Young New York Roster Sound The Sirens Early And Often Against Goldeneyes

NEWARK, N.J.-- The New York Sirens' untapped potential and ability to shine brightly revealed itself in a huge way during their Saturday afternoon home opener against Vancouver at a rockin' Prudential Center.

Playing their PWHL home opener in front of a loud and very appreciative crowd, the Sirens served notice that their revamped roster is one to be reckoned with following a highly impressive 5-1 victory over the expansion Goldeneyes.

A New York team that was certainly hit very hard in the expansion draft put its blend of youthful talent, draft picks and off-season acquisitions on full display against a Vancouver squad playing its first regular-season game in the United States.

Paetyn Levis (goal/assist) and Anne Cherkowski (two assists) had multi-point efforts, and goalie Kayle Osborne stopped 20 of 21 Vancouver shots to lead the charge in the resounding victory. In all, 11 Sirens found their names included on the stat sheet.

Strongly Needed Showing

New York head coach Greg Fargo was emphatic about the importance of showcasing all of the Sirens' top qualities -- including the draft picks, off-season acquisitions and rising young stars - in the team's first home game and in front of a fan base the team is trying to build."

No doubt; it's incredibly important, and I think incredibly important for the group of players in the locker room this year," Fargo noted in response to a question by The Hockey News Women's.

"To be able to come out and play to our identity right from the start, and put it on display in front of our home crowd for the first time, is very special."

The good start, he added, is also important in light of the previous season struggles."We've set the bar really high this year, and now we want to see this team continue to get better," Fargo continued.

"We love our fan base here and we want to go out on the ice every game and show them what we can do."

Rapid-Fire Swiss Sizzler

With fourth-round pick Dayle Ross still on the mend, the Sirens have turned to training camp invitee and defender Nicole Vallario to make an impact.

That impact was felt less than five minutes into Saturday's action as the Lugano, Switzerland native -- moved up from a reserve role to fill-in for Ross -- went bar down with an unassisted tally on Vancouver goalie Kristen Campbell to give New York the first of its two goals in the opening period.

Campbell, making her first start this season, faced 28 New York shots and stopped 23 of them.

It was the first-ever PWHL goal for Vallario, who played for the Swiss National Team in the Beijing Winter Olympics. Her blistering riser from the left circle sailed over Campbell's shoulder as the "Wee Woo" chants filled The Rock.

A Filly-Induced Fan Frenzy

While Vallario's blast initially excited the fans, it was Sarah Fillier's tip-in late in the first period that really energized the arena.Reaping dividends from linemates Anne Cherkowski and Casey O'Brien, Filler had them on their feet at The Pru as last season's PWHL Rookie of the Year made it 2-0.

The primary helper from Cherkowski -- who sent a perfect feed in Fillier's direction -- and O'Brien's contribution to the rush were the first assists for both this season.O'Brien, also selected by the Sirens in the first round (No. 3) of the 2025 entry draft and is a hometown favorite having grown up in New York City, was thrilled with the collective team effort and the fan support."

The fans were awesome. I had a lot of family and friends here too so it's always nice to play in front of them," O'Brien said. "It was really cool to see (after Vallario's goal) how the fans erupted and they kept the energy going the whole game. It definitely had an impact on us."

Levis' Goal So Heartwarming

To say Paetyn Levis is deserving of a little good fortune in season three with the Sirens would be an understatement.

The veteran hard-working forward has given it her all on every shift only to be frustrated on many occasions throughout her first two seasons.

That's what makes her finisher into the net off a great pass from Jincy Roese in the first minute of the second period so rewarding and especially since it came in a home game where fans could give her the cheers she deserves.

It was the first assist of the season for Roese, who came over from Ottawa and signed a one-year contract with the Sirens in June. Allyson Simpson also had an assist --her first of the 2025-26 campaign -- on Levis' goal.

Veteran Playmaker Adds Glitter

Kristin O'Neill, another addition to New York's roster by way of Montreal, applied the exclamation point to the thrills for the Sirens' faithful with a "jailbreak" shorthanded goal on a fantastic breakaway from Vancouver's offensive zone. O'Neill completed a nifty backhander just inside the near post past Campbell.

Cherkowski earned her second assist of the game, while Lauren Bernard came through with her first assist this season.

Kalty Joins The Hometown Party

After Sophie Jaques ended Osborne's shutout bid with a goal for Vancouver just over five minutes into the third period, No. 1 draft pick Kristyna Kaltounkova scored her first PWHL goal three minutes later with a one-timer through traffic around the crease. Micah Zandee-Hart and Paetyn Levis had the helpers.

OF INTEREST: Vancouver GM Cara Gardner Morey returned to New Jersey, not far from Princeton University where she spent 14 seasons with the women’s hockey program including eight as head coach. The Goldeneyes' Claire Thompson and Sirens' forward Sarah Fillier are among the many players she helped develop during her Tigers' tenure...Vancouver rookies Katie Chan and Darcie Lappan and New Hartford, N.Y, native Sydney Bard played together at Colgate University (2021-22) for New York head coach Greg Fargo and alongside Sirens' forward Kristýna Kaltounková, defender Allyson Simpson and goaltender Kayle Osborne.