The New York Sirens returned to the win column Sunday with a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Victoire in Washington, D.C. A crowd of 17,228 filled Capital One Arena for the Takeover Tour matchup, marking the highest attended in-arena game in United States women’s hockey history.
New York extended its points streak to a team-record six games (5-0-1-0) and hopped back into second place in the PWHL standings. The Sirens have not lost in regulation since Dec. 21; their four-game winning streak was snapped by the Minnesota Frost in overtime Friday.
Their victory Sunday followed a familiar winning formula. The Sirens got terrific play from goalie Kayle Osborne, who made 31 saves in her PWHL-record 13th consecutive game started. New York put two past Team Canada Olympic starter Ann-Renèe Desbiens, and kept Montreal off the scoreboard in the final 40 minutes.
“I think tonight was the result of a more complete 60-minute effort from our team,” coach Greg Fargo stated postgame. “We blocked some incredible shots. We got some great saves. Winning face-offs. It was a little bit of everything, but that’s what it takes.”
For just the fourth time this season, Montreal’s top forward trio of Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, and Abby Roque failed to record a goal. Fargo pitted a line centered by Sarah Fillier with wingers Paetyn Levis and Anne Cherkowski against the potent threesome, and it couldn’t have worked out any better.
“I have a lot of experience with Abby Roque and Marie-Philip Poulin, so just try and work against what their tendencies are,” Fillier explained postgame. “I think face-offs are so important in tight games like that, and when we can attack off face-offs when they’re not super set up and ready to go, I think it’s super threatening.”
New York won 55.2 percent of the draws against a Montreal squad that leads the PWHL in face-off win percentage. And the Sirens didn’t shy away from matching the Victoire’s trademark physicality.
“The game was very physical today, and I think we handled that really well,” Levis noted. “We came back in the third [period], and we were ready for the physicality. And I think that we gave it back to him a little bit. We love to play a physical game, so I think that helped us.”
That physicality manifested in 118 combined penalty minutes between the two squads — 100 of which stemmed from a postgame brawl.
The first of nine power plays went to New York just 42 seconds after puck drop, and the Sirens wasted little time scoring. Star rookie Kristyna Kaltounkova cleaned up a rebound from Fillier, slapping it past Desbiens at 1:24 of the first period to give the Sirens a quick 1-0 lead.
The 2025 No. 1 overall pick jumped back into second place on the PWHL goals leaderboard with her eighth tally of the season. It snapped an 0-for-9 skid for New York’s power play.
Montreal nearly tied it midway through the first after Osborne left the crease and put the puck right on the stick of Victoire forward Kaitlin Willoughby. Staring down a gaping net, Willoughby sent the puck across the goal line and off the post — a fortunate break for Osborne, who surrendered a goal to Frost forward Britta Curl-Salemme on a similar play Friday.
But fortune swung in Montreal’s favor when granted its third power play of the opening frame at 19:20. Although rookie Nicole Gosling seemed to deliver an opposite-direction hit, officials instead charged Levis with a roughing penalty on the retaliation.
Nine seconds later, Maggie Flaherty notched her fourth career PWHL goal in game No. 58, winding up from the point and blasting a one-timer above Osborne’s glove to even the score at one.
New York regained the lead on a set play off the draw at 14:47 of the second period. After a face-off win by Fillier, Levis carried it in off the half wall and fired a shot that deflected off Cherkowski and over the head of Desbiens.
“We run face-off plays as much as we can,” Fargo noted. “A little bit more of an emphasis in the second and third period for everybody to help out on those face-offs. ‘Filly’ was able to scrape it back, and we’re able to get a great shot through. Nothing special, but just good execution on a great play.”
“None of that would have happened if ‘Filly’ didn’t win the draw,” Levis added. “So I think focusing on winning the draws, and then us as wingers helping out, and then ‘Cherky’ got a good screen.”
Cherkowski wasn’t officially credited with the goal until after the final whistle, but it’s her first career PWHL goal nonetheless — and a game-winning one at that.
In the third period, Osborne took center stage, outdueling her soon-to-be Olympic teammate in Desbiens. New York’s goalie stopped all 12 Montreal shots in the third period to lock down the win.
Her finest of the day — and perhaps of the season — came on the Victoire’s fourth power play, when Osborne made a lunging glove save on a rocket off the stick of Poulin. Osborne’s glove flashed into the net, but officials could not find any conclusive evidence that the puck fully crossed the goal line.
A late tripping penalty on Roque, the former Sirens forward, at 17:44 of the third only further hampered the Victoire’s comeback effort. They had time for one last flurry at even strength, but a blocked shot by Maja Nylen Persson prevented the Victoire from putting anything on goal.
With the 2-1 win, New York snapped Montreal’s three-game winning streak. The Sirens improved to 2-0 in Takeover Tour action in 2025-26, after defeating the Seattle Torrent 4-3 on Dec. 28 in Dallas.
