Sirens Rally Late, Sarah Fillier Completes Hat Trick to Stun Frost

By Rob Brent

The Minnesota Frost let a two-goal third-period lead slip away as Sarah Fillier completed a late hat trick to lift the New York Sirens to an overtime win.

The Minnesota Frost traveled to New Jersey on Wednesday evening for a matchup with the fifth-place New York Sirens at the Prudential Center. The matchup was the first between the two clubs since their March 15th game at Ball Arena in Denver. The Frost won that game 4-3.

The Sirens’ March loss to Minnesota started a losing skid that saw them drop four straight games to the Frost, Vancouver, Seattle and Montreal. They came into Wednesday evening’s game looking to right that ship.

Like the Sirens, the Frost entered the matchup on a losing streak, though only one of two games. Minnesota’s consecutive losses in their previous two games had been the only time this season that the Frost lost two games in regulation back-to-back.

Two teams looking to get back in the win column set up an exciting night of PWHL action.

Recap

Maddie Rooney returned to the Minnesota net after Nicole Hensley started the Frost’s previous game. The start against New York was Rooney’s 14th of the 2025-26 season. On the other end of the ice, Callie Shanahan made the start for the Sirens. The game against Minnesota was Shanahan’s second start of the season and first since January 20th.

The Minnesota Frost started the game on a fantastic note when Taylor Heise scored just 16 seconds into the game. The tally came in front of the net on one-on-one play against the Sirens’ goaltender from assists by Britta Curl-Salemme and Lee Stecklein.

New York didn’t take long to answer that goal with a marker of their own from Maddie Wheeler. Wheeler’s goal was her sixth of the season and brought the score back to a tie game at 1-1.

The Sirens had two power play opportunities in the period, but Minnesota successfully stifled them to send the game to the second period at a 1-1 deadlock.

Minnesota took the lead back about five minutes into the third period after the Frost earned a power play opportunity. Britta Curl-Salemme and Abby Hustler made passes to find Grace Zumwinkle alone in front of the New York net. Zumwinkle made a nice stick-handling move to score.

The Frost got into penalty trouble again at the end of the second period, committing three infractions in the last five minutes of the frame. Minnesota and goaltender Maddie Rooney were once again up to the task, fending off each chance to maintain a 2-1 lead going into the third period.

Minnesota struck again early in the third period on a net-front skirmish where Grace Zumwinkle received a pass from Sidney Morin and beat the scrambling New York netminder. Zumwinkle’s second goal of the game put Minnesota up 3-1.

Sarah Fillier scored on a breakaway a little over halfway into the third period to get the Sirens back in the game. The goal came on an intercepted pass that left Fillier alone against Maddie Rooney. Fillier netted the puck for her sixth marker of the season.

Fillier struck again just 14 seconds later after a shot from the point rebounded to tie the game at three goals apiece.

The two teams couldn’t find another goal, sending the game to overtime.

Just when it appeared that the game was going to go beyond OT, Sarah Fillier scored with 14.3 seconds remaining to complete her hat trick and a New York Sirens comeback victory.

Key Takeaways

Trading Places

Wednesday evening’s game was the first time Frost had taken the ice since the PWHL trade deadline. Minnesota made a move, sending Denisa Křížová to the Sirens in exchange for defender Jincy Roese. In an odd coincidence, both players’ first games on their new teams came against their old organizations.

Jincy Roese logged 19:24 of ice time while registering a shot on goal. Roese was also on the ice for Grace Zumwinkle’s second goal of the game in the third period. The talented defender is now playing on her third PWHL team after starting her career in Ottawa, then playing for New York until her move to Minnesota this season. Roese is a former Olympian who also registered a career-high 14 points in 27 games during the 2024-25 season.

Křížová played roughly ten minutes for New York on Wednesday evening, registering two hits. Křížová is a two-time Walter Cup Champion, playing for the Frost her entire PWHL career up to this point. Her contributions to the Frost are sure to be remembered in the future as she begins a new path in her career.

Grace Zumwinkle Torments Sirens Again

Grace Zumwinkle continued her bounce-back season, scoring her 10th and 11th goals of the season in Wednesday’s game against the Sirens. That marker ties Zumwinkle’s rookie season total of 11 markers, which earned her PWHL Rookie of the Year honors in 2023-24. 

Zumwinkle has been particularly effective this season against New York. Wednesday’s game was Zumwinkle’s second in a row against the Sirens, where she scored twice. In four games against the Sirens, Zumwinkle has now logged five goals and two assists for seven points.

The talented forward is a crucial player for Minnesota, and it’s been a major development to have her back at full strength this season.

Special Teams Plays a Key Role

While the Frost ultimately lost a game in which they seemed to be in the driver’s seat, there are still positives to take away. One of the main positives was the team’s performance on special teams. Grace Zumwinkle scored on a power play to give the extra-attacking unit a goal, which was key in building the Frost’s lead.

Minnesota’s penalty kill deserves even more credit. The Frost successfully held the Sirens off the board over five different penalty kill opportunities. The five New York Sirens’ power play also included an extended 5-on-3 at the end of the second period.

The Frost’s PK performing so well is encouraging as the team enters its stretch to the playoffs. Minnesota’s penalty kill has struggled at times this season with a 83% success rate, which is fifth in the league. Special teams can be incredibly crucial in the postseason, so a game like Wednesday night’s bodes well for the team moving forward.