Not even Alex Carpenter’s return Wednesday night could snap the New York Sirens out of their current slump.
Carpenter’s goal in the third period kept the Sirens from getting blanked on their home ice, but the Sirens were out of sorts on both ends of the ice and fell 4-1 to the Toronto Sceptres at Prudential Center.
The loss extended New York’s losing skid to six games, but the Sirens had no one to blame but themselves.
“There was just a little bit of a lack of urgency,” Carpenter said. “It’s obviously hard to do that when you’re on a six-game skid, but I think mentally, that’s what we’re missing. We obviously know how to play. We’ve shown that before. It’s the mental side that we’re missing now.”
The Sirens (4-3-2-9) are once again the PWHL’s bottom-feeders, sitting a whopping nine points from the final playoff spot with a game to give.
But even with the March 2 trade deadline drawing near, first-year coach Greg Fargo doesn’t see a need for outside reinforcements.
“I believe in the group that’s in the room,” Fargo said. “We’ve seen this team compete at a high level against everybody in the league. I think what you’re seeing is us getting our own way a little bit.”
There was optimism heading into this season after the Sirens flunked their inaugural campaign and finished last in the league in 2023-24. The Sirens hired Fargo from Colgate and drafted former Princeton star Sarah Fillier with the No. 1 pick.
Early in the season, the Sirens looked like an improved team and had their sights set on a playoff berth. But the Sirens have faltered as of late and dug themselves a hole that will be hard to climb out with 12 games left.
It didn’t help that Carpenter missed more than two weeks with an upper-body injury. With Carpenter out the past four games, the Sirens had to be even more diligent with their execution.
But that’s not what happened.
Instead, the star’s absence showed that the Sirens are in dire need of more secondary scoring and better defense.
“You quickly realize how big of a hole Alex leaves when she’s out of the lineup, too, and just about every situation that your team relies on her,” Fargo said.
New York was outscored 16-4 in its four losses without Carpenter.
Wednesday’s game wasn’t much better.
Toronto outshot New York 33-24, and Carpenter, the team’s leading goal scorer, was the only Sirens player to find the back of the net.
It resulted in a somber locker room environment.
“Obviously no one’s happy,” defender and captain Micah Zandee-Hart said. “Like [Fargo] said, everyone wants to win. We all want to find solutions.”
Many people — coaches and players — have spoken up throughout the three-week losing streak. Advice has been shared, and tears have been shed.
The Sirens desperately want to turn their season around.
“Obviously a lot of talk has happened,” Zandee-Hart said, “and the goal is to follow that with some action.”
The Sirens’ next opportunity is Sunday when the team travels to Buffalo for the PHWL Takeover Tour and play the Boston Fleet.
