On Sunday, Jan. 25, the New York Sirens took on the Minnesota Frost for their second matchup of the 2025-26 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season. The two teams squared off at the Prudential Center just nine days prior, where the Frost took a 3-2 win in overtime.
While their previous game was a close head-to-head battle, this time the Frost had control of the entire game. The Frost struck first with two goals just 12 seconds apart early in the first period. The Sirens got one back late to try and begin the comeback. The middle frame saw two quick goals again for the Frost, and they had a three-goal lead heading into the third period. The Sirens scored first in the third period, but Minnesota denied their comeback with two more goals. The Frost left the ice with a 6-2 win and are currently the only team to win a game in the season series.
Kaltounkova Put the Sirens on the Board
Although the Sirens were down by two goals, they made an effort to tie up the game in the first. Maddi Wheeler got a hold of the puck and sent it down the ice. Casey O’Brien chased after it and caught it in New York’s zone. She passed it to Kristyna Kaltounkova, who picked it up near the net. She skated the puck around the back of the net and, with a wraparound shot, put the Sirens up on the board.
Kaltounkova and O’Brien are currently tied for first place on the Sirens’ leaderboard, each with 10 points. Kaltounkova earned her total through nine goals and one assist. She has been a proven goal scorer for the Sirens and has been a great help to the team offensively. She has proven why she was the first-overall pick in the 2025 PWHL Draft and has shown no signs of slowing down.
Bargman Tried to Even the Score
The Sirens were in a three-goal hole at the beginning of the third, but they struck first to begin the final frame. Kayla Vespa had the puck, and she passed it to Savannah Norcross on the other side of the net. She took a shot, but Maddie Rooney hugged the post, denying her chance. The rebound kicked out to Anna Bargman in front of the net. She had a wide open space to score, giving the Sirens their second goal of the night.
Related: 3 Takeaways From the Victoire’s 2-1 OT Win Over the Frost
Bargman is another rookie for the Sirens this season who has had a slower start. She has recorded three points in 14 games via two goals and one assist. She was the only player on the Sirens’ top line for this game to record a point. She has fluctuated between the top six and the bottom six, but continues to prove she is a valuable asset to this New York team, no matter which line she plays on.
Sirens Were Outplayed
You would think that with an even number of shots, the game would have been a bit closer than it was. However, the Sirens failed to capitalize on their scoring chances, unfortunately.
When speaking to the media after the game, captain Micah Zandee-Hart spoke on the things that the Sirens did well, stating, “I think when we were playing well, our exits out of our zone were really good and our neutral zone transitions were good. I also felt like when we got in the O-zone, and we were able to possess the puck, we got some really, really good looks, we just weren’t able to put more of those in the back of the net, but I thought we were generating a lot of chances when we did get into the O-zone with possession.”
There is no denying that the Sirens had good chances, 27 of them to be precise. However, it was Frost who managed to capitalize on these the most, as they also had 27 scoring chances. Two of the Frost’s goals were scored at 4-on-4 at the beginning of the game, and then they also scored a power-play goal in the final minutes.
The Sirens’ penalty kill now sits in last place in the PWHL. With a 78.3% success rate, they are just under Frost, who have a 79.3% success rate. Only one percent, but this makes the difference. The Frost managed to kill both of their penalties, while they scored a power-play goal and during the 4-on-4. The Sirens will need to buckle down and fix their special teams to have a strong second half of the season.
Sirens Have One More Game Before the Olympics Break
The Sirens will take on the Boston Fleet on Wednesday, Jan. 28. This will be the two teams’ last game before the Olympic break.
The season series between the Frost and the Sirens will continue in Minnesota on Sunday, March 15.
