Courtesy of the PWHL
Something’s gotta give. Just over 48 hours since their last game, the New York Sirens returned to the Prudential Center with hopes of snapping their five-game losing skid. The Sirens were taking on the Toronto Sceptres for the fourth time this season and were looking to get back in the win column as they had won both previous meetings against Toronto at home.
The Sceptres entered this contest with an active four-game win streak while outscoring opponents 13-7 in that span. Another major difference in this Toronto team compared to the last time they faced New York is that Natalie Spooner, the team’s leading scorer last season, is back in the lineup after missing significant time with a knee injury.
And good news for the Sirens is that Alex Carpenter rejoins the lineup after dealing with an upper-body injury. Carpenter hasn’t been on the ice since the loss to the Fleet on Jan. 31 so getting her back is a huge boost for the team.
Both teams came out strong to start the game, putting shots on net and maintaining offensive zone pressure, but nothing got past Toronto’s Kristen Campbell and New York’s Corinne Schroeder. Despite the solid play on either side of the ice, the first period passed by without the Sirens or Sceptres scoring a goal.
It was more of the same for the start of the middle frame until Hannah Miller broke the ice by scoring her ninth goal of the season to give the Sceptres the 1-0 lead. At 12:35, Ella Shelton went to the box for interference which gave Toronto the first power play opportunity of the game. It didn’t take long for the Sceptres to capitalize on the advantage as just about 30 seconds later, Julia Gosling found the back of the net to extend the lead to 2-0.
Courtesy of the PWHL
The Sirens got their first power play opportunity early in the final 20 minutes, but didn’t score on the advantage. Toronto was able to extend their lead once again thanks to Miller’s second goal of the night which came on the power play. But not even a minute later, New York responded as Carpenter got the puck past Campbell to make it 3-1. The momentum didn’t last long though as Gosling netted her second power play goal of the game to make it 4-1 to seal the win for the Sceptres.
The Sirens dropped their sixth straight game as the Sceptres extended their winning streak to five straight games. In this six game skid, New York has been outscored 23-7.
The performance of the night came from Miller who recorded two goals and two assists in Toronto’s win. She became just the third player, and first forward, in PWHL history to post a four-point night. She also took over sole possession as the league leader in points with 22.
“You know, you see stats as one thing, but there’s a lot of plays that happen out there on the ice that don’t necessarily get on the scoresheet,” Miller said. “I’m pretty lucky that I get to play with a lot of incredible players. Just a combination of everyone clicking out there and our power play has been hot, which is excellent.”
Sceptres Head Coach Troy Ryan also chimed in on Miller’s excellent play as of late. “I was just congratulating her because I don’t think she’s changed her game as she’s producing a little bit more. She’s not gambling and taking these high-risk chances, she continues to just play the right way and gets rewarded for it,” Ryan said. “From a coach perspective, it’s the perfect kind of offense because once the offense, if it ever dries up, she’s still playing the right way so she can still have an impact in our game, and they’re the players you want to see rewarded with the points.”
With six losses in a row, the question remains what has to change for the Sirens in order to get the results they need to stay in the playoff hunt. Sirens Head Coach Greg Fargo made it clear the current group is the one that will turn it around and find success.
“I believe in the group that’s in the room, we’ve seen it [the team’s success], we’ve seen this team compete at a high level. I think against everybody in the league you’re seeing us getting in our own way a little bit. I’ve got a lot of belief in the room and we will continue to show up the next few weeks.”
Carpenter also spoke on what the team was missing in this contest as the losses have started to pile up. “There was just a little bit of a lack of urgency. It’s obviously hard to do that when you’re on a six game skid, but I think mentally that’s what we’re missing. We obviously know how to play, we’ve shown that before, I think it’s the mental side that we’re missing right now.”
The Sirens are back in action on Sunday, Feb. 23 when they take on the Boston Fleet in Buffalo, New York for their first Takeover Tour game. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 PM EST.
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