Highlights and Press Conferences available on New York and Ottawa YouTube channels
NEWARK, NJ (March 8, 2026) – In front of 8,264 fans — the largest home crowd in team history — the New York Sirens skated to a 6–2 win over the Ottawa Charge at Prudential Center on Sunday afternoon. Sarah Fillier led the way for New York with a three-point performance, including a pair of goals to snap a 14-game goal drought, and Taylor Girard added two goals. Maddi Wheeler opened the scoring in the first period, giving the Sirens a 1-0 lead less than seven minutes into the game, before Fillier notched her first goal of the afternoon just 1:37 later. New York extended the advantage to 3-0 at 17:10, with Girard scoring her first of two goals, cashing in on a 5-on-3 advantage. Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner cut the Sirens’ lead to two 53 seconds later, notching her ninth of the season to make the score 3-1 heading into the first intermission. After a scoreless second period, Gabbie Hughes scored 3:18 into the third to bring the Charge within one, but New York pulled away with Girard’s second goal of the contest, scored at 10:45, and Allyson Simpson’s first of the season less than five minutes later to restore a three-goal lead. Fillier capped the scoring with an empty-net goal with 45 seconds remaining, helping the Sirens snap a five-game winless streak. Goaltender Kayle Osborne made 16 saves for New York to earn her eighth win of the season, while Gwyneth Philips stopped 26 shots for Ottawa. With the victory, New York regained fourth place in the PWHL standings, while Ottawa slipped to fifth.
QUOTES
Sirens Captain Micah Zandee-Hart on the excitement around today’s matchup: “I think it was exciting for us. Obviously, we wanted to have a game like that too, I think our fans that have been at every game deserve that. We felt it from them today, and it was cool to experience that with them. I think this matchup against Ottawa, when you come in and you know [they are] two points ahead of you, that was the final playoff spot.”
Sirens forward Sarah Fillier on scoring two goals this game: “I thought I'd been playing well and had good stretchers through the beginning of the season. You know, sometimes pucks don't go in and thought I had a good Olympics and wanted to hopefully ride that wave of playing really well back here. It's nice when a few go in and hopefully the floodgates open for the back half of the season.”
Ottawa Head Coach Carla MacLeod on her team’s attempt to come back from an early deficit. “Even at the start of the third, we gave it a push and came within a goal. It gave us life, but we were just off today. We could feel it on our bench. We could see it. Again, I think our group is so committed to trying to do what is right. It's not from a lack of care. It was just that we weren't good today, and we can own that. We’ve got to park it move on from it, but certainly that's the reality our game today.”
Charge captain Brianne Jenner on the heavy traffic in front of Gwyneth Philips net. “I think the Sirens came really hungry today, and I don't think we nailed our assignments of clearing that front of the net and boxing out their players. We just weren't where we need to be with that.”
NOTABLES
Today’s attendance of 8,264 fans surpassed the previous Sirens record of 5,132 back when New York made its Prudential Center debut on Apr. 20, 2024.
New York snapped a five-game winless streak, which began with a 4–3 overtime loss to Ottawa at Prudential Center on Jan. 20, and was the longest in the PWHL this season. With today’s regulation win, combined with Toronto’s overtime loss to Minnesota, the Sirens leapfrog both Toronto and Ottawa to move back into fourth place in the league standings.
Ottawa’s four-game win streak at Prudential Center came to an end today. The contest also marked the first time the Charge did not score three goals in a road game against New York all-time.
New York’s six goals mark the most the team has scored in a game this season, and the most Ottawa has allowed in a game this season, matching team-highs set when New York beat Ottawa 6-3 on Mar. 25, 2025.
The Sirens scored two power play goals for the second time this season and improved their power play efficiency from 11.7% to 14.3%, while the Charge did not convert with the player advantage for the first time in four games.
Sarah Fillier snapped a career-high 14-game goal drought with two tallies in the contest, also adding an assist. This marked her first multi-goal game since Mar. 25, 2025, also vs. Ottawa. Despite the drought, the 2025 PWHL Rookie of the Year has recorded points in three of her last four games and nine of her last 12 entering today’s contest. With a season-high three-point performance today, the Sirens alternate captain now sits tied for first in team scoring with 14 points (3G, 11A), while moving into sole possession of second place in the PWHL in assists.
Taylor Girard recorded her second multi-goal game of the season, following her hat trick in the Sirens’ opener — also against Ottawa — and now has five of her seven goals this campaign against the Charge. With eight points (7G, 1A) in 16 games played, the forward has surpassed her previous career high of six points in 23 games during the inaugural PWHL season with Boston.
Casey O’Brien tallied two primary assists for her first career multi-assist performance and second career multi-point game (3G vs. SEA on Dec. 28). The rookie forward now has 14 points (5G, 9A) on the season, leading all first-year players and co-leading New York with FIllier.
