The New York Sirens opened up the season with a 4-3 overtime win against the defending Walter Cup Champions Minnesota Frost at Xcel Energy Center Sunday evening.
The Frost got started early, scoring 21 seconds into the game, the fastest goal scored in PWHL history. Grace Zumwinkle put them on the board as last season’s team leading scorer shot one blocker side past Sirens goaltender Corinne Schroeder. The pressure from the Frost didn’t stop there, as the Sirens were suffocated in all three zones of the ice. New York could not generate many opportunities and when it cleared its zone, Minnesota found its way right back in. This style of play was exactly how the Frost scored their second goal as Kendall Coyne Schofield battled in front of the net to bang a rebound home. A rather distasteful start to the season for New York, as they were down 2-0 on the scoreboard and 15-3 in shots after one.
The Sirens came out strong to start the second period, putting three shots on the net in the first five minutes. Minnesota would take a momentum changing penalty, giving last season’s second-best power play unit their first chance of the night. New York took advantage of the opportunity as Jessie Eldridge sniped one that hit the iron and went in. Less than three minutes later, the Sirens were back at it again as the rookie and hometown native Gabby Rosenthal found a corner on the short side. She snuck the puck past Frost keeper Nicole Hensley for her first career goal. The second frame was a complete 180 for New York, as offensively it consistently kept pressure on Minnesota and defensively broke up chances.
Once again, the change of momentum at a period’s start changed as Minnesota began the third with complete offensive pressure on New York. Despite their pressure, the Sirens were able to take advantage of an offensive break as Alex Carpenter sneaks a one timer off a saucer pass from first overall pick Sarah Fillier, her first career point. The Frost didn’t let up, and their persistence put them right back in the game when rookie Dominique Petrie scored her first goal in the PWHL. This one couldn’t be decided in 60 minutes, so to overtime both teams went, picking up their first points of the season.
The Sirens gave the Frost a taste of their game as they scored 19 seconds into the overtime period. It was the connection between Fillier and Carpenter once again as Fillier made the cross ice pass to Carpenter who put it away top shelf.
New York played spoiler in Minnesota’s banner hanging game, coming back from a 2-0 deficit early on. The Sirens start the season off on the right foot and look to carry this momentum when they travel to Montreal to play the Victoire Wednesday night.
