As with any strategic battle plan, there are sometimes a few self-inflicted wounds along the way and Friday night's 3-2 overtime loss to defending PWHL champion Minnesota was a case in point for the New York Sirens.

New York's aggressive mindset throughout all facets of their game -- offense, defense, goaltending and special teams -- was an important key to their four-game winning streak. However, the risks can at times outweigh the rewards and some of those risks did not produce the intended results at The Prudential Center. And those results came in front of 4,244 and with a future date at Madison Square Garden awaiting the Sirens.

In the final analysis, a point is a point but over a 30-game season those three-point regulation and two-point overtime pickups carry so much weight. The young and talented stars on the Sirens' roster continue to rise to occasions, but there are learning moments and the overall effort against the Frost should be one of them.

New York's Kayle Osborne clearly wanted back a misguided pass from behind her goal that was easily grabbed by the Frost's Taylor Heise and one-timed to Britta Curl-Salemme for a no-doubter into a wide open net to give Minnesota the early lead.Hours later on a scoring attempt less than a minute into OT, the Sirens' Sarah Fillier tried to connect with Jaime Bourbonnais deep in Minnesota territory but instead the puck again found the stick of Heise who took off on an odd-player burst the other way.

With Kendall Coyne Schofield surging down the right side, there was a clear path for Heise to deliver a perfect cross-ice pass to Minnesota's captain for the game-winning goal. Osborne had committed to her left and couldn't get back across her crease in time to make the save.

In between, the ice tilted many times as New York and Minnesota battled like two warriors determined to achieve the victory.

This is a critical juncture in the season for the Sirens, with the team already in Washington, D.C. for Sunday's PWHL Takeover Tour clash against Montreal at 2 p.m. Then, New York is right back at it with their return to Newark on Tuesday to face Ottawa in a 7 p.m. puck drop.

There are important points on the table over this stretch of three games in five days, and the Sirens have a golden opportunity -- albeit with the campaign only at the midway point when the final buzzer sounds vs. the Charge -- to regain their momentum.

And while the Sirens probably deserved a better fate with an exceptionally systematic third period that included Casey O'Brien hitting the crossbar with minutes remaining on one of several odd-man rushes, a fifth straight win was not meant to be.

Speaking of battles, New York won a lot of those all over the ice in that final frame. The chemistry in terms of crisp passing and execution was evident especially along the wall and through the neutral zone with disruptive playmaking. The Sirens' talented rookies are increasingly in sync with one another and the veterans on their respective lines.

"One thing we noticed (in that third period) is (Minnesota) kind of stretched the zone a little bit and tried to get behind our 'D' just to open up the ice," New York head coach Greg Fargo said after the game. "When teams do that, the game tends to ... become a little more of a track meet and there are more rushes and chances..."

While Osborne has had good looks for several games now on the majority of her saves, on occasion New York appears to transition into zone-type coverage -- when their opponent gains possession -- rather than directly pursue the puck-handler. Their speed in transition should work to their advantage in challenging the attacker head-on rather than backing off and going into a zone similar to basketball.

In just over six minutes (6:06) of ice time on Friday night, New York defender Dayle Ross had two quality scoring chances and was effective at both ends of the ice in her reduced role. She also played about six minutes in Toronto back on Jan. 6.

Fargo appears to be taking it slow with Ross, who has returned from an ACL injury. One would have thought the 10-day break would have led to more ice time for Ross on Friday night. There is no word on when her ice time may increase.

In her first full season with the Sirens since being acquired from Boston in a trade for Jill Saulnier a year ago this month, Taylor Girard has played her best hockey since her highly productive days with the Connecticut Whale in the Premier Hockey Federation.

Girard netted her fifth goal of the season and 10th of her PWHL career to become the 35th player in PWHL history to reach an all-time double-digit goal total. The veteran now has five goals in 12 games this season, matching her accumulated total across 46 games in the last two seasons. 

OF NOTE: Casey O'Brien recorded the first shorthanded 'Jailbreak' goal and fourth overall of her rookie campaign, bringing her season point total to eight to lead all PWHL rookies. The Sirens' third overall pick extended her point streak to three-straight games (1G, 2A), a new career-high ... Kristin O'Neill won 15 of her 23 faceoffs, marking her fifth career game with at least 15 wins at the dot. The Sirens forward has taken the most faceoffs in the league this season with 231 and is currently tied with Seattle’s Alex Carpenter for the league lead in wins at 135 ... Sirens' alternate captain and Canadian Olympian Sarah Fillier has earned an assist in four consecutive games where the Sirens have been the home team, including three-straight when she’s been in the lineup at The Prudential Center ... Sirens' captain Micah Zandee-Hart, who had the lone assist on Girard’s goal, has recorded five of her 15 career points against Minnesota.