Brianne Jenner notched her ninth goal of the season in her 19th game played, tying her career high set during the league’s inaugural season when she reached the mark in 24 games. The Charge captain is tied for fourth in the PWHL in goals, and her 17 points (9G, 8A) are tied for second in the league with teammate Rebecca Leslie and Minnesota’s Britta Curl-Salemme.
Leslie recorded her seventh assist of the season in her 19th game, tying her career high set in 2024 when she tallied seven assists in 24 games with Toronto. The Charge forward’s 17 points (10G, 7A) are tied for second in PWHL scoring and eight more than her previous career high of nine points (2G, 7A) set during the 2024 season.
Maddi Wheeler scored her second goal of the season and first since Dec. 28 vs. Seattle, snapping a 10-game goal drought. The Sirens rookie now has nine points (2G, 7A) on the campaign and sits fourth among PWHL rookies in scoring.
Allyson Simpson scored her first goal of the season, snapping a 34-game goal drought dating back to last year. The tally, her first-ever on the power play, also matches her rookie-season goal total, set in 30 games, in her 19th game of the campaign.
Gabbie Hughes’ third-period goal was her third of the season and first since Jan. 20, also scored at Prudential Center. The forward has now recorded points in back-to-back games for the third time this season but has yet to record a three-game point streak.
Kayle Osborne secured her first victory since Jan. 18 vs. Montréal, snapping a four-game losing streak. She became the first goaltender this season to surpass 1,000 minutes played, reaching the milestone in the first period, and now has 1,040:37 minutes on the season across her league-leading 18 starts. With her eight wins on the campaign, Osborne ranks fourth among all PWHL goaltenders in the category.
Gwyneth Philips allowed five goals for the first time this season and just the second time in her PWHL career (Mar. 25, 2025 vs. NY). With the start, she joined Osborne as the first two goaltenders to surpass 1,000 minutes played this season, now totaling 1,026:10 minutes, and ranks second to Osborne in starts with 17.
Elle Hartje snapped a career-high nine-game point drought with two assists in the contest. The forward now has five points (5A) in 18 games this season, one shy of her total as a rookie last season when she recorded six assists in 27 games. The multi-assist game was her second of the season — both against Ottawa — and third of her career.
Brooke McQuigge recorded the primary assist on Hughes’ tally, marking her second assist of the season and first as a member of the Charge. The forward was acquired in a Jan. 18 trade from Vancouver and has skated in six games for Ottawa.
Jaime Bourbonnais recorded her fifth helper of the season and first since Jan. 2 vs. Montréal, snapping an eight-game assist drought. The defender, who has six points (1G, 5A) on the season, last reached the scoresheet with a goal on Jan. 20 against Ottawa in New York's 4-3 overtime loss.
Maja Nylén Persson’s first-period assist was her fifth of the season and third in her last four games. The defender’s six points (1G, 5A) in 19 games has now matched her point total from her first PWHL season (2024-25) and surpassed her previous career high of four assists, set in 23 games last season.
Anne Cherkowski recorded her fifth assist of the season, giving her seven points (2G, 5A) in 17 games, tying her for ninth in PWHL rookie scoring. The forward has points in the Sirens’ last two contests against Ottawa, following a goal in their previous meeting on Jan. 20. Cherkowski wore jersey number 23 today, instead of her usual number 24, to bring attention to the shortened International Women’s Day due to Daylight Savings as part of the PWHL’s #23HourPlay campaign.
Brooke Hobson, a member of New York the past two seasons, notched her fourth point of the campaign with an assist on Jenner’s tally, matching her 2024-25 point total, which she recorded in 29 games. She is now one point shy of her career high of five (1G, 4A), set during the PWHL’s inaugural season in 24 games.
Emma Greco recorded an assist and has points in back-to-back games for the first time in her PWHL career. She now has two points (2A) in six games with the Charge since being acquired on Jan. 18 alongside McQuigge and is just one point shy of tying her career-high (3A), set in the 2024-25 season as a member of the Boston Fleet.
Kristýna Kaltounková has recorded a minor penalty in a league-high five consecutive games this season. The Sirens rookie leads the league with 39 penalty minutes.
THREE STARS
1. Sarah FIllier (NY) 1G, 2A
2. Taylor Girard (NY) 2G
3. Casey O’Brien (NY) 2A
STANDINGS
New York: 27 PTS (8-0-3-8) – 4th Place
Ottawa: 26 PTS (5-5-1-8) – 5th Place
UPCOMING SCHEDULES
Ottawa: Saturday, Mar. 14 at. Vancouver at 3 p.m. ET
New York: Sunday, March 15 vs. Minnesota at 4 p.m. ET (Denver Takeover Tour game)