Sirens Stage a Late Comeback, But Come Up Short Against Frost in Denver
Courtesy of the PWHL
The New York Sirens headed to Denver, Colorado to take on the Minnesota Frost in yet another Takeover Tour game. Since returning from the Olympic break, the Sirens have faltered a little, dropping two of the three games. And while they’ve been slipping, the teams around them have been improving which has led to the Sirens falling out of a playoff spot. The game in Denver was a perfect opportunity to get things back on track, even if the Frost always prove to be a tough opponent.
The game immediately went downhill for New York. Although Minnesota only scored once in the first period, they then added onto their lead with three more goals in the second period. The Sirens were down 4-0 heading into the third period and were desperate to get on the board and try to salvage at least a point in this contest. In the final 20 minutes, Anna Bargman, Paetyn Levis and Allyson Simpson all scored to get the Sirens within one goal. But the late comeback attempt wasn’t enough to force overtime or earn a regulation win so the Sirens fell 4-3 and didn’t claim a point in the loss. There is a lot to break down from this contest, but there are three big takeaways that need to be covered before the Sirens next game.
1. Every Point Counts
After holding the fourth and final playoff spot for a while, the Sirens have now slipped and currently occupy sixth in the standings. They a just one point behind the Ottawa Charge and Toronto Sceptres, who are both tied with 28 points, but the Charge holds fourth place as they have played fewer games. New York is the only one of the Inaugural Six teams that still have not made the playoffs and the promising first half of the season gave fans hope that this would finally be the season that the team qualifies for the postseason. However, that goal is in danger once again as the Sirens are back on the outside looking in and need to collect any points they can get to make that push for a playoff spot. Over their last six games, New York has just one win and while it did come in regulation, it isn’t enough to guarantee a playoff appearance.
After the loss to the Frost on Sunday, New York Head Coach Greg Fargo spoke on what the messaging was going into the third period. “For us, the second didn’t go the way we wanted it to. We stepped away from our game. Our group has played a lot of good hockey over the last month or so, and even though the results haven’t been what we want every night, many parts of our game have been consistent. When we’re playing well, we’re doing X, Y and Z. We reminded the group of those things, and I thought we got back to our game in the third period. They responded really well.” While he’s right about the group responding well and playing good hockey over the last month, the most important part is still missing. The points. And without them going down the stretch, it might be another disappointing end of the season for the Sirens.
2. More Discipline Is Needed
In Sunday’s Takeover Tour game, the Sirens took four penalties and gave the Frost the player advantage at four different times throughout the contest. Although Minnesota didn’t score on any of the opportunities, the Sirens recurring theme of the season was obvious. The team needs to be more disciplined. New York has been shorthanded a total of 65 times this season, which is the second most among all teams behind only Ottawa. Pair that with the fact that their penalty kill is operating at just 80.0%, ranked six out of eight teams, it’s not a good combination for success. Plus, three Sirens players rank in the top five for most penalty minutes this season. Rookie Kristýna Kaltounková leads the league with 43 PIMs, followed by her teammate Taylor Girard who has racked up 34 penalty minutes and captain Micah Zandee-Hart is tied for the third most PIMs with 29. While there is a discussion to be had about the quality of refereeing in the league this season, the Sirens need to be better at not taking penalties as it’s a flaw in their overall game when it comes to securing wins.
3. Injuries/Fatigue Might Be Catching Up
Every team has dealt with a wide variety of injuries this season in the PWHL, but the Sirens have been lucky to have played most of the 2025-26 campaign without an overwhelming amount of injuries to the lineup. However, that might be catching up to the team at the worst time. Taylor Girard got stuck in a collision and fell awkwardly in Sunday’s game which resulted in her needing to be stretched off the ice. Girard’s seven goals this season are behind only Kaltounková for the most on the Sirens so the loss of her will definitely be felt in the lineup. Rookie Casey O’Brien also didn’t play in the Takeover Tour game in Denver and is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. O’Brien’s 14 points are tied with Sarah Fillier for the most on the team so hopefully she isn’t out of the lineup for too long as her offensive power is a major part of the Sirens success. And lastly, Kayle Osborne made her league-leading 19th start of the season on Sunday. The Sirens have only played 20 games this season, meaning Osborne has been in net for all but one contest so far. Although she’s incredible in net, the question arises if the constant reliance on Osborne is sustainable enough down the stretch especially when almost every other team uses their backup goaltender frequently enough.
The Sirens are back in action on Wednesday, March 18 as they take on the Vancouver Goldeneyes. Puck drop is scheduled for 10 PM EST.