Sceptres waste chance to take back playoff spot, now sit in hope to not be ousted

For goaltender Raygan Kirk, the thought of not having any control over her team’s shot at the post-season for now troubles her.

“Bit nauseating, honestly,” said Kirk, who had a stellar 32-save showing. “But that’s hockey, that’s part of the job. I think just knowing where we came from before the break, I think our playoff chances (were) like 1.8 per cent or something crazy. We definitely fought to get back in this position where it’s a possibility and it’s unfortunate what happened today.”

” … Everybody cross your fingers for tomorrow and then we’ll have a battle of Ontario on Saturday.”

The Sceptres entered the night two points back of Ottawa, while the Sirens were three points behind Toronto and needed a regulation win to avoid being eliminated from playoff contention.

With both teams having serious post-season implications on the line, it was primarily New York that played as if that was the case. The Sirens held the Sceptres to 10 shots on goal through 40 minutes while almost doubling that total. New York outshot Toronto 33-21 for the game.

“Tonight, I thought New York was willing, committed and capable,” Ryan said. ” … It’s a game, they just completely tilted the ice, which when you’re fatigued and you got people playing in different situations, it can be a tough thing mentally to try to climb back out of that.

“I think in our situation we should have been the team that was eager and willing and committed and capable of doing that to them.”

Although the Sceptres woke up a bit in the third period, there were moments where players were hesitant to shoot and their passes ended up costing them a prime scoring chance.

“Well, if you figure it out, you let me know,” Ryan said when asked how to convince a player to shoot when near the net, drawing laughs. “I mean, there’s times when you want players to shoot. There’s times where you want the players to pass.

“I think sometimes when you’re really in tight and you got no kind of angle to shoot, you might want to look to the weak side. But I thought it was more like a hesitant, like a more snake-bitten to shoot and trying to look for something perfect.”

Despite all that went wrong Tuesday night, the level of optimism was present in hopes of a win-or-go home game in Ottawa on Saturday. The Sceptres are the second-best road team in the PWHL.

“It’s going to be a do-or-die game for both teams. So it’s a bit exciting,” Kirk said. “I don’t know for the fans maybe. It’s stressful at times, but it’s kind of like you’re playing playoff hockey before playoff hockey, and that’s where you have to really step up and use it to your advantage.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 22, 2026.

Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Sceptres waste chance to take back playoff spot, now sit in hope to not be ousted

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