Lou Orlando
The New York Sirens struggled to shake off the rust Thursday after a nearly month-long Olympic break. The Montreal Victoire steamrolled the Sirens 4-1 at Prudential Center as the PWHL returned to action for the first time since Jan. 28
Montreal improved to 30 points (8-3-0-5) in 16 games, moving into a tie with the Boston Fleet for first place in the PWHL standings. The Sirens are still fourth overall with 24 points, though the Ottawa Charge can leap them Saturday when they host the Fleet.
Prior to puck drop, Montreal scratched captain Marie-Philip Poulin and placed defender Erin Ambrose on long-term injured reserve. Poulin is listed day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Yet the Victoire’s often maligned depth prevailed; four different players tallied goals in the win.
“I definitely think that our players are finding the back of the net more widespread throughout our roster,” noted Victoire coach Kori Cheverie. “We’ve tried different line combinations, too. Tonight was a big one for us — without having ‘Pou’ and Ambrose on the ice — but our group collectively came together. It just goes to show that we’ve got some good depth throughout our roster.”
Sirens coach Greg Fargo pulled starting goalie Kayle Osborne at 3:37 of the second period after the 23-year-old allowed three goals on six shots. Montreal tallied three goals in the first period; Team Canada Olympic forward Laura Stacey and center Lina Ljungblom recorded multi-point outings for the Victoire.
As has been the case throughout 2025-26, Montreal goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens dazzled in net. The Team Canada starting goalie didn’t miss a beat Thursday, making 34 of 35 saves. She allowed one goal or fewer for the fourth consecutive game, and the ninth time this season.
The Sirens outshot the Victoire 10-5 in the first, but there was no question that Montreal held the upper hand in the opening frame.
“I think slow start,” Fargo assessed postgame. “We had that stretch there — six or seven minutes — where we got away from some of our habits, and they were able to capitalize. It’s unfortunate, but we’ve got to be ready to play.”
No one struggled more than Osborne, who allowed three goals on her first four shots faced.
Victoire forward Dara Greig opened the scoring at 5:00 of the first period, gliding in from the left wing and firing a wrister over Osborne’s glove. They struck again 45 seconds later, when Stacey corralled the puck behind the net and quickly connected with Jade Downie-Landry, who sniped the top shelf to make it 2-0 Montreal.
The nightmare period continued at 10:07 of the first with a rare puck-handling miscue by Osborne. After a dump-in by defender Kati Tabin, Osborne vacated her net to retrieve the puck. The 23-year-old had trouble controlling the puck, allowing Victoire rookie Skylar Irving to sweep in and force a takeaway. Irving sent the puck to the crease, where Sirens forward Emmy Fecteau batted the puck directly into her own net on a hurried clear attempt.
Irving was credited with the goal, marking the first professional tally of her career. Fargo defended Osborne’s decision to play the puck postgame.
“We have a lot of trust in her — always have, and always will,” Fargo asserted. “It’s a two-way street. We want to move that puck quicker. We also need to do a better job to help her out, communicate, and get to our spots to make it an easier play for her as well.”
Fargo used his timeout after Montreal’s third goal, and the Sirens held them off the board for the remainder of the period.
The Victoire nearly made it 4-0 at 3:37 of the second. Downie-Landry deposited a rebound past Osborne, prompting Fargo to pull his starter in favor of rookie Callie Shanahan. After a League-initiated review, officials overturned the goal, citing goalie interference — despite minimal contact in the crease.
“I don’t think that it was [goalie interference]. I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that,” Cheverie offered postgame. “I don’t really know. I don’t know because I’m being told that it is, and then when we watch it, it’s not. It’s tough.”
Shanahan remained in net even after the overturned goal; she stopped all 12 shots she faced in the middle frame.
Casey O’Brien provided the Sirens’ lone score of the night with a power play goal at 5:57 of the second. The 2025 No. 3 overall pick fired a wrister from the left dot that deflected off Desbiens’ blocker and into the net. O’Brien recorded points in four consecutive games and seven of her last eight. She tied teammate Kristyna Kaltounkova (No. 1 overall) for the PWHL scoring lead among rookies; O’Brien has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 17 games.
Montreal snuffed out any hopes of a New York comeback early in the third period, capitalizing on a Kristin O’Neill tripping penalty. With two seconds remaining on the power play, Stacey’s point shot ricocheted off Ljungblom’s shoulder, catapulting the puck high in the air. It landed behind Shanahan in the crease, and caromed off her skate and into the net at 3:43 of the third.
The goal was awarded to Ljungblom, who recorded the first two points (one goal, one assist) of her 2025-26 season Thursday.
The Victoire won their fourth consecutive game (3-1-0-0); they own the League’s second-best points percentage at .625. New York lost its fourth straight, recording a point only once (0-0-1-3).
