Lou Orlando
The New York Sirens scored three unanswered goals in the final 7:26, but could not erase a four-goal deficit against the Minnesota Frost. The Frost held on for a 4-3 win Sunday afternoon in front of 15,512 fans at Ball Arena in Denver, part of the PWHL’s 2025-26 Takeover Tour.
Minnesota improved to 36 points (9-3-3-4) and moved into a tie with the Montreal Victoire for second place in the PWHL standings. With wins by the Ottawa Charge (28 points) and Toronto Sceptres (28 points) over the weekend, New York fell to sixth overall at 27 points (8-0-3-9).
Frost forward Grace Zumwinkle scored twice to head Minnesota’s prolific offense, which tallied four goals on 28 shots against Sirens goalie Kayle Osborne. Colorado native Nicole Hensley stopped 23 of 26 shots for Minnesota and carried a shutout into the third period.
Zumwinkle kicked off the scoring at 10:04 of the first period. After Sirens center Emmy Fecteau whiffed on a hit along the boards, Zumwinkle walked in off the wall, deked backhand to forehand, and beat Osborne with a sharp-angle shot.
The damage could have been worse. New York killed three Minnesota power plays in the first, including a pair of penalties in the opening four minutes. Sirens rookie Kristyna Kaltounkova took a delay-of-game penalty 29 seconds into the period, and defender Jaime Bourbonnais was called for hooking at 3:56.
The floodgates opened in the second period — and it didn’t take long. Minnesota extended its lead to 2-0 just 22 seconds into the frame. Taylor Heise scooped up a loose puck behind the net and banked it off Osborne’s left skate for her sixth goal and League-leading 21st point of the season.
Britta Curl-Salemme made it 3-0 at 8:22, unleashing a blistering one-timer from the high slot that sniped the top right corner of the net. Zumwinkle continued the rout at 12:32 of the second, flying in on the rush and beating Osborne above the blocker for her second tally of the day.
The Sirens suffered another blow at 13:24 of the second period. After delivering a hit on Curl-Salemme along the wall, forward Taylor Girard collapsed and immediately grabbed her right knee. She quickly signaled for medical attention and was taken off the ice on a stretcher.
Girard did not return, adding to New York’s injury concerns. The Sirens entered play without star rookie center Casey O’Brien, who was scratched with an upper-body injury. Charge forward KateÅ™ina Mrázová sent O’Brien headfirst into the boards in the third period of New York’s 6-2 win last Sunday. O’Brien is listed day-to-day.
“The second didn’t go the way we wanted to, obviously. We kind of stepped away from our game,” Sirens coach Greg Fargo reflected postgame. “I thought we were able to get our game back in the third period.”
The improvements were not immediate. Kaltounkova took a roughing penalty at 3:39 of the third, retaliating against Frost forward Katy Knoll after a physical sequence. The 2025 No. 1 overall pick leads all PWHL skaters with 41 penalty minutes, adding another four to her ledger Sunday.
But momentum shifted in New York’s favor midway through the period after Frost rookie Abby Hustler was assessed a double minor for roughing at 11:06. The Sirens capitalized on the power play thanks to a fortunate redirect from rookie forward Anna Bargman. Bourbonnais fired a shot from the point that deflected off Bargman’s stick shaft, changing the puck’s trajectory and ending Hensley’s shutout bid at 12:34.
Sirens forward Paetyn Levis added an even-strength goal 1:16 later. The third-year forward dug the puck out from behind the net and scored a wraparound goal to make it 4-2 at 13:50. Bargman picked up the primary assist, giving the 2025 fifth-round pick (No. 33 overall) her first career multi-point game.
Former Sirens forward Elizabeth Giguere gave New York another power-play opportunity at 15:33 of the third with a hooking penalty. Once again, the Sirens capitalized. Greg Fargo pulled Osborne to get a 6-on-4 advantage, and defender Allyson Simpson beat Hensley with a wrister at 16:59, thanks in large part to a Levis screen in front of the net.
