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.