In their fourth meeting of the 2024-25 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season, the New York Sirens hosted the Toronto Sceptres on Wednesday. After a five-game losing streak, the Sirens were looking for a win on home ice. The Sceptres had other plans. Toronto took the win 4-1, earning their fifth straight victory and handing the Sirens their sixth straight loss.
Carpenter is Back in Full Stride
Alex Carpenter was back on the ice for the Sirens after missing the last four games due to injury. She made sure her presence was known, scoring the only goal of the night for New York.
Carpenter had the puck in the Sceptres’ offensive zone but worked quickly to get it out. With the help of Sarah Fillier, they drove the puck toward goaltender Kristen Campbell. Fillier passed to Noora Tulus in front of the net. The puck took an awkward bounce off her stick, but Carpenter recovered it. She sent her shot into the net to ensure the Sirens were not shut out.
The loss of Carpenter had a ripple effect. Now that she is back in the lineup, they should be able to put an end to this six-game slide.
Sirens’ Power Play is Worse
The Sirens had the best power play in the league at the start of the season. Now, they’ve fallen into second place, with an 18.5% success rate. Despite four power-play chances, the Sirens did not score, while the Sceptres scored three of their four goals while New York was in the box.
Related: Toronto Sceptres Earn Fifth Straight Win, Defeat New York Sirens 4-1
The Sirens have the worst power play in the league at home. In 34 power-play opportunities on home ice, they have only scored three goals for an 8.8% success rate. On the flip side, they have one of the best power plays on the road, ranking second with a 29% success rate. In 31 opportunities, they have scored nine times.
They continue to have a strong penalty kill, ranked second overall in the league. At 85.7%, they are just below the Boston Fleet. Of 49 opportunities for the opposition, they have only allowed seven goals – the same as the Fleet, but they have had 56 shorthanded chances. This Fleet’s penalty kill percentage is 87.5%. The Sirens are much better at preventing their opponent from scoring, but they will need to pick up the pace when it comes to creating their own chances.
Standings Look Grim for Sirens
Last week, the Sirens were in fourth place in the overall standings, tied with the Boston Fleet and the Ottawa Charge at 20 points, but the Sirens edge out the two based on their goals scored and number of wins. They cannot say the same any longer. The Sirens are now in last place and the only team left with 20 points. Since they did not win any of their games within the week, and none went to overtime, they didn’t collect any points.
The Charge sit above them with 21 points, and the Fleet managed to pull out a win against the Minnesota Frost on Sunday and a victory against New York on Monday for six points to rank fourth with a 26-point total. The standings are still close, with plenty of the season left to be played. But the Sirens will need to get back into the win column if they hope to make the playoffs.
Takeover Tour Stop Next
The Sirens next play the Boston Fleet on Sunday, Feb. 23. They’ll be at a neutral site, playing in KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY.
