BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Susanna Tapani scored the lone shootout goal and the Boston Fleet won their sixth in seven outings in defeating the New York Sirens 3-2 in a neutral site Takeover Tour game at Buffalo on Sunday.
Aerin Frankel stopped 37 shots through overtime, and all five shootout attempts, capped by a save on Abby Roque on New York´s fifth and final chance. Amanda Pelkey and Loren Gabel also scored for Boston, which jumped a point ahead of Minnesota into third place in the standings after the Frost lost to Toronto earlier in the day.
Sarah Fillier and Jessie Eldridge scored for the Sirens, who have dropped seven straight - including two shootout losses to Boston. Rookie Kayle Osborne stopped 30 shots through overtime.
Tapani scored by driving in from the right wing and snapping in a shot off the far post.
By earning a point, the last-place Sirens snapped a five-game skid of regulation losses, which matched a PWHL record set by Minnesota last season.
As the "home" team, Sirens players arrived at the arena wearing NFL Bills, NHL Sabres and AHL Rochester Americans themed clothes. The Americans are the Sabres´ nearby minor league affiliate.
The Takeover Tour stop comes with the PWHL narrowing its expansion plans, with the six-team league considering adding as many as two franchises for next season. On Thursday, vice president of business operations Amy Scheer said an expansion announcement is expected within four to six weeks.
The Buffalo stop was the sixth of nine neutral site games on the PWHL´s second-season schedule. The game drew a crowd of 8,512, the lowest turnout of the league´s eight neutral site games, including two last year.
Last month, Denver drew a crowd of 14,018, while Vancouver had a turnout of 19,038 - the fourth-largest in league history.
The tour rounds out with games at Raleigh, North Carolina (March 7), Detroit (March 16) and St. Louis (March 29). Detroit, which also hosted a PWHL neutral site game last season, is considered a front-runner to land an expansion team.
Buffalo was previously home to professional women´s hockey - with the Beauts - before the Premier Hockey Federation folded after being bought out to launch the PWHL in June 2023.
