NEWARK, NJ (January 15, 2025) – Jessie Eldridge was the hero for the second straight game for New York, scoring twice in the shootout to lift the Sirens to a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Frost at Prudential Center. Eldridge’s shootout winner comes three days after she scored the overtime winner against Toronto. Almost halfway through the first period, Paetyn Levis opened the scoring for the Sirens when the puck unexpectedly came out front and onto her stick to the surprise of Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney. Kendall Coyne Schofield responded early in the second period, capitalizing after a missed breakaway attempt, to tie the game at one. Minnesota continued the scoring with a goal from defender Mellissa Channell-Watkins halfway through the third period, the first of her career, bumping the Frost into a 2-1 lead. With 1:01 to go in the third period, the Sirens managed to tie the game with a Sarah Fillier goal scored with the goaltender pulled. The Sirens prevailed in the seven-round shootout, outscoring the Frost 3-2. Corinne Schroeder recorded her league-leading sixth win of the season with 28 saves on 30 shots. Rooney, who entered the game with five wins, stopped a season-high 32 shots in defeat. The win gives the Sirens two straight while snapping the Frost’s two-game winning streak.
QUOTES
New York Head Coach Greg Fargo on Schroeder’s performance: “Corinne has been outstanding, and I think she’s been outstanding all year, not just the last three games. It just feels like when she’s in net, there’s a calming presence to her being back there. It gives our team a lot of confidence to play the way we want to play on the ice, and I can’t emphasize that enough. She is a professional who comes to work every day, she does the right things, and she is truly mastering her craft. She is amongst the best goalies in the world, and she’s one of them.”
New York Forward Elle Hartje: “When we look at the schedule, we don’t see them (Minnesota) or prepare any differently. We prepare for every team that we play; we just happen to have a lot of films on Minnesota and probably know their game a bit more intimately than other teams. But, in the nature of this league, it’s a pretty small group of teams, and so there’s rivalry amongst everybody. We want to be the best team every time we play them.”
Minnesota Head Coach Ken Klee: “Games are tight, we know all the games are going to be tight and we’ve had tight games with them. We’re a minute away from getting three points and they get a six-on-five goal late. They hemmed us in with the six-on-four for a long time and we got tired and didn’t get a clear. It’s nothing major that we must change up, it’s a good game and both teams are battling hard and it’s tough to get points.”
Minnesota forward Taylor Heise: “We’ve left some things to be decided I guess in these games, I don’t know if it’s a rivalry more so with them, or just with our own selves. We want to win every single game, but we know in this league that’s what’s going to happen. We took a point - that’s not always what you want - but you want something when you come out of it, and I think when you look at it these games are always going to be close.”
NOTABLES
This was the first seven-round shootout in PWHL history. There have been four shootouts this season and eleven all-time.
Three of the four meetings between these teams this season have now gone to extra time, including two shootouts. Minnesota leads the league with five games beyond regulation (3-2) followed by New York with four (3-1).
Minnesota suffered their first loss in four all-time shootouts. The Frost were 2-0 in shootouts during the inaugural season and entered the game 1-0 after defeating New York in a shootout on Dec. 22 at Prudential Center.
The Frost lost for the first time in four road games this season.
Jessie Eldridge (2/2) scored on her first two career shootout attempts. She was one of four players to take multiple shootout attempts along with teammate Alex Carpenter (1/2), and Minnesota’s Taylor Heise (1/3) and Britta Curl-Salemme (1/2).
Corinne Schroeder had her shutout streak capped at 178:15, spanning parts of four games dating back to Dec. 29. She stopped 73 consecutive shots between goals.
Schroeder and Maddie Rooney continue to lead the league in goals-against averages at 1.86 and 1.96, respectively.
Sarah Fillier’s goal moved her into first place in the PWHL scoring race with 11 points in 10 games. Her five goals are tied for the league-lead with Carpenter and Curl-Salemme.
Mellissa Channell-Watkins recorded her first career PWHL goal and fourth point of the season. The Frost defender’s milestone marker was tallied in her 34th game and 23rd shot on goal in two seasons.
Kendall Coyne Schofield moved into a tie for second in league scoring with 10 points (4G, 6A) in 11 games. The Frost captain recorded her third multi-point game of the season and second in four games against New York. Her last five goals have come against the Sirens, including all four scored this season.
Coyne Schofield led all players with five shots, moving her into a tie for first in the league with Montréal’s Laura Stacy at 36 shots on goal.
Paetyn Levis recorded her second goal of the season, and second point against Minnesota in four games. The Sirens forward has three points (2G, 1A) in 10 games which equals her total in 23 games during the inaugural season (3A).
Elle Hartje recorded her fourth assist of the season. The Sirens fifth-round pick is tied for second among rookies in the category.
At 6:46 of the first period, a potential Minnesota goal by Kelly Pannek was reviewed by the on-ice officials and the PWHL Central Situation Room. The goal was disallowed as it was determined that the point of the puck striking the stick was above the height of the crossbar (high stick).
New York improved their league-leading penalty kill efficiency to 90.9% after holding Minnesota to 0/3 on the power play.
The Sirens have now won a league-best five of six games when scoring the game’s first goal.
This is the first head-to-head PWHL matchup to complete four games with New York leading Minnesota in the season series 8-4 in points.
SCORESHEET RECAP
Minnesota 0 1 1 0 - 2
New York 1 0 1 0 – 3
1st Period-1, New York, Levis 2 8:45. Penalties-No Penalties
2nd Period-2, Minnesota, Coyne Schofield 4 (Batherson), 1:32. Penalties-Eldridge Ny (tripping), 5:44; Hobson Ny (interference), 11:40; Zandee-Hart Ny (cross checking), 13:53.
3rd Period-3, Minnesota, Channell-Watkins 1 (Coyne Schofield), 10:39. 4, New York, Fillier 5 (Roque, Hartje), 18:59. Penalties-Flaherty Min (boarding), 16:39.
1st OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties
Shootout - Minnesota 2 (Curl-Salemme G, Thompson NG, Heise NG, Jaques NG, Heise G, Curl-Salemme NG, Heise NG), New York 3 (Tulus NG, Carpenter G, Fillier NG, Eldridge G, Shelton NG, Carpenter NG, Eldridge G).
Shots on Goal-Minnesota 7-12-8-3-0-30. New York 10-12-11-1-1-35.
Power Play Opportunities-Minnesota 0 / 3; New York 0 / 1.
Goalies-Minnesota, Rooney 5-1-0-1 (34 shots-32 saves). New York, Schroeder 6-2-0-0 (30 shots-28 saves).
A-1,780
THREE STARS
1. Corinne Schroeder (NY) 28 SV
2. Sarah Fillier (NY) 1G
3. Kendall Coyne Schofield (MIN) 1G, 1A
STANDINGS
Minnesota (4-3-2-2) - 20 PTS – 1st Place
New York (3-3-1-3) - 16 PTS – 3rd Place
UPCOMING SCHEDULES
Minnesota: Friday, January 17 at Montréal at 7:00 p.m. ET
New York: Saturday, January 25 at Toronto at 2:00 p.m. ET (Battle on Bay Street, Scotiabank Arena)