The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Takeover Tour continues to travel throughout North America. On Feb. 23, the tour stopped in Buffalo. The Boston Fleet and the New York Sirens faced off at KeyBank Center. Despite a strong start for the Sirens, the Fleet tied it up, forcing the game into overtime. The Fleet took the 3-2 victory in the shootout.
Two Goals in the First Gave Them the Lead
The Sirens opened the scoring quickly. Three minutes into the first period, Ella Shelton hit Sidney Morin in the Sirens’ offensive zone to gain control of the puck. She passed to Sarah Fillier, who was skating up to the net on her right. Skating up on just one leg, she took the shot. The puck bounced off the crossbar and into the net to put the Sirens on the board first.
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With 50 seconds left in the first, the Sirens broke the tied 1-1 game. Abby Roque took a shot that was blocked by Aerin Frankel. Jessie Eldridge was in front of the net. She recovered the rebound and tipped the puck past Frankel to put the Sirens up by one.
This strong start was what the Sirens needed after their previous game results. Unfortunately, they could not make any scoring chances happen for the rest of the game.
Unnecessary Penalty Potentially Cost Them the Win
Towards the end of the second period, Shelton had to sit for cross-checking. It was on this extra woman advantage that Boston scored their second goal of the game. The defensive player checked Loren Gabel not once, but twice. Sending her to the ice for the second time put Shelton in the box. She had to sit for the two-minute minor, and that’s when the Fleet capitalized on their opportunity. Kayle Osborne did her best, making two great pad saves on the shots that came at her. However, Amanda Pelkey was in the right place at the right time. She took a shot that banked to the left of Osborne as she went right. There was no way for Osborne to stop that shot. The Fleet tied the game.
Despite four chances, the Sirens did not score once on their extra player advantages. One came right after Shelton’s penalty, as Sydney Bard also sat for cross-checking. The Sirens began the third period on the power play, yet they could not capitalize on this chance.
The tied game forced a five-minute overtime. When neither team scored, it headed to the shootout. The Sirens did not earn a single shot in the five-round shootout. In round two, the Fleet’s Susanna Tapani slipped a puck past Osborne. Unfortunately, it only takes one. The Fleet were victorious once again.
At Least They Earned a Point
In the overall PWHL standings, the Sirens still sit in last place. This is now their seventh loss in a row. On the plus side, this game went into overtime, so they could come away with a point in the standings.
The last time they earned a point was in their first of these seven losses against the Fleet. That game on Jan. 31 also went into a shootout. Once again, the Fleet were able to take the victory.
Thanks to the one point they earned, they are now four points below the Ottawa Charge. New York has 21 points, and Ottawa has 25. Hopefully, the Sirens can break this losing streak and pull out another three points soon. They certainly need it.
The Sirens have played Boston five times this season and have yet to come out with the win. Their final matchup of the 2024-25 PWHL season will happen in a few weeks on March 5 in Boston.
Next Up
The Sirens will travel north to Ottawa, where they will play against the Charge on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
