On December 28 the PWHL’s 2025-26 Takeover Tour stopped in Dallas for the
fourth of 16 neutral-site games. Dallas is the southernmost city a PWHL game
has ever taken place and 8,514 women’s hockey fans showed up at American Airlines Center to cheer on the
New York Sirens as they hosted the Seattle Torrent.

Texas locals, Hannah Bilka and Allyson Simpson, received the
loudest cheers as they were announced as part of their respective teams’
starting line-ups. Bilka and Simpson were also part of the ceremonial puck drop
the previous night for the Dallas Stars. This
was more than just hockey for both players, but a chance to continue to
build the women’s game locally and give back to Simpson’s initiative “Shake On”
in honor of her dad who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015.

After the game, Hilary Knight commented on the first Takeover Tour for the Torrent. “To be able to have that exposure for young fans who get to see us out there and play right in front of their eyes is pretty special,” Knight said. “I know the community embraced us really well, and it was exciting to have our player Hannah Bilka from this area to bring professional women’s hockey to Dallas in front of a home crowd to watch her play at the highest level.”

A Game Of First Goals

The Torrent were the first to tally one on the scoreboard
with Danielle Serdachny’s first goal of the season at 5:33 into the game. Off a
pass from Megan Carter, she slipped the puck past the right pad of Siren’s
goaltender, Kayle Osborne. The secondary assist on that goal was the goalie in
net for Seattle, Hannah Murphy.

Seattle’s penalty kill had a huge test at 11:25 in the first
when Aneta Tejralová checked Sarah Fillier to the head resulting in a
five-minute major penalty as well as a game misconduct. Sirens got seven shots
and a block shot in during their extended power play, but the Torrent killed
off all five minutes. Fillier went to the locker room but returned several
minutes later and finished the game.

The Sirens tied it up at 18:23 when Casey O’Brien got the
puck up over Murphy’s shoulder with an impressive snipe. This was O’Brien’s
first professional goal and was assisted by Elle Hartje and Jaime Bourbonnais.
It wouldn’t stay tied for long as Mikyla Grant-Mentis sped through the neutral
zone and then cleaned up a rebound off a shot from Natalie Snodgrass. Knight had the secondary assist on the goal at 19:28, and this was Grant-Metis’s
first goal as a Torrent.

The first period was exciting, energetic, and a little
chaotic with three goals, including one with just over 30 seconds left in the frame.
The second period saw both teams settle in a little bit more as they made their
adjustments during intermission. The first, and only, goal of the second came as
a game-tying power play goal at 13:01 when Alex Carpenter went to the box for
slashing. This was O’Brien’s second of the night and she was left wide open after
Murphy made some big saves just before the puck finally went in. This goal was assisted
by Paetyn Levis and Fillier.

While shots on goal were 21 to 11 in favor of New York in
the first, Seattle pulled ahead a bit on that stat with 11 to New York’s nine
in the second. Each team had a chance on the power play in the middle frame,
but only the Sirens were able to capitalize on theirs. Going into this game,
the Torrent had one of the top power plays in the league, but it struggled with
only two shots on goal during their chance with a player advantage in the
second.

A Hat Trick for O’Brien

Seattle took little time in pulling ahead when Lexie Adzija
got her first goal as a member of the Torrent at 1:47 in the third. Seattle put
tremendous pressure on New York around the net. Grant-Mentis got the puck to
Adzija from Lyndie Lobdell who also notched her first point in foam and slate
green.

New York’s Maddi Wheeler took a hooking penalty at 5:22 into
the third. The Torrent, again, were unsuccessful in making much of this power
play opportunity. As Wheeler was coming out of the box, her stick made contact with
the puck before her skates hit the ice and she went right back in for an
interference penalty. The Sirens killed that penalty off as well only having to
contend with one shot and one blocked shot from the Torrent.

Wheeler got her redemption for her back-to-back penalties
because she flew out of that penalty box and cleanly beat Murphy to tie the
game 3-3. The goal, 9:33 in the third, was Wheeler’s first in New York and was
assisted by Kristin O’Neill and Bourbonnais.

Seattle had a successful penalty kill when Anna Wilgren took
a tripping penalty at 11:18 into the period. When Serdachny went to the penalty
box for hooking at 15:26, they weren’t so fortunate. Not only did this game see
O’Brien’s first professional goal, but also her second, and, at 16:40 in the
third, her first professional hat trick. This power play, game-winning goal was
assisted by Taylor Girard and Bourbonnais, and put the Sirens on top 4-3.

The Torrent pulled Murphy with 90 seconds to go, but even
with the added player, Seattle lost their second road game of the season.

Post-Game Reflection

Murphy stopped 37 of 41 shots with another impressive showing. The third line for the Torrent made up of Snodgrass, Grant-Mentis, and Adzija really matched up well against the Sirens in this game. It seems chemistry just continues to build for the team overall.

Of the third line and their performance, Coach O’Rourke said, “They’re certainly building momentum. Each game they’ve had great opportunities to score goals, and they just keep churning and building that momentum, and tonight they got rewarded for it. It’s good to see.”

Three stars of
the game were Grant-Mentis (3rd), Wheeler (2nd), and O’Brien
(1st). The Torrent continue on the road for their next game January 3 against Toronto at 2 p.m. ET/ 11 a.m. PT.