Sirens star forward Sarah Fillier notched a secondary assist on the O’Brien goal, after tallying six points (three goals, three assists) across seven games with Team Canada in Milan-Cortina. Fillier has six points in her last five PWHL games, although she has not recorded a goal since Nov. 29.
Shanahan stopped 15 of 16 shots in 32:45; her lone blemish came on the Ljungblom deflection. It marked her second appearance in 2025-26. She surrendered four goals on 21 shots in her PWHL debut — an overtime loss to the Ottawa Charge on Jan. 20.
“Happy for her. I know her first outing didn’t go the way she wanted,” said Fargo. “I thought she did a tremendous job coming in the middle of a game like that. She made some big saves for us at different times, and kind of allowed us to get our feet under us.”
Takeaways after Montreal steamrolls Sirens 4-1 in PWHL’s return
Osborne ‘a little off tonight’ in shaky outing
Osborne was ultra-reliable for the Sirens in the first half of the season. That was not the case Thursday.
New York’s starter was a tick slow to react on wristers from Greig and Downie-Landry, and made a rare puck-handling miscue on Irving’s score. Although Downie-Landry’s second tally was overturned, Osborne struggled to locate the rebound after making the initial pad save on Tabin, making it a rather easy score for the former Siren.
Even though Montreal’s fourth goal against Osborne was taken off the board, Fargo was wise to pull Osborne and pivot to Shanahan.
“Just looked a little off tonight,” noted Fargo. “Y’know, a lot going on for her over the last three weeks.”
Osborne was one of three Canadian goalies to travel to Milan-Cortina, though she did not log a minute during Canada’s silver-medal run. By the time she took the crease Thursday, she had gone 29 days without game action — last playing Jan. 28 in a 4-3 shootout loss to Boston.
The rest-versus-rust debate feels particularly relevant to Osborne’s struggles. Contrast her performance to Desbiens, who looked sharp as ever. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Desbiens saw regular action in February; the Olympian appeared in five games during the 2026 Winter Games, including Canada’s semifinal and gold medal matchups.
Osborne will have a chance to bounce back next Thursday, when the Sirens host the Fleet at Prudential Center.
“Not her best,” Fargo acknowledged. “But we know that she’ll respond really well.”
Sirens must shake off the rust
Make no mistake — the blame does not fall solely on Osborne. Aside from a fleeting second-period surge, New York bore little resemblance to the team that climbed into the playoff picture before the Olympic break.
The Sirens were consistently a step behind in their defensive coverage, allowing the Victoire to operate with ease in the offensive zone. Twice, New York skaters collided during an offensive sequence. To call their effort sloppy is putting it mildly.
Granted, New York didn’t have much time to reacclimate — the Sirens sent six players to this year’s Games, with five participating in either the gold or bronze medal game. It was reasonable to expect a little rust given the circumstances.
But it’s pivotal they shake off that rust before next Thursday’s matchup against Boston. New York readies for a crucial three-game stretch against Boston, the Minnesota Frost, and Ottawa. Boston and Minnesota were among the League’s most dominant teams in the first half, and the Charge are hot on New York’s tail.
With only four teams advancing to the Walter Cup playoffs at season’s end, there’s little room for error.
Winging it
Fillier primarily played center during the first half, giving New York a deeper lineup down the middle. It was a departure from Fillier’s rookie season in 2024-25, where she played on the wing next to star center Alex Carpenter, but Fillier was up to the task. The reigning PWHL Rookie of the Year played responsible defense and generated plenty of chances offensively, even though her goal scoring dipped.
Fargo elected to switch Fillier back to wing Thursday, placing his star forward on the left of center Kristin O’Neill and rookie forward Anne Cherkowski (No. 9 overall). Fillier also saw time next to O’Brien and Kaltounkova, as Fargo double-shifted her in a push for more offense during the final 40 minutes.
“Sarah and I have talked a lot over the season so far about wing and center, and we’re still working through some different combinations,” Fargo said postgame. “I think one of the factors is we got almost everybody back tonight. We’ve been without a few familiar faces prior to the break, and it was great to have a lineup that was healthy. Wanted to just give some other things some looks here early on.”
Cherkowski returned from a two-game injury stint (non-hockey medical procedure), and Girard slotted back into the lineup after completing a three-game League-issued suspension.
New York’s center depth is significantly weaker without Fillier down the middle. Emmy Fecteau and Kayla Vespa were the bottom-six centers Thursday, although the two combined for just 14:35 TOI. Instead, O’Brien logged a game-high 24:55 — more than any defender on either side — and O’Neill played 18:38.
But while the Sirens lose some depth down the middle with this maneuver, Fillier’s skillset is tailored for the wing. She primarily played wing for Team Canada at the 2022 and 2026 Olympics, finishing among the team’s top scorers in both. New York could use more goal scoring from Fillier in the second half, and keeping her at wing should help facilitate that.
