New York Sirens' Taylor Girard Earns Player of the Week Honors

Taylor Girard scored one goal in 23 games last season in the PWHL. It took her one game to match — and then triple — that total this season with the New York Sirens. As such, Girard earned PWHL Player of the Week honors for the week ending Nov. 23.

Girard scored a natural hat trick in the third period Saturday to break a scoreless tie and lead the Sirens to a 4-0 road win against the Ottawa Charge in the season opener for each team. It was the first time in PWHL history that a player scored three goals in a single period. The natural hat trick was the second all-time, after Minnesota Frost forward Grace Zumwinkle did so on Jan. 6, 2024.

It was the 14th hat trick in League history, and second for the Sirens. Forward Jade Downie-Landry recorded one for New York in the inaugural PWHL season in 2024.

Girard totaled three points (one goal, two assists) all of last season. Each of her points came over 18 games with the Sirens, who acquired the 27-year-old forward from the Boston Fleet this past January. She was pointless in five games with the Fleet, after scoring four goals and totaling six points in 23 games with them her first season.

Before playing in the PWHL, Girard scored 21 goals in 44 games over two seasons with Connecticut of the PHF, and starred at Quinnipiac University.

Sirens forward Taylor Girard named PWHL Player of Week after first career hat trick

Photo courtesy PWHL

Skating on New York’s third line with Elle Hartje and rookie fourth-round draft pick Maddi Wheeler, Girard went to the dirty areas to score of her three goals against Ottawa. She potted a rebound to open the scoring at 7:49 of the third period, and scored a beauty from the side of the net after a no-look pass by Wheeler at 13:39.

The powerful and tall (5-foot-10) forward completed the hat trick, when she came out from behind the net and the puck found its way through a maze of players and past Ottawa goalie Gwyneth Philips at 16:48.

“All of the goals that were scored, the credit goes to everybody else on the team who worked their butts off in every area of the ice,” Girard said postgame. “We scored because we set each other up every shift, shift after shift. We were hard on the puck, and it was great, a great win.”

Wheeler picked up three assists, tying the Sirens single-game record. The 23-year-old also set a League record for most points in a PWHL debut.

Girard, Wheeler, and the Sirens look to create more magic Tuesday, when they face off with the Victoire in Montreal.

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