‘Proved we belong’: Young Sirens start off PWHL season with big win over Charge

OTTAWA — The New York Sirens are starting fresh in their third PWHL season as the only remaining team in the league that has never played a playoff game. So far it’s working, as the Sirens topped the Ottawa Charge 4-0 to open their season on Saturday.

In addition to losing four of their top five scorers from 2024-25 in the off-season, longtime starting goaltender Corinne Schroder parted ways with the Sirens (1-0-0-0) to sign with the Seattle Torrent. Comfortably stepping into the No. 1 role this season is Kayle Osborne, who shut out the Ottawa Charge (0-0-0-1) for the second time in her PWHL career.

“We’re a super young group and proved we belong in this league tonight,” Osborne said.

At the other end of the ice on Saturday, New York’s offence exploded for four goals all within the final 12:11 of action thanks to a hat trick from forward Taylor Girard and an empty-netter from Maja Nylen Persson.

Forward Kristýna Kaltounková, New York’s first overall pick from this year’s draft, looked to lay the body early in her debut, but that manifested in a boarding penalty which kicked off the game’s physical mayhem.

On the ensuing advantage, Ottawa seemingly capitalized on the ensuing advantage when forward Fanuza Kadirova’s shot ricocheted off Gabbie Hughes’s shin pad and into the netting. But the Charge were caught with too many players on the ice on the play, killing the man advantage to the tune of the home crowd’s voiced frustration.

With tensions rising, New York captain Micah Zandee-Hart was ejected for a five-minute major when she cross-checked Hughes in the mask while getting scrappy following the next sequence. Hughes wasn’t bothered by the move, however.

“That’s the league,” Hughes said. “It’s physical. It’s fun.”

Gwyneth Philips, last season’s playoff MVP, took the crease for Ottawa. A difficult foil for Osborne in her first game as New York’s No. 1 option, Philips kept the Charge even with the Sirens through nearly 48 minutes of play.

“She kept her team in the game for a majority of it,” said Sirens head coach Greg Fargo. “We’ve got to get a lot of volume there, obviously. The more attempts we get, the better looks we’re going to get.”

The Sirens finally broke the silence in the third period. Philips first turned away Sirens forward Maddi Wheeler, then stopped Girard’s first follow-up before the second rebound finally snuck through after 28 straight saves for Ottawa.

At that point, the floodgates opened for New York.

With 6:21 to go, Wheeler sent a no-look pass from behind the net to tee up Girard who buried her second goal into a wide-open cage.

“That girl’s got eyes in the back of her head,” Girard said. “We’re starting to get some chemistry together.”

Girard rounded out her hat trick with 3:12 to go and an empty-netter from Maja Nylen Persson extended the lead to 4-0.

In her young PWHL career, Osborne has never lost in all three occasions she’s played in Ottawa. Native to the Ottawa area, she always has a little extra support at TD Place.

“I have a lot of friends and family here tonight,” Osborne said. “I only play here a few times a year, so it’s really special they get to see me.”

For the Charge, a scoreless season-opener only adds to a long-documented history of scoring woes. Last season, the Charge were tied for the least goals for with the Sirens, totalling 71 tallies through 30 games. Only New York sat in last place while Ottawa narrowly made the playoffs where they made a run to the Walter Cup final.

“They scored a few more goals,” Charge head coach Carla MacLeod said. “I don’t think there was like a wheel that fell off or there was a big breakdown by any stretch of the imagination.”

The loss kicks off a three-game homestand for the Charge, where they take on the Vancouver Goldeneyes on Wednesday and face off against the Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost on Dec. 2.

The Sirens will continue on the road, first against the Montréal Victoire on Tuesday before hosting the Goldeneyes on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2025.