On Monday, Jan. 19, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Player Safety committee announced they have suspended New York Sirens forward Taylor Girard for four games.
The suspension comes the day after the Sirens played the Montreal Victoire in Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The game got chippy as the final buzzer sounded, with several players pushing and shoving in front of Kayle Osborne’s net. Girard was on the bench and jumped off to help support her team.
Per Rule 72.10 of the PWHL Rulebook, the first player to leave their bench illegally during an altercation or to start an altercation will be automatically suspended for four games.
The absence of Girard will be a huge loss to the Sirens’ lineup. She has been playing on the left wing of the second line alongside Kristin O’Neill and Anne Cherkowski. She made a strong impact in the Sirens’ first game of the season after scoring her first career hat trick. In the 12 games that followed, she has scored two more goals and recorded one assist for a total of six points. She has been a great addition to the Sirens’ top six, and although she doesn’t lead the team in points, she still tries her best to find scoring chances and is relatively successful in her efforts.
Girard can return to the Sirens’ lineup on March 5 when New York hosts the Boston Fleet. This suspension falls in between the Olympic break, so she will miss the next three leading up to the break and the first game when the PWHL returns.
The Sirens will host the Ottawa Charge on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
