With a red-hot goalie, anything is possible. Just ask the New York Sirens.
Behind another shutout by Kayle Osborne, the Sirens defeated the Toronto Sceptres 2-0 at Coca-Cola Coliseum on Tuesday. Riding a franchise-record fourth straight victory, New York (6-0-0-5) grabbed sole possession of second place in the PWHL standings with 18 points. The Sirens trail the first-place Boston Fleet by a point, although Boston has two games in hand.
Osborne stopped all 31 of Toronto’s shots, stamping another brilliant effort with her third shutout of the season, and second in three games The 23-year-old also shut out the Vancouver Goldeneyes in a 2-0 win last Wednesday.
“Kayle’s play has been a big part of our success,” Sirens coach Greg Fargo noted postgame. “Not only is her confidence in herself growing, but the confidence that we have in her is reciprocated 10 times.”
Rookie forward Kristyna Kaltounkova handled all of the scoring. The 2025 No. 1 overall pick netted the difference-maker in the second period and iced the game in the third with an empty net goal, completing her second multi-goal game.
Despite the final score, Toronto held the upper hand in game flow for most of the night. The Sceptres outshot the Sirens by nine and won the shots battle in each period. They also drew the game’s only power play–although Kaltounkova had a penalty shot in the middle frame and rang the post.
Yet the Sirens continue to play confidently in one-goal games. Osborne displayed excellent poise in her League-high 11th start, and New York did a nice job in front of the net to allow her clear sightlines.
That proved necessary, especially when the Sirens withstood two surges from the Sceptres in the final 30 minutes. Toronto outshot New York 8-2 in the back half of the second, and surged late in the third with six unanswered shots prior to Kaltounkova’s empty-netter.
“I just thought we were putting it to her without purpose,” Sceptres coach Troy Ryan assessed postgame. “And then not necessarily forechecking with the legs that we need to put her under pressure. She’s good anyway, but we made it easy on her.”
Osborne did her part in neutralizing Toronto’s dump-and-chase attack with her ability to play the puck outside the crease.
“I think Kayle not only is a great puck stopper. To me, she’s the best goalie that can play the puck in the world,” Fargo lauded after the win. “I think because of her puck play, we spend less time in our own zone. It’s a big part of our game plan. We talked about it a lot, and I think she really separated herself from others on it.”
The Sceptres struggled to adjust and were blanked for the first time in 2025-26 as a result.
It goes down as a tough loss for Sceptres goalie Elaine Chuli, who made 20 saves on 21 shots. Her lone blemish came on a deflected shot that knifed through the five-hole at 5:20 of the second.
Kaltounkova started the play, leading a Sirens rush into the offensive zone and setting up Casey O’Brien for a good chance. Chuli denied a driving O’Brien, but Jincy Roese kept the puck in at the point and sent a long shot on goal. Kaltounkova swiveled to her right and got a stick on Roese’s shot to give the Sirens a 1-0 lead.
That would be all until 19:53 of the third period, when Kaltounkova fired into an empty Toronto net from her own blue line. After her two-goal effort Tuesday, the rookie raised her season total to seven. She’s scored in three consecutive games, with six points in her past five.
The Sceptres extended their home losing streak to a team-record five games; two of those losses came in Hamilton and Halifax on the PWHL Takeover Tour, but nonetheless count against their home record. Toronto (4-0-3-4) lost three straight games overall and four of its past five.
The Sirens snapped a five-game losing streak in the all-time series against the Sceptres, celebrating their first victory since the first game in PWHL history–a 4-0 win on Jan 1, 2024 in Toronto.
Key takeaways after Sirens stay hot with shutout win over Toronto
1. Ozzy Ozzy Ozzy! Oi Oi Oi!
There may be no greater weapon in hockey than an elite goalie. And that’s what the Sirens think they have.
“Coming into the year, [Kayle] wasn’t one of the returning, established starting goalies in the League,” Fargo said postgame. “But to me, in a short amount of time, she’s proven that she’s amongst the best. She’s proven that she can help this team win.”
