After a week-long break, the New York Sirens (3-1-1) are back in action as they host the Ottawa Charge (1-3-1) in a Sunday matinee matchup.
Sunday’s game is the first of six times that the Sirens and Charge face off against each other. Last season New York and Ottawa split their season series 2-2.
Coming into Sunday’s game, New York fell to the Minnesota Frost 4-3 in a shootout. Despite not getting the win, the Sirens had no reason to be upset about their performance. An aspect that shined in that game is the depth of New York’s roster. Last season, the Sirens relied heavily on their top line for production, and when that line couldn’t get going, no one else stepped up. This season, New York is seeing production from all four lines. In their loss against the Frost, all three goals came from three different lines. As the season continues, it’ll be important for the Sirens to continue this trend.
Depth isn’t only coming offensively, but defensively as well. 2024 draftee Kayle Osborne made her first PWHL appearance against Minnesota, stopping 18 of 19 shots. It’s encouraging that New York has players to rely on both offensively and defensively and having this contribution will be key for the Sirens to make a run for the Walter Cup.
For the Charge, tomorrow is their first game in ten days, and coincidentally they also come into this game with a loss against the Frost. Though for Ottawa, it wasn’t a loss where many positives could be found. The Charge’s special teams struggled in their last game. Their powerplay went 0/2 and the penalty kill 1/3. This isn’t a new story for Ottawa as it’s been an issue all season long. Currently they’re second to last in both power play and penalty kill percentages. They’ll be tested Sunday when they face a New York power play that is 27.8% efficient and a penalty kill that is 81.8% efficient.
