Lou Orlando
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The new-look New York Sirens hosted the Minnesota Frost at Codey Arena for a pair of preseason contests to kick off the 2025-26 PWHL season this past week. New York split the series against the back-to-back Walter Cup champions, dropping the opener 5-2 on Thursday, before closing out the slate with a 6-2 win Friday.
Both sides sat key regulars in the first meeting, but Minnesota quickly gained the upper hand. Frost captain Kendall Coyne Schofield opened the scoring at 4:27 of the first period — the first of five unanswered goals against Sirens rookie goalie Kaley Doyle.
New York finally broke through at 12:21 of the third period, when rookie forward Maddi Wheeler tipped a long shot from second-year defender Lauren Bernard into the cage. Playing with renewed vigor after Wheeler’s tally, the Sirens struck again at 18:21 — this time on a slap shot from the stick of 2025 No. 1 overall pick Kristyna Kaltounkova.
Bernard was credited with a primary assist on both Sirens goals, while Minnesota’s Sidney Morin led all skaters with three points (two goals, one assist). Veteran Frost goalie Nicole Hensley stopped all 18 shots she faced through two periods before giving way to Marlene Boissonnault, who made seven saves on nine shots in the third.
New York enjoyed a more lively offensive performance Friday, bolstered by the injection of Sarah Fillier into the lineup. Fillier posted a game-high four points (three goals, one assist), recording a natural hat trick in the third period to seal a Sirens win.
No. 3 overall pick Casey O’Brien racked up three assists, centering Fillier and second-round pick (No. 9 overall) Anne Cherkowski on a standout line that generated three goals at even strength.
Meanwhile, New York’s projected starting goaltender, Kayle Osborne, played all three periods and stopped 25 of 27 shots.
Both contests featured a voluntary five-minute 3-on-3 overtime period and an ensuing five-round shootout, neither of which counted toward the official preseason stat sheet.
Key takeaways after Sirens split preseason series against Frost
1. Sirens have ‘good options’ for top-six forward combos
Coach Greg Fargo capitalized on the opportunity to experiment with different lineups, mixing and matching his top-six forward lines during the two-game preseason slate.
With Fillier, Kristin O’Neill, and Paetyn Levis scratched Thursday, Fargo elevated his top three rookie forwards — Kaltounkova, O’Brien, and Cherkowski — to the first line. The trio, while not consistently dominant, showed exciting bursts of speed and creativity, punctuated by Kaltounkova’s slap-shot goal.
“Any line pumps me up, but this one is a little special because of our rookie vibe,” Kaltounkova remarked postgame. “It just clicked, and I couldn’t be more happy about it.”
Fargo opted for a different look Friday, deploying O’Brien and Cherkowski with Fillier and slotting Kaltounkova on the left wing of O’Neill and Levis. While the line of O’Brien, Cherkowski, and Fillier stole the show, Kaltounkova’s line also generated some offense, opening the game with an O’Neill goal on a sharp saucer pass from Levis.
“You look at our lineup, there’s a lot of puzzle pieces that can be moved in different places,” Fargo said. “It’s always good when you see some chemistry in practice and in the games. You want to let it mature and let it evolve and grow, and see what it can become. But I think we’ve got some really good options, some really good pieces to be able to move around and see what works best for them.”
While Fargo refrained from committing to any lines for the season opener Saturday, don’t be surprised if the top six mirrors the combinations deployed Friday — especially given the on-ice results.
2. Rookies off to strong start
New York has a strong case for the most anticipated rookie class of any team in the PWHL this season. If No. 1 overall pick Kaltounkova wasn’t enough, the Sirens also landed O’Brien, the reigning recipient of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award — given to the top women’s college ice hockey player.
The two headline an eight-player rookie class, and the early returns from preseason are encouraging.
Kaltounkova quickly made her mark offensively, recording a goal and an assist over two games. She added a goal in the shootout Thursday, and found the back of the net in overtime Friday during a 4-on-3 Sirens power play. The 23-year-old played with a noticeable physical edge and kept pace with a fast-skating Frost team, suggesting a seamless transition for the Colgate University alum.
The same could be said of O’Brien, whose speed and playmaking ability were on full display. Plus, she won 15 of 28 faceoffs across the two-game span — good for a 53.6 percent rate. Playing down the middle on a top-six line is no small task for a 24-year-old rookie, but O’Brien has the skillset to be a productive and responsible two-way center.
Not to be overlooked is Cherkowski, who tallied a goal and an assist Friday. Taken with the first pick of the second round, Fargo equated the Clarkson University product to a first-round talent, and it appears the Sirens will treat her as such. Cherkowski is projected to join Kaltounkova and O’Brien in the top six, where she’ll look to help spark New York’s offense.
The Sirens finished last season with 71 goals, tied for the fewest in the PWHL. And with four of their top five goal scorers departing in an offseason overhaul, this exciting rookie class must pull its own weight.
3. Callie Shanahan gets promising update
Fargo delivered a reassuring update on rookie goaltender Callie Shanahan, who had an injury scare Thursday.
“She just tweaked something — lower-body,” Fargo relayed. “She’s day to day. She’s gonna be fine. We’re gonna give her a little rest here, so nothing to be concerned about.”
Shanahan took Doyle’s place in net for the overtime period Thursday, and stayed in for the shootout. Britta Curl-Salemme opened the first round for Minnesota, gliding in from the left circle and beating Shanahan above the blocker.
Afterwards, Shanahan skated gingerly towards the New York bench, pointing in the direction of her left leg before ultimately heading off the ice. She did not dress for the preseason tilt Friday.
While the update is a relief for the fourth-round pick (No. 28 overall) out of Boston University, it also saves New York a roster move. By the PWHL rulebook, all teams must carry three active goaltenders on their roster at all times. The Sirens only entered training camp with three goalies — Osborne and the two rookies, Doyle and Shanahan.
4. Sirens must make roster cuts after ‘competitive camp’
With the short preseason over, the attention now turns to final roster decisions. The Sirens brought 27 players into training camp, but must pare that number to 23 — 20 skaters and three goaltenders — ahead of the regular-season opener Saturday in Ottawa.
It’s worth noting that 2025 fourth-round pick (No. 25 overall) Dayle Ross may be sidelined to begin the season. A hard-nosed defender, Ross played through a torn ACL during her senior season at St. Cloud State University, waiting until the offseason to get surgery. The 22-year-old practiced in a no-contact jersey during camp with the Sirens and did not dress for either preseason game.
New York could place Ross on injured reserve and free up an extra roster spot — but even with that move, the Sirens would still have to make three cuts.
“It’s been a competitive camp. It’ll continue to be,” noted Fargo. “But the one thing that’s clear to me is we’ve got a lot of great people in the locker room, a lot of great character — folks that have worked really hard and have come to camp ready to make an impact. So it’s certainly made our job tough here moving forward.”
New York’s training camp roster includes four camp invites — forwards Alexis Paddington and Kira Juodikis and defenders Olivia Knowles and Nicole Vallario. Knowles is the only camp invite to play for the Sirens last season, appearing in 12 games with a plus-one rating.
Any skaters cut from the active roster still have an opportunity to remain with the Sirens as a reserve player. Every PWHL team is permitted to carry three reserve players in addition to its 23-player active roster.
Though Fargo declined to give a strict timeline on official roster decisions, the second-year head coach indicated that the process could begin as early as Monday or Tuesday.