That’s exactly what the second-year goalie has done during New York’s four-game winning streak. Osborne is a perfect 4-0-0 with a 2.00 goals against average (GAA), .956 save percentage, and two shutouts. That stretch includes a career-best 42-save effort in a 4-3 win over the Montreal Victoire.
Thanks to her efforts Tuesday, Osborne became the fourth goalie in PWHL history to record three shutouts in a single season. She’s tied with Boston’s Aerin Frankel for the League lead.
Mind you, she has yet to take a seat all season. New York has nine days off before its next game, so all signs point to Osborne making her 12th consecutive start on Jan. 16 against the Minnesota Frost.
Could she start all 30 games this season? Fargo hinted to PWHL broadcasters Daniella Ponticelli and Becky Kellar that New York’s schedule allows it. And with Osborne playing this well, even a bold move like that seems justified.
2. Kaltounkova continues ‘seamless’ transition to PWHL
Of course, a great goalie can only take you so far. The offense needs to do its part as well, and to that front, Kaltounkova is happy to oblige.
Kaltounkova is second in the PWHL with seven goals, one behind Minnesota forward Kendall Coyne Schofield.
Her two-goal game capped off a memorable day for the 23-year-old, who was officially named to Team Czechia for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics on Tuesday morning.
“She’s capable of not just playing there, but having a real impact at the Olympics,” said Fargo, who coached Kaltounkova for four seasons at Colgate University. “For her to be going to Milan for the first time and play in the Olympics, I think it’s going to be really special.”
As it so happens, “really special” is a fitting way to describe Kaltounkova’s play through her first 11 PWHL games. The results are undeniable, but it’s Kaltounkova’s striking confidence that stands out the most. The rookie quickly became New York’s top offensive weapon this season, and a difference-maker game in and game out.
“For ‘Kalty’, the transition has been a little bit more seamless,” Fargo remarked. “She can handle the physicality really well. She’s someone who shoots off the pass exceptionally well, and I think that’s something that translates really well to this level.”
Tuesday marked New York’s fifth consecutive game that featured a goal from a rookie. In that span, Sirens rookies accounted for 11 of their 14 goals, with over half scored by Kaltounkova.
It’s no coincidence that New York’s hot streak aligns with improved production from its deep rookie class. In all likelihood, that must continue if the Sirens wish to remain a legitimate contender this season.
3. Dayle Ross makes long-awaited PWHL debut
Rookie defender Dayle Ross, selected in the fourth round (No. 25 overall) by New York, made her professional debut Tuesday, appearing in her first game after offseason ACL surgery.
“It’s a long time coming,” Ross told PWHL sideline reporter Rob Pizzo during the first intermission. “You wait to play hockey for that long, it just feels so good. I feel like I was 12 years old again out there.”
Ross sustained a ruptured ACL in November 2024. Unaware how bad the injury was, the tenacious defender finished out her senior season at St. Cloud State University and even recorded a career-high 15 points. An offseason MRI revealed the full severity of her injury, and Ross underwent surgery in March.
Ten months later, the 22-year-old hit the ice in Toronto for her first career PWHL game, joining the lineup as New York’s seventh defender.
“Obviously, I played a whole season on a torn ACL, so I really tried to tell myself that there’s no mental block,” Ross explained postgame. “I had to really believe that. It worked for me today, so I’m proud of myself for that.”
Ross recorded two hits in 6:47 of ice time against Toronto. She saw the fewest minutes of any Sirens defender, and was largely relegated to the bench during the third period, when New York protected a 1-0 lead.
Still, it was a promising showing from a rookie who should be a valuable addition to New York’s blue line.
“I think Dayle offers something that we don’t have a lot of on our d-corps,” Fargo explained. “Dayle’s a really strong defender. She can clear the front of the net. She can make strong plays on walls to get us out and in transition. And then there’s a physicality element that we really like to her game.
“As she gets more comfortable, we’re going to continue to find opportunities where she can shine and be her best,” Fargo asserted.
It’s worth noting that Ross’s 6:47 was the most time logged by any extra skater on the Sirens this season. That bodes well for an expanded workload moving forward.
