PWHL Game Recap: Fillier Scores Twice To Help Sirens Secure 4-1 Victory Against Victoire

The Sirens took on the Montreal Victoire on Wednesday, December 4th at Place Bell, defeating them 4-1. New York came out strong and held on strong throughout the entire game, earning their second win of the season. Their first victory had been against the Minnesota Frost on December 1st, where they took a 4-3 win. Sarah Fillier scored two goals for the Sirens, and both Alex Carpenter and Jade Downie-Landry also scored for New York. Cayla Barnes had scored the one and only goal for the Victoire, preventing Montreal from getting shutout. The Sirens head to Boston on Sunday, December 8th to take on the Fleet.

New York Sirens Lineup:

Eldridge – Carpenter – Fillier

Tulus – Roque – Giguere

Hartje – Downie-Landry – Aurard

Fecteau – Rosenthal – Levis

Vespa

Zandee-Hart – Nylen Persson

Simpson – Bourdonnais

Hobson – Baker

Schroeder

Osborne

Montreal Victoire Lineup:

Ljungblom – Poulin – Stacey

Gardiner – O’Neill – Boreen

Grant-Mentis – Labelle – Dalton

Dubois – Degeorge – Greig

Tabin – Ambrose

Kjellbin – Barnes

Keopple – Boulier

Wilgren

Desbiens

Chuli

Sarah Fillier opened the scoring with her first PWHL career goal with 8:28 remaining in the first period when she quickly slipped it past Ann-Renee Desbiens after Jessie Eldridge’s attempt failed, so she sent a backhand past to Fillier to give the Sirens a 1-0 lead.

Tying up the game early into the second frame – Cayla Barnes picked up her first career goal, also scoring the lone goal for Victoire, with a goal on the breakaway. She collected the puck when she received a pass from Jennifer Gardiner as she was about to enter New York’s zone, and she drove up the ice, sending a backhanded shot past Corinne Schroeder on the breakaway.

Alex Carpenter put New York back in the lead, 2-1, at 10:51 of the final frame for her third goal of the season. Jaime Bourbonnais had originally fired the puck, unable to find the back of the net, and it popped out, Allyson Simpson got the puck and sent it down along the boards to Sarah Fillier, who passed it from behind the net to Carpenter, who was in front. With an empty Montreal net, Jade Downie-Landry struck for an empty netter, and New York’s first jailbreak of the season, for a 3-1 lead with just over a minute to go. Fillier came back around for a second goal of the night, as well as the second of her career, with just seconds left in regulation for the 4-1 final when she took a pass from Jessie Eldridge, who had gotten the puck from Micah Zandee-Hart.

Head Coach Greg Fargo on Sarah Fillier: “I don’t know that there’s a person around the hockey world that didn’t think she’d have the ability to come in and dominate. She’s been doing it at a high level on the world’s biggest stage for a long time now, and I think Sarah was ready for this challenge, you know, for the next level. She has been dominating in college prior to getting here, and I think she has a lot of confidence in herself and her teammates have a lot of confidence in her. We’re just trying to put her in the right situations where she can help our team and so far, I’d say she’s off to a pretty good start.”

Notes:

– As of right now, the Sirens are the only team undefeated in the league after their first two games, and the only team to have played both of these games on the road. …Last season, New York opened the season with five points in their first two road games.

– The Sirens have set an all-time team record with 36 shots on goal, and in the first period, their 18 shots on goal is also the team’s new single-period record.

– This game marked the fifth straight PWHL game to start the season with a power-play goal.

– Corinne Schroeder made a total of 28 saves for New York. …Schroeder is the first goaltender in the league to earn two wins this season. Her first five wins last season were all recorded on the road.

– After picking up her first two goals and recording the first three-point game of her career, Sarah Fillier leads the PWHL with five points (two goals, three assists) in two games.

– Alex Carpenter leads the league with three goals, which all have been assisted by Sarah Fillier, following her second game-winner.

– Jessie Eldridge recorded the primary assists on Sarah Fillier’s goals and opened the season with back-to-back two-point performances… She picked up two assists in her final game of season one.

– Allyson Simpson recorded her first career PWHL point, picking up an assist.

– Jade Downie-Landry scored New York’s first shorthanded jailbreak of the season, as well as the first of her career… This is also the first time she’s recorded a PWHL point in three games in her home province.

– Micah Zandee-Hart has picked up an assist in both games to start the season. …Maja Persson had been credited 26:21 time on ice, leading all players.

– Taylor Baker and Kayla Vespa both played in their first games of the season.

– Ann-Renee Desbiens made a total of 32 saves for Montreal.

– Cayla Barnes scored her first PWHL career goal. …Catherine Dubois made her season debut, playing 9:29 on the fourth line for Victoire.