NEWARK (Interstat) — Casey O’Brien scored with 3:57 remaining in the third period, and the New York Sirens erased a two-goal deficit to beat the Toronto Sceptres 3-2 at Prudential Center on April 15 in a Professional Women’s Hockey League game. New York improved to 11 wins and 16 losses. Toronto dropped to 10 wins and 17 losses. O’Brien, named the game’s top star for New York, finished with one goal, one assist and seven shots on goal. Goaltender Kayle Osborne made 24 saves on 26 shots and earned the win. The Sirens won despite trailing 2-0 in the third period.

After a scoreless opening period, the game turned in the second period. New York’s Jaime Bourbonnais was sent off for interference at 1:15. Toronto’s Emma Maltais received a cross-checking penalty at 9:38, and Maggie Connors was called for interference on the goaltender at 14:03. Toronto broke through at 14:43 when Daryl Watts scored, with Renata Fast assisting. That goal gave Toronto a 1-0 lead and came while Toronto was killing a penalty. Watts finished with one goal, three shots on goal and one hit. Fast contributed one assist, three shots on goal, two penalty minutes and two hits.

Toronto added to its lead in the third period. Fast was penalized for cross-checking at 2:12, and Emma Woods was called for tripping at 6:18. Despite those penalties, Toronto made it 2-0 at 8:51 when Ella Shelton scored, with Claire Dalton assisting. Shelton also had two shots on goal and five hits. Toronto’s lead looked secure, and New York had managed little against Toronto’s defense to that point.

New York answered quickly. At 9:30, Denisa Křížová scored from Clair DeGeorge and Elle Hartje to cut Toronto’s lead to 2-1. Křížová finished with one goal and five shots on goal. Hartje recorded one assist and one shot. DeGeorge had one assist. New York continued to press for an equalizer after the goal.

The Sirens kept pressing, and the game shifted again late in the third. Toronto’s Raygan Kirk was assessed a delay-of-game penalty at 14:15. New York capitalized at 14:53 when Maja Nylén Persson scored, with O’Brien and Sarah Fillier assisting. That tied the score at 2-2. Then, at 16:03, O’Brien scored the winner, with Nicole Vallario assisting. Both goals came on the same power play, turning a two-goal Toronto lead into a one-goal New York advantage in a span of 70 seconds.

Osborne’s 24-save performance allowed New York to complete the comeback. She faced 26 shots overall, including the chances Toronto generated during its early lead. Maltais contributed two shots on goal, two penalty minutes and two hits for Toronto. Lauren Bernard recorded one shot for New York. Elle Hartje also had one shot in addition to her assist. Toronto was called for five penalties, while New York received one. The final horn confirmed the Sirens’ dramatic comeback.

New York had lost to Minnesota in its previous game, while Toronto had fallen to Ottawa in its previous game. The Sirens improved their position with the comeback and handed Toronto another narrow defeat. Toronto had won one of the previous two meetings between the teams before this game, while New York had taken the most recent one. The Sirens scored twice in a 70-second span in the third period of a game that remained scoreless through the first period and tight through the second. The teams are scheduled to meet again in Toronto later this month.

Interstat’s ELO system had projected Toronto with a 50.4 percent probability to win. New York’s third-period rally and O’Brien’s late goal overturned that projection.