NEWARK, N.J. – Playing their home opener after starting the first three games of the season on the road, the New York Sirens put on a fireworks show for the home crowd Wednesday night, beating the Toronto Sceptres by a final score of 4-2.
New York (3-1-0-0) saw goals from Noora Tulus, Emmy Fecteau, Micah Zandee-Hart, and Jaime Bourbonnais to bounce back from a 4-2 loss on Dec. 8 to the Boston Fleet. Toronto (1-3-0-0) got on the scoresheet with tallies from Hannah Miller and Emma Woods, dropping their third consecutive game on the young season.
The pivotal moment in the contest came during a 5:15 stretch of game play in the second period, where the Sirens scored three goals in quick succession, turning a game that up until that point had been a tight, scoreless affair into a 3-0 romp. They would add a fourth goal late in the second, and although Toronto got on the board at both ends of the third period, the two-goal deficit was as close as they would get to the Sirens the rest of the way.
New York head coach Greg Fargo spoke about the importance of the goals from Tulus, Fecteau, and Zandee-Hart in such short succession and how the team used that energy to build and win.
“I think it was a pivotal time in the game,” said Fargo. “The first period was really back and forth, it wasn’t our best and it wasn’t our worst period of hockey, and I thought we came out with a different energy in the second.
“I thought we got a couple of really nice plays there. We had them hemmed in their zone on the first goal for a little bit, got a great change and cashed in on one as they were a little bit tired, and then our fourth line tonight followed up with a big goal. I just felt like our confidence and momentum grew as the game went on,” he added.
The game grew chippier as it wore on, with 18 total minutes of penalties handed out to skaters on both sides in the second and third periods. Sirens defender Zandee-Hart spoke about setting the physical tone early and how she felt it helped to tilt the ice in favor of the Sirens.
“They’re a team that usually likes to play physical and take control right away,” she said. “We kind of gave them a taste of their own medicine, set the physical tone and I think because of that, it was an exciting hockey game.”
Toronto head coach Troy Ryan was succinct in the postgame. Speaking to the assembled media, he said there was no quick fix for what has bogged down the Sceptres to start the year.
“I think we have to re-evaluate where we’re at right now as a group,” he said. “You’d find it hard to find anybody that’s pleased or happy with our play as a group right now. […] Obviously it’s early in the season, but i know last year we were able to turn it around, but i don’t think you can rest on that kind of run happening again.”
“The talent is there, there’s enough skill in our group. I think we’re lacking a bit of mentality now to play the game the right way,” he added.
Sceptres forward Emma Maltais echoed Ryan’s feelings on the matter. Although Toronto was able to shake off a slow start last year, it was just that to her; last year.
“It’s a different season, it’s a different team, right?” she said. “I think that last year, although we were losing, in the beginning, we were playing the right way. i think this is a different kind of battle where we just need to figure out how to play 60 minutes of hockey the right way.”
UP NEXT: Toronto will be back in action on Saturday, Dec. 21, when they host the Montreal Victoire. New York continues its homestand, welcoming the Defending Walter Cup Champion Minnesota Frost to Prudential Center on Sunday, Dec. 22.
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