On Wednesday, April 1, the New York Sirens hosted the Minnesota Frost for the two teams’ fourth matchup of the 2025-26 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season. Heading into this game, the Frost had won all three previous games.
The game kicked off in favor of the Frost, as they scored just 16 seconds into the game. The Sirens tied it up five minutes later, and after 20 minutes, both teams had a goal on the board. A power-play goal early in the first gave the Frost the lead, with another early goal in the third. The Sirens tied the game with two goals from Sarah Fillier in the 12th minute, forcing the game to go into overtime. In the final seconds of three-on-three, Fillier completed the hat trick to secure the 4-3 win for New York.
Wheeler Evened the Score
Just 16 seconds into the game, Taylor Heise scored to put the Frost on the board first. Minnesota put their foot on the gas and didn’t let up until about the third period. Before that, though, Maddi Wheeler managed to even the score just five minutes after Heise’s goal.
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Clair DeGeorge had the puck behind the net and sent it to Wheeler as she skated up. She passed it to Wheeler, who immediately took a shot and put the Sirens on the board. This also marked DeGeorge’s first point with the Sirens.
Wheeler was selected in the fourth round of the PWHL Draft, after the Sirens traded Ella Shelton to the Toronto Sceptres for their third overall pick and their fourth round pick of the PWHL Draft. In 23 games with the Sirens, Wheeler has 11 points. She has flexed between the top and the bottom six, but regardless of where she is put in the lineup, she manages to find great scoring chances.
Sirens’ Power Play Woes
The Sirens had five power-play opportunities in this game, including three in the second period, which resulted in an extended five-on-three for a full two minutes. Despite having two additional players on the ice, the Sirens couldn’t convert and still only had one goal heading into the third period.
The Sirens are in the middle of the pack with their power-play success rate, currently in fifth place at 13.8%. They have 11 power-play goals out of 80 power-play chances, which is the most in the league. To have extended their lead during the extra-player advantage could have been the difference maker in this game, but luckily, they still pulled out the win.
Fillier Was Unstoppable
10:13 into the third period, Sarah Fillier took a seat for hooking. As she exited the box, she gained control of the puck, skated up to the net with speed, and put it past Maddie Rooney for the Sirens’ second goal of the game. Off the next play, the Sirens won the faceoff and skated the puck into their zone. Casey O’Brien passed it to Maja Nylen Persson at the blue line, who took a slapshot. Rooney made the save, but Fillier picked up the rebound and scored again just 14 seconds later.
With the game tied, it went into overtime to decide who would win. Time was dwindling on three-on-three, and Nylen Persson dished a pass to Fillier in the Sirens’ zone. She sent her shot high into the net to win the game for the Sirens.
Three goals in this game marked Fillier’s first PWHL career hat trick. She scored all three of her goals in the back half of the game, putting on a strong performance in the final eight minutes of regulation and the final seconds of overtime. She now has 19 points, which leads the Sirens. Fillier might have had a slow start to her second PWHL season, but she has now been growing into her own and finding her footing.
Shanahan Earns Her First Win
For the third time this season, Callie Shanahan started in net for the Sirens. She recorded 22 saves on 25 shots, earning a save percentage (SV%) of .880. Although this likely isn’t the performance she wanted to have, Shanahan helped the Sirens pull out the win, earning her first career PWHL win in the process.
After the Sirens lost Abbey Levy and Corinne Schreoder in the offseason and the expansion draft, respectively, they only had Kayle Osborne signed as a goaltender. They selected Shanahan in the fourth round, with the pick they received from trading Abby Roque to the Montreal Victoire.
Although Shanahan hasn’t played too many games, with head coach Greg Fargo starting Osborne in 21 of their 24 games thus far, it was great for Shanahan to get her first win. Now, she has proven to Fargo what she can do, so he can rest Osborne here and there.
Sirens’ Next Stop: The Garden
The Sirens’ next game is on Saturday, April 4, when they host the Seattle Torrent at Madison Square Garden. This will be the two teams’ final game of the 2025-26 season against one another, and also the first time the Torrent head to the New York/New Jersey area to play the Sirens.
