WASHINGTON – Anne Cherkowski scored her first career goal and Kayle Osborne made 31 saves as the New York Sirens defeated the Montréal Victoire 2-1 before 17,228 fans at Capital One Arena on Sunday, setting a new U.S. women’s hockey attendance record.
The sellout crowd surpassed the previous U.S. mark of 16,014 set in Seattle last November. New York (7-0-1-5, 22 points) moved into second place with points in six straight games, while Montréal (5-2-0-5, 19 points) dropped to fourth.
Kristýna Kaltounková opened scoring 1:24 into the game on the power play, his eighth goal of the season and fifth in five games. Maggie Flaherty tied it late in the first with her first career power play goal at 19:29.
Cherkowski’s game-winner came at 14:47 of the second when she redirected Paetyn Levis’ shot past Ann-Renée Desbiens. Sarah Fillier assisted on both New York goals in her first multi-point game of the season.
Montréal outshot New York 32-27 but couldn’t solve Osborne, who stopped all 12 third-period shots. Late frustration led to multiple penalties, including 30 penalty minutes for Taylor Girard.
“In the third, when they were singing along during play, it’s an incredible feeling,” Fillier said of the crowd. “You can tell there’s a lot of passion in this city for sports, and especially for women’s sports.”
Both teams converted once on the power play. New York went 1-for-5 while Montréal finished 1-for-4.
Osborne earned her seventh win in 13 consecutive starts with a .969 save percentage. Desbiens made 25 saves in the loss, her first since December 27.
Laura Stacey led all skaters with five shots for Montréal. Fillier won 10 of 16 faceoffs as New York controlled 55.2% of draws.
The Sirens are 4-0 when being outshot this season. This marked the ninth straight PWHL Takeover Tour game decided by one goal.
THREE STARS
- Anne Cherkowski (NY) – 1G
- Kayle Osborne (NY) – 31 saves
- Sarah Fillier (NY) – 2A
UP NEXT New York hosts Ottawa on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. Montréal travels to Minnesota on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.
SCORING SUMMARY
First Period NY – Kaltounková (8) (Fillier, Nylén Persson) 1:24 PP MTL – Flaherty (2) (Tabin, Scamurra) 19:29 PP
Second Period
NY – Cherkowski (1) (Levis, Fillier) 14:47
SHOTS: MTL 32, NY 27 PP: MTL 1/4, NY 1/5 GOALIES: Desbiens (L, 25 sv), Osborne (W, 31 sv) STANDINGS: NY 22 pts (2nd), MTL 19 pts (4th)
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Anne Cherkowski scores first career goal as New York Sirens defeat Montréal Victoire 2-1 before record 17,228 fans at Capital One Arena on January 18, 2026. Kayle Osborne makes 31 saves.
