In a battle between the fourth-place team in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) the Ottawa Charge (3-0-1-3) and the third-place New York Sirens (3-1-1-2), the Charge prevailed by the final score of 3-2.
Kayle Osborne was in the crease for the Sirens. Osborne started after the Sirens’ 5-0 win over the Minnesota Frost on Jan. 4, where Corinne Schroeder earned the shutout. Osborne entered this game with a 0-0-0-1 record (one shootout loss) and a league-leading 1.33 goals-against-average (GAA).
Between the pipes for the visiting Charge was Emerance Maschmeyer, who came into this game with a 2-0-0-0 record, league second-best 2.00 GAA, and league-leading .935 save percentage (SV%).
The Sirens would get on the scoreboard at 4:36 when Noora Tulus made a cross-ice pass out of the corner. The pass found Ella Shelton wide open on the opposite face-off dot, where Shelton shot quickly and beat Emerance Maschmeyer to the far side of the net.
The Charge responded a minute and 20 seconds later when last year’s draft’s second-overall pick, Danielle Serdachny, scored by driving the net and tapping in a pass from Victoria Bach.
The visitors weren’t finished there. Halfway through the first period, Ottawa dumped the puck into the Sirens’ defensive zone behind the net. The puck took a favorable bounce to the front of the Sirens net, where it was tapped home by Charge forward Shiann Darkangelo. The goal was Darkangelo’s third of the season and put the Charge in the lead for the first time of the game. Despite scoring first, the Sirens were outshot 12-5 and down 2-1 heading into the first intermission.
At 4:52 of the second period, Ottawa’s Brianne Jenner took the first penalty of the game, a two-minute minor for interference. The Sirens would only manage one shot on goal on the woman advantage and almost gave up a jailbreak goal when Emily Clark went in on a breakaway, and her shot trickled through the five-hole of Sirens goaltender Kayle Osborne.
The Charge had another goal a little over nine minutes into the second period. This time it was Emily Clark steamrolling her way down the right side of the ice in on a semi-breakaway and chipping the puck over the blocker of Osborne to give the Charge a 3-1 lead.
The second period was eventful; the Charge took two more penalties, and the Sirens got progressively better on the power play. On the second power play, Sirens forward Elizabeth Giguere missed tapping in a rebound before the Charge’s net, but it was cleared before she could get her stick free. That was the Sirens’ most dangerous chance of the second period. Despite being given three power play opportunities in the period, the Sirens could not convert, and they took a 3-1 deficit into the locker room for the second intermission.
Just 21 seconds inside the third period, Ottawa’s Gabbie Hughes was called for tripping, giving the Sirens their fourth power play of the game. Again, the Sirens could not convert despite having three shots on goal. However, the Sirens would convert at 5-on-5 a little over six minutes into the third period. Rookie defenseman Maja Nylen Persson scored her first goal of the season for the Sirens, a high wrister from the point that beat Maschmeyer through a heavy screen by teammate Gabby Rosenthal. Micah Zandee-Hart and Chloe Aurard assisted on the goal.
The Sirens pulled their goaltender with two minutes remaining in the game and got a scoring chance in the final minute of regulation. Ella Shelton passed down to Abby Roque, who then passed to Alex Carpenter, who shot from the slot, but Maschmeyer denied her shot. New York kept the pressure on the Charge for the duration of those two minutes, but the Charge stood fast and held on to win 3-2.
With the win, the Charge leapfrogged the Sirens in the PWHL standings from fourth into third place. Emerance Maschmeyer was named first star of the game for making 21 saves.
The Sirens will have four days of practice before their next game, Jan. 12, against the Toronto Sceptres. Puck drop is scheduled for 12 p.m. at the Prudential Center in Newark.
