The New York Sirens hosted the Boston Fleet in Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) action on Wednesday. It was their first game back from the international break, but it did not favor the Sirens, who lost 4-0.
The Loss of Carpenter Is Palpable
Alex Carpenter suffered an upper-body injury before the break on Jan. 31 against the Fleet. She was unable to compete for Team USA during the Rivalry Series last week. There has been no update on the extent of her injury or her status.
Carpenter is the Sirens’ first-line center who plays alongside wingers Sarah Fillier and Noora Tulus. Since her injury, Fillier has stepped up to play center, while Jessie Eldridge was promoted to the first line to play right wing. All three players are solid, but the team is not the same without Carpenter. She leads the team in goals with six, with Fillier behind her with five.
This was the second loss in as many games without her – the first was a 2-1 defeat on Feb. 2 against the Montreal Victoire. Hopefully, she recovers quickly.
Several Chances, but No Goal
In the first few minutes of the game, Gabby Rosenthal stole the puck for a breakaway. She skated up ice with Abby Roque and Paetyn Levis before passing to Roque, who took the shot on net. Fleet goaltender Aerin Frankel stopped it, but Levis recovered the rebound. The second shot went wide and play continued.
Related: Boston Fleet’s Aerin Frankel Shuts Out New York Sirens, 4-0
Halfway into the second period, the Sirens had another chance when Fillier gained control of the puck and passed it to Levis. She skated to the net with Emily Brown defending her. She passed to Roque, who then passed to Fillier, who took a shot, recovered the rebound, and took another. Neither one got past Frankel.
The Sirens had 25 shots on net compared to the Fleet’s 31. Boston only had six more chances than New York, but they made the most of their opportunities. The teams were evenly matched, but the Fleet had the better night.
Schroeder Continues to Play Well
Despite four goals getting past her, Corinne Schroeder had a solid night. She stopped 27 shots for a save percentage (SV%) of .871. This was her third worst average of the season though; her worst was a .852 SV% against Boston on Dec. 8.
Despite a rough game, Schroeder is the Sirens’ clear starter, with 11 games so far compared to Kayle Osborne’s four and Abby Levy’s one. Schroeder is currently within the top five goalies in the league, ranked fourth overall. She has a higher SV% at .927% than Maddie Rooney of the Minnesota Frost’s, who sits above her in third place, .914. However, Rooney has fewer goals against with a 2.04 goals against average (GAA) to Schroeder’s 2.16.
Frankel sits above the both of them in the second overall spot with a .931 SV% and a 1.87 GAA. The two teams were up against two of the best goalies in the PWHL; One of them was going to have an off day, and unfortunately for the Sirens, it was Schroeder.
Schroeder’s skill level is not to be doubted. Her back-to-back shutouts earlier this season prove she is one of the best goalies in the league. She will have to dust herself off from this game and look ahead to the next.
Next Up for the Sirens
The Sirens will look to get back in the win column on Saturday when they travel north to face the Victoire. On Monday, Feb. 17, the Sirens will return home for a rematch with the Fleet.
