NEWARK, NJ– The Minnesota Frost secured a 3-2 overtime victory in their first meeting of the season against the New York Sirens on Friday night at Prudential Center. The Frost offense was powered entirely by U.S. Olympians, including the overtime goal by Kendall Coyne Schofield on a play where Taylor Heise faked a shot and passed to the captain who buried the 2-on-1 feed to end the Sirens’ record four-game winning streak. 
Minnesota opened the scoring when Britta Curl-Salemme capitalized in front of the net at 8:55 of the first period off a Heise pass. Sirens rookie Casey O’Brien tied the game at 1-1 with a shorthanded ‘jailbreak’ goal on a breakaway at 16:24 to close out the first. The Frost responded early in the second period with a Kelly Pannek goal from Grace Zumwinkle and Coyne Schofield just 35 seconds after puck drop. Taylor Girard tied the game for the Sirens at 4:04 of the middle frame to end the scoring in regulation. After neither team could take advantage in a back-and-forth scoreless third, the teams headed to overtime where Coyne Schofield ended the game just 52 seconds into the extra frame. Nicole Hensley produced a strong performance with 24 saves in her return to the Minnesota crease for the first time since Dec. 30 after missing time due to illness. Kayle Osborne stopped 23 of 26 shots for New York, continuing her streak as the team’s only goaltender to appear in a game this season.
New York heads to Washington, D.C. for this Sunday’s Takeover Tour at Capital One Arena where they will face off against the Montréal Victoire at 2 p.m. ET in a matchup between two teams tied for third place in the standings. Minnesota, who stands alone in second place, returns to Grand Casino Arena for their first contest in a three-game homestand against Montréal on Wednesday.
QUOTES
Minnesota Captain Kendall Coyne Schofield on Taylor Heise’s game: “Obviously a highly skilled, talented player that makes an impact night in and night out. You know that whether she’s scoring goals in overtime or making elite plays in overtime, or five on five. She had a great forecheck today, and that led to Britta (Curl-Salemme)’s goal, our first goal. She’s a dynamic player night in and night out. So, to hear [Heise now leads the league in assists] doesn’t surprise me.”
Frost Alternate Captain Kelly Pannek on what it means to have the final three games leading to break at home: “I think for us it’s always just sticking to our good habits. These are big points going into the international break. Luckily, we’re going to be home for a little bit of a stretch, so to hopefully take advantage of a consistent schedule at home, getting a few practices in and having some off days mixed in as well and just being ready to play in front of our home crowd.”
New York forward Taylor Girard on her goal scoring this season: “I had a strong offseason, and coming in with a brand-new team brought a lot of energy. Everyone is working extremely hard, and many of my goals are a result of my teammates’ effort—getting pucks to the net, creating traffic, and allowing me to capitalize on rebounds when they’re there.”
Sirens Head Coach Greg Fargo on the team grasping on the energy in the third period: “It [the third period] did open up. We noticed they were trying to stretch the zone and get behind our right defense to open up the ice. When teams do that, the game becomes more back and forth and turns into a bit of a track meet. That led to more rushes, especially in the third period, and more chances at both ends.”
NOTABLES
Minnesota improved its overtime record to 2-2 this season but are still searching for their first regulation win against New York since Mar. 16, 2024, of the inaugural season. The Frost beat the Sirens once last season in a shootout at Prudential Center on Dec. 22, 2024.
The Frost won their first on the road in three games since winning in Toronto on Dec. 30.
New York suffered their first loss since Dec. 21, ending their team record four-game winning streak. The Sirens have points in five straight games (4-0-1-0) for the second time in team history following a stretch of five straight games beyond regulation (0-3-2-0) from Jan. 28 to Feb. 23, 2024.
Prior to tonight, the Sirens were the only PWHL team without an overtime or shootout decision this season. Last season, New York had nine results beyond regulation including a 3-1 record in games decided in overtime.
