On New Year’s Eve, the Vancouver Goldeneyes paid another visit to the Sirens at the Prudential Center, where they were beaten 5-1 on November 27.
The hosts came into this afternoon tilt sixth place in the PWHL standings while the visitors came in right behind them in seventh despite having an identical number of points (9).
A little over a minute into the game, Kristýna Kaltounková stickhandled into the offensive zone. After attempting a pass that got broken up, the Vancouver players failed to possess the puck and Kaltounková threaded the puck through one of their skates and wristed it quickly into the bottom right corner of the net. The goal was ‘Kalty’s fourth of the season and assisted by 2025 fifth round pick Anna Bargman, who also earned her first PWHL point.
The visitors’ play didn’t improve as the period wore on. Five minutes into the game, Vancouver right wing Katie Chan took a two-minute penalty which they killed off. Then, Abby Boreen took Vancouver’s second penalty of the game at 13 minutes which was also killed off.
Just under five minutes to go in the first period, Sirens’ right wing Savannah Norcross took a minor penalty for tripping. Thanks to sound positioning and brave shot-blocking, Vancouver couldn’t get any pucks through to Sirens’ goalie Kayle Osborne.
Soon after returning from the penalty box, 2025 second round pick Anne Cherkowski threaded a pass past the stick of a Vancouver defenseman to Norcross who was cutting towards the net. Norcross received Cherkowski’s pass, went in one-on-one with Vancouver goalie Emerance Maschmeyer, and deked to her forehand but was stopped by the pads of Maschmeyer in the butterfly position.
Although the Sirens took a 1-0 lead into the dressing room after the first period, they had just a 10 to 9 shot advantage.
A little over two minutes into the period, Sirens’ defenseman Maja Nylen-Persson tripped Boreen inside her defensive zone and Vancouver went on their second power play. Towards the end of the woman advantage, the Goldeneyes’ best chance came when Michela Cava wristed a shot from the goal-line on Osborne, but she hugged the post and kept it out. Just under seven minutes inside the period and following a face-off inside the Sirens’ defensive zone, Taylor Girard poked the puck past the Goldeneye defenseman at the point and flew down the left wing on a breakaway. Girard tried to snap a shot far-side but her attempt was gloved by Maschmeyer.
On the ensuing face-off, former Siren Gaby Rosenthal won the draw before cross-checking opposing center woman Kristin O’Neill high. The referees called it a five-minute major penalty but after a review, that was reduced to a two-minute minor. New York managed to get one shot on goal on the power play when O’Neill redirected a shot-pass from Jaime Bourbonnais on Maschmeyer through traffic.
More than halfway through the second period, Bargman tripped Jaques after the latter attempted an inside-out move with the puck and went to the box for a two-minute tripping penalty. The Sirens killed the Goldeneyes’ third power play and the visitors were left exasperated.
Then, Sirens’ captain Micah Zandee-Hart received a pass at the point, walked it in and took a low wrist shot that was bobbled by Maschmeyer. This led to some pandemonium in front of Vancouver’s net but eventually Maschmeyer came away with the puck.
With 6:09 left in the period, Rosenthal was called for cross-checking again and the Sirens went to their fourth woman advantage.
Sideline reporter Abby Labar interviewed Sirens’ head coach Greg Fargo in between the break and he said:
We’ve been playing pretty good 5 on 5. I just think our habits throughout the game have been strong. Good sticks on the forecheck. Been a pretty back-and-forth game though. – Sirens head coach Greg Fargo
At the very end of the period, the Sirens nearly stretched their lead to two when Allyson Simpson ripped a low wrist shot just past the right post. When the puck rebounded off the end boards it came to the front of the net where Girard backhanded it on net but she was stopped by Maschmeyer.
The shots on goal comparison remained tight after two with New York holding a 21 to 20.
Thirty seconds into the third period, the Goldeneyes nearly got even when 2025 seventh-overall pick Michelle Karvinen had a breakaway and took a low shot that was stopped by the pad of Osborne.
Vancouver defenseman Emma Greco took her team’s fifth penalty of the game 1:51 into the third period. The visitors killed it off but shortly after that, Sirens center Kayla Vespa made a backhand pass to Emmy Fecteau. The latter was tied up with a Vancouver player but managed to slip the puck backwards to the net-front where it was snapped between the legs of Maschmeyer by Norcross. The goal was Norcross’ first in the PWHL as well as Vespa and Fecteau’s first point of the season.
New York kept their feet on the gas pedal as with eight minutes remaining in the game, they nearly stretched their lead to three. Sirens’ left wing Maddi Wheeler carried the puck into the offensive zone and produced an odd-man rush. Wheeler then made a cross-ice pass to Girard, who one-timed a shot that was saved by the right pad of Maschmeyer.
With three minutes left on the clock, Vancouver pulled Maschmeyer and had one extra skater on the ice. However, the Sirens didn’t let them get anything started and nearly scored on the empty net, twice. With the final seconds ticking down, Vancouver tried its best to funnel the puck toward the net-front but couldn’t find a way through. A minor scuffle unfolded in front of Osborne who skated away from the crease and into the arms of her teammates who celebrated the goalie’s second shutout of the season and the team’s second straight victory.
Fargo’s team gained three points from the win, which gives them 12 on the season, and jumped up to fourth place in the PWHL standings. Osborne was named the Performer of the Game for making 27 saves and earning the shutout.
