On Sunday, Dec. 28, the New York Sirens took on the Seattle Torrent at American Airlines Center for a 2025-26 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Takeover Tour matchup. While the Sirens were technically the home team in this game, both teams played on neutral ice in Dallas, Texas. The Torrent took an early lead, but the Sirens answered back. This went back and forth for the entire game, until the end of the third period when the Sirens gained their first lead, which catapulted them to a 4-3 win over the Torrent.
O’Brien Nets Her First Goal – And Her First Hat Trick
They say everything is bigger in Texas, and Casey O’Brien decided to test that theory out against the Torrent. She scored the first goal of the game, which just so happened to be her first PWHL goal in her career. On top of that, O’Brien scored her first hat trick as well.
O’Brien scored a goal in each period, including two power-play goals in the final two frames. In the first period, her shot went bar down with just a minute and change left to tie the game. In the second, she received Sarah Filler’s rebound from Paetyn Levis and let her shot fly past Hannah Murphy while Alex Carpenter was just seconds away from exiting the box.
Finally, late in the third period, Danielle Serdachny took a seat for hooking. While there was a scrum in front of the net, O’Brien gained control of the loose puck. She shot it into the space Murphy allowed while she hugged the right side of the net, giving the Sirens their first lead of the game and scoring the game-winning goal.
O’Brien was the third overall pick in the 2025 PWHL Draft. The Sirens selected her after they traded defender Ella Shelton to the Toronto Sceptres, allowing them an additional pick in the first round of the draft. Prior to this game, O’Brien had two assists. She might have started slow, but she is now off to a great start.
O’Brien is also the second player on the Sirens to record a hat trick. Taylor Girard scored her first PWHL hat trick in the Sirens’ home opener against the Ottawa Charge. The two are now in good company.
Wheeler Earned Her Redemption
Maddi Wheeler had an interesting start to the third period. She had to take a seat five minutes in for hooking. As she exited the penalty box, the puck was right in front of her, and she touched it with her stick before her skates even touched the ice. Due to this, she received another penalty for interference. This time, when she exited the box, Kristin O’Neill passed the puck to her in the neutral zone. She skated up to the net uncontested and let it fly for the Sirens’ third goal of the game. This time, she was well out of the box before she touched the puck.
Related: O’Brien’s Hat Trick in Dallas Leads Sirens to 4-3 Win Over Torrent
Wheeler is another rookie on the Sirens team this season and has been finding her stride. This was her first PWHL goal, but prior to this, she had recorded four assists, including three in the Sirens’ season opener. With her first goal under her belt, Wheeler is already off to a strong first PWHL season.
Sirens Back in the Win Column
After their incredible 5-1 win for their home opener, the Sirens began a series of losses. They went on a four-game losing streak, including their last two at home. Technically, this was a home game for the Sirens, and now they are back in the win column.
The Sirens set the record for the longest losing streak last season with nine games, breaking the previous record set by them in the 2024 season of eight games. Let’s hope this four-game losing streak is the longest the Sirens go on for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
The Sirens’ next two games are at home at the Prudential Center. Let’s hope they can get back to their winning ways from their home opener. Although it is still early in the season, the Sirens are currently in sixth place in the standings with nine points. The Torrent sit just above them with 10 points. It is still way too early to discuss playoffs, but New York is the only original six team that hasn’t made the postseason; it would be a nice change of pace for them to prove they are, in fact, a contender.
Sirens Will Play One More in 2025
The Sirens will host the Vancouver Goldeneyes on Wednesday, Dec. 31. This will be their last game of the 2025 calendar year, and then all sights will be on 2026.
