Saturday, January 4, 2025 | 1:00 p.m. CT | Xcel Energy Center
WATCH LIVE: FanDuel Sports Network North, MSG/MSGHD, CBC TV, CBC Gem, cbcsports.ca, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com
Clay Matvick (Play-by-Play), Alexis Pearson (Analyst), Abby Labar (Reporter), Andi Petrillo (CBC Studio Host), Hailey Salvian (CBC Studio Analyst), Saroya Tinker (CBC Studio Analyst).
NEW YORK SIRENS
2-1-1-2 | 9 PTS | 4TH PLACE
Top Scorers: A. Carpenter (4G, 4A) & S. Fillier (3G, 5A)
Last Game: 3-1 L vs. Ottawa on Dec. 29
MINNESOTA FROST
3-2-1-1 | 14 PTS | 1ST PLACE
Top Scorer: Claire Thompson – 7 GP, 1-9-10 PTS
Last Game: 4-3 OTW vs. BOS on Jan. 2
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: TIED 3-3 IN POINTS (MIN WON 9-6 IN 2024)
Dec. 1 at MIN: 4-3 NY (OT) | Dec. 22 at NY: 4-3 MIN (SO) | Jan. 4 at MIN | Jan. 15 at NY | Mar. 16 at NY (Detroit) | Apr. 26 at MIN
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
These teams have met twice this season, with the road team picking up a 4-3 win in extra time on both occasions – New York won in OT on Dec. 1, while Minnesota won in a shootout on Dec. 22. Four of the seven all-time matchups between these clubs have gone beyond regulation.
The Sirens are coming off a 3-1 loss to Ottawa on Sunday. It was the first time they failed to score multiple goals in a game since Apr. 20 (3.33 goals per game average in the nine games between). It’s also the first time New York failed to win in consecutive games since a three-game skid from Apr. 20-28.
Sarah Fillier scored New York’s lone goal on Sunday, for her eighth point in six games to lead all rookies. The next top rookie has five points - Minnesota’s Britta Curl-Salemme.
New York defender Olivia Knowles returns to the State of Hockey where she stands fifth all-time in games played at the University of Minnesota (168GP, 2017-22). She played four seasons with the Frost’s Taylor Heise and Grace Zumwinkle.
Sirens forwards Paetyn Levis (Rogers) and Gabby Rosenthal (Blaine) are back on home soil for the second time this season. At Ohio State University, both played five seasons with Minnesota’s Sophie Jaques and four with Liz Schepers. All four won a 2022 National Championship with the Buckeyes.
New York defender Ella Shelton returns to the lineup for the first time since the season-opener after a stint on LTIR. Her eight points (2G, 6A) in five games against Minnesota during the inaugural season was her most against any opponent.
Minnesota beat Boston, 4-3, in overtime on Thursday at home. It was the third time the Frost have scored at least four goals this season (excluding goals awarded for shootout wins) – they had two such games all of last season. The only other team with three such games this year is New York.
Brooke McQuigge scored a goal for the second straight game on Thursday after failing to record a point in any of her first four games. McQuigge also saw 16:24 of ice time, over six minutes more than any of her first five games. The fourth-round pick has seven shots on goal over her last three games after not recording any in her first three.
This game will feature one of the three PWHL players with four goals this season in New York’s Alex Carpenter as well as the league’s top assister in Minnesota’s Claire Thompson. Thompson’s nine assists are three more than any other player, while Carpenter tied for the PWHL lead in assists last season with 15.
The PWHL’s three longest active point streaks are on the line today, led by Carpenter’s six-game streak that is one game away from setting a PWHL single-season record. Thompson and Heise both have five-game streaks.
Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield has scored all three of her goals this season against New York.
Curl-Salemme will miss her first game of the season as a result of a one-game suspension for a high-sticking incident on Thursday night against Boston.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“Our focus is on playing a complete game. Consistency has been a point of emphasis for us, and we’re looking to bring the same intensity and execution every shift. Minnesota is at the top of the standings for good reason, and this is an opportunity for us to play our best game.” – Sirens Head Coach Greg Fargo.
“The quick turnaround is always tough, but everyone does it at some point. We’re grinding while we get healthy but we’re staying in games and giving ourselves a chance to win so I’m proud of our group. We know New York can score in bunches, so we need to be on top of our game defensively and capitalize on the chances we create.” – Frost Head Coach Ken Klee.
SATURDAY’S GAME: The league’s top offenses go to battle for the third time this season with Minnesota (3.71) and New York (3.00) leading the way in average goals-per-game. The Frost and Sirens are also the least penalized teams in the PWHL, averaging 3.71 and 5.33 penalty minutes per game respectively. Minnesota continues their longest homestand of the season with their third game in eight days at Xcel Energy Center. They’ll play their fourth straight game at home on Wednesday against Boston.