On Saturday, Nov. 22, the Ottawa Charge hosted the New York Sirens for each team’s first meeting of the 2025-26 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season. Although it was an even game for the first 40 minutes, the Sirens kicked it up a notch and won their season opener 4-0.
Game Recap
Nine minutes into the first period, Kristyna Kaltoukova took a seat for boarding. On the power play, Fanuza Kadirova scored, but the goal was called back after review due to too many players on the ice. She then went to the box to serve the penalty.
On the next play, the two teams got a little heated. Gabby Hughes took a seat for illegal body-checking but Micah Zandee-Hart took a major penalty for cross-checking. The penalty was served by Savannah Norcross as Zandee-Hart received a game misconduct and was ejected from the game.
The rest of the period was relatively uneventful, as well as the second, aside from Maddi Wheeler taking a seat for holding. Despite their third extra-player advantage of the night, the Charge did not capitalize on it.
Seven minutes into the third period, the Sirens struck first. The Charge knocked the puck out of their offensive zone and Wheeler turned on the gas to catch up to the puck. She grabbed it and skated it up to Gwyneth Philips. Her shot was blocked, but Taylor Girard was right behind her. She picked up the rebound and sent it past Philips for the first real goal of the game.
Six minutes later, Wheeler held the puck behind the net and passed it to Girard in front of the net. She took a shot to give the Sirens a two-goal lead.
With three minutes left in the game, Elle Hartje passed the puck to Girard. She had it behind the net and skated it around for a wraparound shot. It seemed as though it didn’t fully cross the goal line so Wheeler tapped the puck in and the goal finally cleared. Although it was originally credited to Wheeler, after the game, it was credited to Girard. With a hat trick under her belt, she’s off to a strong start for the season.
40 seconds remained in the period and Allyson Simpson took a seat for hooking. However, this did not deter the Sirens. Maja Nylen Persson stole the puck from the Charge in the neutral zone. From the blue line, she scored a shorthanded, empty-net goal with four seconds left on the clock.
Next Up
The Sirens will be back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 25, when they take on the Montreal Victoire. On Wednesday, Nov. 26, the Charge will host the Vancouver Goldeneyes for the first time in the season.
