Lou Orlando
The New York Sirens lost ground in a tight PWHL playoff race Saturday afternoon, losing 4-1 in regulation to the Minnesota Frost at Grand Casino Arena.
The Sirens fell five points behind the PWHL’s final playoff spot with four games remaining after the Ottawa Charge defeated the Toronto Sceptres 2-0 to take control of fourth place. New York still has a game in hand on the Charge.
Minnesota snapped New York’s two-game winning streak (0-2-0-0) with a three-goal third period, sealing its team-record 16th win on Britta Curl-Salemme’s empty-netter at 18:39. Frost goalie Maddie Rooney rebounded from a four-goal outing against the Sirens on April 1, allowing one goal on 24 shots en route to first star honors.
Sirens goalie Kayle Osborne surrendered three or more goals for the fifth time in six games, falling to 1-5-0 with a 3.19 goals-against average (GAA) and .874 save percentage in six games since March 15. Her lone win came last Saturday at Madison Square Garden, when she stopped 20 of 21 shots over 65 minutes in a 2-1 shootout win against the Seattle Torrent.
Micah Zandee-Hart scored New York’s lone goal to tie the game 1-1 at 7:46 of the first period. The Sirens captain did not finish the game after receiving a game misconduct at 11:15 of the third.
Despite an energetic start from the Sirens, Frost defender Lee Stecklein opened the scoring at 7:05 of the first on a long shot from the point that deflected off Allyson Simpson. Stecklein has now scored twice in her last four games after going scoreless through her first 20 games of 2025-26.
Zandee-Hart answered 41 seconds later with a quick one-timer from the blue line that beat Rooney blocker side through traffic. It marked her second career PWHL goal and her first since Dec. 18, 2024.
Returning to Minnesota for the first time since a March 30 trade, Denisa Křížová collected her first point with the Sirens, a primary assist on Zandee-Hart’s goal. She was plus-one in 17:13 of ice time.
“Obviously, it was a special moment for me. I have lots of memories here and relationships that I value,” Křížová, a two-time Walter Cup champion with the Frost, said postgame. “So happy to be back. At the same time, once the puck dropped, I’m focused on myself, focused on the game, and did everything I could to help my team win.”
The score held 1-1 into the third, where New York again threatened early.
But they could not best a red-hot Rooney, who turned away Sirens rookie Anne Cherkowski on the breakaway with her right pad and then sprawled to deny two Casey O’Brien rebound attempts.
Not long after, Minnesota’s League-leading power play capitalized on a Kristin O’Neill slashing penalty. Curl-Salemme slid the puck across to rookie forward Abby Hustler (No. 14 overall), who punched it past Osborne at 5:30 of the third.
Taylor Heise made it 3-1 at 8:34, flying in to beat Osborne above the glove with a sharp-angle shot — just 34 seconds after New York’s power play came up empty following a high-sticking penalty against her.
Zandee-Hart delivered a physical response at 11:15, knocking Frost forward Katy Knoll to the ice with an elbow to the head in open ice. Seconds later, Sirens rookie Maddi Wheeler sent Frost forward Klára Hymlárová pinballing into Maja Nylen Persson with a booming hip check. Both Frost players were slow to get up, and Hymlárová was helped to Minnesota’s locker room.
“She’s doing alright,” Frost coach Ken Klee said afterward. “It’s a rough game. Both teams are obviously competing extremely hard. Sometimes those things happen.”
After official review, Zandee-Hart received a major penalty for an illegal check to the head, automatically accompanied by a game misconduct. She awaits potential supplementary discipline from the PWHL Player Safety Committee.
Curl-Salemme notched her second point of the game and 10th goal of 2025-26 with her empty-netter late in the third. Frost alternate captain Kelly Pannek picked up the secondary assist to reach 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) on the season, tying Sirens star Sarah Fillier and Seattle Torrent captain Hilary Knight for the PWHL single-season scoring record.
“I thought it was a good game. Both teams had some chances,” Sirens coach Greg Fargo noted postgame. “Had we been able to bury one early on, might have been a different outcome, but it wasn’t the case tonight.”
New York dropped its seventh straight road game (0-0-1-6), though three of those losses came at neutral-site Takeover Tour stops. The Sirens’ last road win came Jan. 6 against Toronto.
Key Takeaways after Sirens fall 4-1 to Minnesota Frost
Sirens need more from slumping power play
Fargo pointed to the power play as an area needing improvement after New York’s 4-3 overtime win over Minnesota on April 1 at Prudential Center. More than a week later, that remains the case.
The Sirens went 0-for-3 on the power play Saturday, extending their drought to 16 consecutive opportunities.
“You’re not going to score on every power play,” Fargo stated at practice Wednesday. “But the power play’s got to generate some momentum for us.”
New York saw firsthand Saturday how a power play can swing a game. Minnesota took a 2-1 lead on its PWHL-leading 18th power-play goal of the season and never looked back.
“They took advantage of that power play and then scored again shortly after,” Fargo recounted. “Just the momentum shifted quickly for them.”
That’s not out of the ordinary for a Frost power play converting at a 24.0 percent clip this season. The Sirens, meanwhile, haven’t scored a power-play goal since March 15. Still, Fargo remains optimistic.
“Our power play looked good,” Fargo asserted postgame. “We could have used a goal, and that may have been the difference, but lot of good things to take away.”
Without improved results, though, New York could again find itself on the outside looking in of the PWHL playoff picture.
Sirens’ scoring depth still a concern
With Taylor Girard and Kristyna Kaltounkova sidelined, the Sirens’ offensive attack doesn’t pack the same punch it did earlier in the season. A dominant top line of Fillier, O’Brien, and Cherkowski carried New York in two overtime wins last week, scoring four of the team’s five goals — but that pace is difficult to maintain.
Rooney and the Frost quieted them Saturday, and it reflected on the scoreboard. The Sirens got a rare goal from Zandee-Hart, but they’ll have a tough time stacking wins without significant success from their top forward line.
That’s cause for concern, especially with New York’s power play floundering of late. Relying on one dominant line isn’t exactly a recipe for sustained success, even with Fillier playing some of the best hockey this season.
Both Toronto and Ottawa are riding strong goaltending in Raygan Kirk and Gwyneth Philips, respectively, so the Sirens can’t expect any freebies from their foes in the PWHL playoff race.
Three-game stretch will make or break Sirens’ season
The Sirens didn’t do themselves any favors with a regulation loss Saturday. They still have a path to the postseason, but their playoff hopes hinge on their next three games, all against teams in the hunt for the final playoff spot.
New York hosts Toronto in its final home game of the season Wednesday before traveling to Ottawa on April 18 and Toronto on April 21. Trailing the fourth-place Charge by five points and the fifth-place Sceptres by three, the Sirens need a strong three-game stretch to close the gap and remain in playoff contention.
On paper, the odds aren’t in their favor.
In all likelihood, the Sirens will need points in three consecutive games, a feat they haven’t achieved since Jan. 20. They likely need at least two regulation wins after recording just one in their last 13 games (1-2-2-8). It doesn’t help that two of those games are on the road, where New York sports a .194 points percentage — good for second-worst in the PWHL, ahead of only the Seattle Torrent (.167).
New York could also be without a first-pair defender in Zandee-Hart for at least one of those games if the Sirens’ captain faces a suspension of any length for her hit on Knoll. Sirens forward Emmy Fecteau received a one-game suspension for an illegal check to the head against Torrent forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis the previous weekend, and Zandee-Hart’s elbow against Knoll was arguably more egregious.
An uphill climb awaits, to say the least.