Simpson set a career-high with her second goal in as many games. She had not scored through her first 18 games of 2025-26. Bourbonnais recorded her second assist of the game, contributing to both of New York’s power-play goals.
Trailing 4-3, Fargo again pulled Osborne with 2:02 left, but the Sirens failed to record a shot on goal with the extra attacker.
New York fell to 2-0-3-8 when allowing the first goal this season. The Sirens are winless against Minnesota (0-0-1-2) through three meetings in 2025-26, after sweeping the six-game season series (3-3-0-0) in 2024-25.
Takeaways after Sirens suffer costly 4-3 loss in Denver
No quit in New York
Heading into the final 20 minutes of play, a Sirens loss seemed inevitable. New York trailed by four goals and failed to get much of anything going in the second period. Girard’s injury only added salt to the wound.
But New York’s calling card this season has been unwavering resilience, and it was on display once again in the third period Sunday.
“I think when you go down 4-0 in [this] sport, you’ve got to show some emotion. You’ve got to show some desperation,” Sirens captain Micah Zandee-Hart stated postgame. “And that’s what we talked about as a team. ‘We got 20 minutes to leave it all out there. That’s about all we can do at this point.’ And I thought our team did just that. I was proud of that response.”
The Sirens’ third-period surge turned a blowout into a nailbiter. Still, a disastrous second period proved costly. New York can take pride in its late-game push, though it’s hardly cause for celebration with only 10 games left in the regular-season. Moral victories won’t clinch a postseason berth, especially in such a tight race.
New York’s resilience is undeniable; its consistency remains in question.
Special teams showing promise
New York’s comeback effort was fueled by a pair of power-play goals in the third period. Bargman’s deflection got the Sirens on the board, and Simpson’s wrister cut the deficit to one with just over three minutes to play.
It was a notable improvement after two uneventful power plays in the second period.
“I think sometimes on the power play, you can get [stuck] trying to find the perfect play or the perfect puck to the net at the right time,” Fargo explained. “And you could see in the third period, we were just more willing to get the puck there with traffic. I think [on] both goals we scored, it was a result of good traffic in front of the net. I think we’ve just got to keep it simple in those moments moving forward and get more to the net.”
New York’s power play scored twice against Ottawa last Sunday, marking the first time this season the Sirens produced multiple power-play goals in consecutive games. They have scored on the power-play in three of four games since returning from the Olympic break on Feb. 26.
On the other end, New York’s penalty kill held Minnesota scoreless on four power-play opportunities. The Sirens have killed 13 straight penalties across their last three games, and are 14-for-15 overall since the Olympic break.
The Sirens entered the break with the League’s second-worst power play and penalty kill. Since play resumed, New York owns the top penalty kill in the PWHL (93.3 percent) and second-best power play (35.7 percent).
Sirens forward group takes hit with Taylor Girard injury
Fargo did not provide an update on Girard postgame, but there is reason for concern. Girard’s right toe awkwardly caught the ice, forcing her knee inward as she skated along the boards. The noncontact nature of the incident raises the possibility of a long-term absence.
Girard suffered a season-ending left knee injury in April 2024 and missed the Boston Fleet’s entire postseason run that spring. The Fleet advanced to the Walter Cup Final, forcing a decisive Game 5 before falling to the Frost.
If it is indeed another season-ending injury, it’s a brutal blow for Girard, who was in the midst of a career-best season. Girard ranked second on the team and ninth in the PWHL with seven goals in 17 games, after recording five goals in 46 games across her first two seasons.
Girard’s production was critical following the departure of several veterans in the 2025 offseason. Replacing it won’t be easy. She was recently promoted to New York’s top power-play unit as the netfront presence. Kristin O’Neill replaced Girard, with Kaltounkova taking on the netfront role.
New York could be without two of its top three goal scorers when it visits the Vancouver Goldeneyes on Wednesday. O’Brien did not travel with the team to Denver, according to PWHL play-by-play broadcaster Jamie Hersch. The Sirens do not return home until Thursday, though O’Brien could rejoin the team mid-trip.
