Olympics and seven of eight games (1-0-2-5) through January 16. They are now four points outside the playoff places with nine games left to play.

New York’s effort isn’t in question – especially in the third period – but a slow start and poor penalty discipline is proving costly. Sarah Fillear has scored three goals in her last three games after a slow start in that department, but it coincided with a five-game points drought for rookie star Kristina Kaltunkova.

It didn’t help that New York’s second-leading scorer, Taylor Girard, suffered a season-ending injury on March 15 against Minnesota, while rookie center Casey O’Brien missed their last two games due to an upper-body injury. If O’Brien is sidelined in April, the Sirens will struggle to climb the standings.

8. Seattle Torrents (19 points, 5-1-2-13, -23 GD)

Previous ranking: 7(-1)

Any hopes were short-lived after Seattle’s 3–2 win over Boston on March 13. Torrent dropped to 13-2 with four consecutive losses.

Seattle’s offense slowed down. The Tornadoes were defeated by Boston and Toronto, and scored only one goal each against Minnesota and Montreal. General manager Meghan Turner added Gabrielle David after a strong campaign in the SDHL, but with Aldridge’s departure via trade, there is no reason to expect a change in the final nine games.

The upside is that Torrent is in a good position to gain a draft order point and land University of Wisconsin star Caroline Harvey in the 2026 PWHL Draft.

Lou Orlando is an alumnus of Fordham University, where he covered the New York Rangers for three seasons… More about Lou Orlando