The Sirens lead the league with three shorthanded goals, matching their combined total over the last two seasons (one in 2024-25 and two in 2023-24).
Four of the league’s top six scorers are all members of the Frost with 12 or more points in 12 games.
Kendall Coyne Schofield recorded her fourth multi-point game of the season with a goal and an assist to extend her point streak to three consecutive games (2G, 3A) and bring her season point total to 14 (9G, 5A) in 12 games for a share of the league lead with teammate Britta Curl-Salemme. The Frost captain moved into second in all-time PWHL scoring with 54 career points (27G, 27A), moving ahead of Toronto’s Daryl Watts (27G, 25A).
Taylor Heise extended her assist and point streak to three-straight games (1G, 5A) and is the first player in the PWHL this season to reach 10 assists as the league’s all-time leader in the category with 33. The Frost forward’s second-straight multi-point performance, and fourth of the season, brings her point total to 12 in as many games.
Britta Curl-Salemme scored her fifth goal of the season in her 12th game and is the first player in the PWHL this season to record at least one point in 10 different games. The goal was her third point over the last two games to bring her season total to 14 for a share of the league lead. Curl-Salemme is now just one point away from matching her 2024-25 season point total of 15 (9G, 6A) in 28 games as a rookie.
Kelly Pannek notched her fifth goal of the season to record a new career-high through 12 games, surpassing the four she scored in 24 games during the inaugural season. The Frost alternate captain has points in consecutive games to bring her season total to 12, one more than her 2024-25 total of 11 in 30 games. She also led tonight’s game with a season-high 25 faceoffs.
Casey O’Brien recorded the first shorthanded goal and fourth overall of her rookie campaign, bringing her season point total to eight to lead all PWHL rookies. The Sirens third overall pick extended her point streak to three-straight games (1G, 2A), a new career-high.
Taylor Girard grabbed her fifth goal of the season and 10th of her career to become the 35th player in PWHL history to reach an all-time double-digit goal total. The veteran reached five goals in 12 games this season, matching her accumulated total across 46 games in the last two seasons.
Nicole Hensley notched her fifth win in her sixth start, backstopping the Frost to 15 of a possible 18 points when she’s between the pipes. The performance leaves Hensley with the third-lowest goals against average (1.48) and second-highest save percentage (.949) among goaltenders with multiple starts this season.
Kayle Osborne suffered the first overtime loss of her career while making her record 12th straight start of the season for the Sirens. She allowed three goals in two games during New York’s record four-game win streak along with two shutouts.
Sarah Fillier has earned an assist in four consecutive games where the Sirens have been the home team, including three-straight when she’s been in the lineup at Prudential Center. The Sirens alternate captain and Canadian Olympian also scored her only goal of the season in the team’s Nov. 29 home opener.
Micah Zandee-Hart produced the lone assist on Girard’s goal for her second helper of the season. The Sirens captain has recorded five of her 15 career points against Minnesota.
Grace Zumwinkle’s first assist of the season ends a career-high 11-game stretch without a helper. The Frost forward now has six points in 12 games, including three (2G, 1A) over the last two games.
Denisa Křížová led all skaters with five shots on goal, a season-high for the Czech Olympian.
Kristin O’Neill went 15-for-23 on faceoffs, recording her fifth career game with at least 15 wins at the dot. The Sirens forward has taken the most faceoffs in the league this season with 231 and is currently tied with the Seattle’s Alex Carpenter for the league lead in wins at 135.
Maddie Rooney and Lee Stecklein were scratched from Minnesota’s lineup today due to illness.
THREE STARS
1. Kendall Coyne Schofield (MIN) 1G, 1A
2. Casey O’Brien (NY) 1G
3. Nicole Hensley (MIN) 24 SV
STANDINGS
Minnesota: 21 PTS (5-2-2-3) – 2nd Place
New York: 19 PTS (6-0-1-5) – 3rd Place (Tied)
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