“We’re a young team, and we knew it was going to take us a few games to find our identity,” Fillier told PWHL sideline reporter Abby Labar postgame. “We weathered the storm early in the season, but it’s nice to get rolling now.”
The Sirens and Victoire combined for the most penalty minutes in a PWHL game this season. Eight different players received a 10-minute misconduct for the skirmish after the final whistle, including Sirens forward Taylor Girard, who was also assessed a game misconduct for leaving the bench.
Girard will face a four-game suspension, the PWHL announced Monday, per rule 72.10. She is eligible to return March 5 against the Boston Fleet.
Key Takeaways after Sirens edge Victoire 2-1
1. Kayle Osborne remains ‘backbone’ of Sirens
Awarding top billing to Osborne is repetitive but not inaccurate. Kaltounkova burst onto the scene with her scoring touch, but no player has been more valuable to New York’s success in 2025-26 than the second-year goalie.
“What can I say that hasn’t been said?” Fargo asked rhetorically. “She’s been playing incredible since the start of the year. Whether it’s making saves or helping us with the breakout, she’s a big part of our success. Incredibly happy for her to be playing at this level.”
For the fifth time this season, Osborne allowed one goal or fewer. She saved her best for the final frame, as has been the case for much of 2025-26.
The 23-year-old had another scare outside the crease that likely should have resulted in a Victoire goal. That’s now three ill-advised decisions to play the puck in the last two games, with only one resulting in a score against. There’s no guarantee that luck will hold. Her playmaking is an undeniable asset, but she must pick her spots more carefully.
Nevertheless, it shouldn’t detract from her stellar play in net and the consistency she provides New York.
“She’s the backbone of our team,” Fillier lauded. “She’s really held us in there the last couple games, and we’re so grateful to have her.”
The Sirens host the Ottawa Charge on Tuesday to wrap up a packed stretch of three games in five days. Normally, that would be an opportune time to hand the reins to your backup goalie. Then again, Osborne’s workload has been anything but normal.
2. Rookies to the rescue!
This year’s Sirens don’t look like the same squad that finished last in the PWHL the previous two seasons. They have an impressive rookie class to thank for that.
Both of New York’s goals on Sunday came from rookie skaters. Kaltounkova opened the scoring, and Cherkowski delivered the game-winner — although she may not have known it until after the fact.
That’s now seven straight games with a goal from a Sirens rookie. New York is 5-0-1-1 in that stretch, with 14 of their 19 goals (73.7 percent) coming from rookie skaters. No team has gotten more production from its rookies than the Sirens, who have a PWHL-leading 16 goals from first-year players.
First-round picks Kaltounkova and Casey O’Brien (No. 3 overall) lead the team with eight points apiece, but don’t overlook the efforts of Maddi Wheeler (six points) and Cherkowski (five points). All four played meaningful time in the top nine, and revitalized a Sirens squad that lost most of its key contributors in the offseason.
Is it sustainable? To some extent, yes.
With six rookie skaters in the 2025 draft class, New York has strength in numbers. Wheeler and Cherkowski are already reliable 200-foot players, and both are capable of reaching even greater offensive heights. The crown jewels of the class, though, are Kaltounkova and O’Brien.
It didn’t take long for Kaltounkova’s scoring touch to acclimate to the PWHL. The 23-year-old found the back of the net in four of her past five games — and there’s nothing fluky about her blistering shot. O’Brien was a capable playmaker from day one, but her confidence has grown of late, making her a scoring threat in her own right.
Don’t be surprised if Kaltounkova and O’Brien are two of New York’s top point producers at season’s end.
3. Washington DC crowd ‘nothing short of special’
The PWHL’s first venture into Washington, D.C. was a resounding success. Capital One Arena saw the highest-attended crowd at any Takeover Tour game this season, and the fourth-most all-time.
“It was awesome,” Fillier told Labar directly after the game. “Any city we go to for a takeover tour, they show out and show up. And DC was nothing short of special. So hopefully they get a team here.”
As the PWHL eyes a four-team expansion this upcoming offseason, a turnout like this should work in favor of the DMV area. The venue reached 92.8 percent capacity for ice hockey, and it translated to an electric atmosphere.
“I think in the third when they’re singing along during the play, it’s just an awesome feeling as a player to just know fans are excited to show up and watch women’s hockey and see the product we put on the ice,” Fillier recalled. “And just to speak on this crowd, specifically, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many people be at warm up with signs along the glass for us. So you can tell there’s a lot of passion here in the city for all of their sports, but especially women’s sports. So it was a great crowd, and it’d be awesome to come back and play here.”
The Takeover Tour will not return to Washington, D.C. this season. The Sirens have two more Takeover Tour games on their 2025-26 schedule, with stops in Chicago and Detroit in March.
