The New York Sirens returned to the win column Sunday with a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Victoire in Washington, D.C. A crowd of 17,228 filled Capital One Arena for the Takeover Tour matchup, marking the highest attended in-arena game in United States women’s hockey history.

RECORD. BROKEN. 🗣️

With 17,228 fans in Capital One Arena, today’s game in Washington D.C. sets the U.S. record for the highest-attended in-arena game in U.S. women’s hockey history! pic.twitter.com/HGEVhYPv0P
— PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) January 18, 2026

New York extended its points streak to a team-record six games (5-0-1-0) and hopped back into second place in the PWHL standings. The Sirens have not lost in regulation since Dec. 21; their four-game winning streak was snapped by the Minnesota Frost in overtime Friday.

Their victory Sunday followed a familiar winning formula. The Sirens got terrific play from goalie Kayle Osborne, who made 31 saves in her PWHL-record 13th consecutive game started. New York put two past Team Canada Olympic starter Ann-Renèe Desbiens, and kept Montreal off the scoreboard in the final 40 minutes.

“I think tonight was the result of a more complete 60-minute effort from our team,” coach Greg Fargo stated postgame. “We blocked some incredible shots. We got some great saves. Winning face-offs. It was a little bit of everything, but that’s what it takes.”

For just the fourth time this season, Montreal’s top forward trio of Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, and Abby Roque failed to record a goal. Fargo pitted a line centered by Sarah Fillier with wingers Paetyn Levis and Anne Cherkowski against the potent threesome, and it couldn’t have worked out any better.

“I have a lot of experience with Abby Roque and Marie-Philip Poulin, so just try and work against what their tendencies are,” Fillier explained postgame. “I think face-offs are so important in tight games like that, and when we can attack off face-offs when they’re not super set up and ready to go, I think it’s super threatening.”

New York won 55.2 percent of the draws against a Montreal squad that leads the PWHL in face-off win percentage. And the Sirens didn’t shy away from matching the Victoire’s trademark physicality.

“The game was very physical today, and I think we handled that really well,” Levis noted. “We came back in the third [period], and we were ready for the physicality. And I think that we gave it back to him a little bit. We love to play a physical game, so I think that helped us.”

That physicality manifested in 118 combined penalty minutes between the two squads — 100 of which stemmed from a postgame brawl.

PHYSICAL game in Washington ends in fists flying 😳 pic.twitter.com/uY7ceVlPsN
— Jocks In Jills (@JocksInJills) January 18, 2026

The first of nine power plays went to New York just 42 seconds after puck drop, and the Sirens wasted little time scoring. Star rookie Kristyna Kaltounkova cleaned up a rebound from Fillier, slapping it past Desbiens at 1:24 of the first period to give the Sirens a quick 1-0 lead.

The 2025 No. 1 overall pick jumped back into second place on the PWHL goals leaderboard with her eighth tally of the season. It snapped an 0-for-9 skid for New York’s power play.

Montreal nearly tied it midway through the first after Osborne left the crease and put the puck right on the stick of Victoire forward Kaitlin Willoughby. Staring down a gaping net, Willoughby sent the puck across the goal line and off the post — a fortunate break for Osborne, who surrendered a goal to Frost forward Britta Curl-Salemme on a similar play Friday.

But fortune swung in Montreal’s favor when granted its third power play of the opening frame at 19:20. Although rookie Nicole Gosling seemed to deliver an opposite-direction hit, officials instead charged Levis with a roughing penalty on the retaliation.

Nine seconds later, Maggie Flaherty notched her fourth career PWHL goal in game No. 58, winding up from the point and blasting a one-timer above Osborne’s glove to even the score at one.

New York regained the lead on a set play off the draw at 14:47 of the second period. After a face-off win by Fillier, Levis carried it in off the half wall and fired a shot that deflected off Cherkowski and over the head of Desbiens.

Lead = taken pic.twitter.com/wNeZumZp8O
— New York Sirens (@PWHL_NewYork) January 18, 2026

“We run face-off plays as much as we can,” Fargo noted. “A little bit more of an emphasis in the second and third period for everybody to help out on those face-offs. ‘Filly’ was able to scrape it back, and we’re able to get a great shot through. Nothing special, but just good execution on a great play.”

“None of that would have happened if ‘Filly’ didn’t win the draw,” Levis added. “So I think focusing on winning the draws, and then us as wingers helping out, and then ‘Cherky’ got a good screen.”

Cherkowski wasn’t officially credited with the goal until after the final whistle, but it’s her first career PWHL goal nonetheless — and a game-winning one at that.

In the third period, Osborne took center stage, outdueling her soon-to-be Olympic teammate in Desbiens. New York’s goalie stopped all 12 Montreal shots in the third period to lock down the win.

Her finest of the day — and perhaps of the season — came on the Victoire’s fourth power play, when Osborne made a lunging glove save on a rocket off the stick of Poulin. Osborne’s glove flashed into the net, but officials could not find any conclusive evidence that the puck fully crossed the goal line.

A few good looks at that glove save Kayle Osborne made on Marie-Philip Poulin.

Still not sure if it crossed. Don’t think we got a conclusive angle.

Ironically for a DC Takeover Tour game, reminds me of that overturned save Igor Shesterkin had against Dylan Strome in December. pic.twitter.com/H4PjTHIzSt
— Lou Orlando (@SweetLouuuuu) January 18, 2026

A late tripping penalty on Roque, the former Sirens forward, at 17:44 of the third only further hampered the Victoire’s comeback effort. They had time for one last flurry at even strength, but a blocked shot by Maja Nylen Persson prevented the Victoire from putting anything on goal.

With the 2-1 win, New York snapped Montreal’s three-game winning streak. The Sirens improved to 2-0 in Takeover Tour action in 2025-26, after defeating the Seattle Torrent 4-3 on Dec. 28 in Dallas.

“We’re a young team, and we knew it was going to take us a few games to find our identity,” Fillier told PWHL sideline reporter Abby Labar postgame. “We weathered the storm early in the season, but it’s nice to get rolling now.”

The Sirens and Victoire combined for the most penalty minutes in a PWHL game this season. Eight different players received a 10-minute misconduct for the skirmish after the final whistle, including Sirens forward Taylor Girard, who was also assessed a game misconduct for leaving the bench.

Girard will face a four-game suspension, the PWHL announced Monday, per rule 72.10. She is eligible to return March 5 against the Boston Fleet.

Key Takeaways after Sirens edge Victoire 2-1

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