Buffalo Beauts

Buffalo Beauts
2018–19 NWHL season
City Buffalo, New York
League National Women's Hockey League
Founded 2015
Home arena HarborCenter
Colors Blue, black, silver, white
                   
Owner(s) Pegula Sports and Entertainment
General manager Nik Fattey
Head coach Ric Seiling and Craig Muni
Captain Corinne Buie
Media 716 Sports Podcast / WBNY
The Buffalo News
NWHL Cross Ice Pass (On YouTube)
Website Official Website
Championships
Playoff championships 2016–17

The Buffalo Beauts are a professional women's ice hockey team based in the city of Buffalo, New York. The team was established in 2015 as one of the four founding franchises of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). They play at HarborCenter[1] which is across the street from and connected to KeyBank Center, the home of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres. The Beauts are owned by Terry and Kim Pegula, who purchased the club in 2017.

The team has advanced to the Isobel Cup Finals in the NWHL's first three seasons, winning in 2016–17.

History

Brianne McLaughlin celebrating after winning the 2017 Isobel Cup

The Beauts held their first-ever summer free agent camp on May 23 and May 24, 2015.[2] In July 2015, the Beauts signed free agent and 2-time Team USA Olympic goaltender Brianne McLaughlin, making her the first player in franchise history to sign a contract with the franchise.[3]

The team made its debut at home on October 11, 2015 in a 4–1 loss versus the Boston Pride. During a 5–3 home loss against the Boston Pride on October 25, 2015, Brianne McLaughlin allowed three goals by Brianna Decker, resulting in the first hat trick in NWHL history.

The Beauts would finish the regular season third out of four teams, beating out the New York Riveters. In the semi-finals of the inaugural Isobel Cup championships, the Beauts faced off against the Connecticut Whale. The Connecticut had a perfect record against the Beauts in the regular season. The Beauts would go on to upset the Whale by winning the last two games, going on to face the Boston Pride in the finals. There, they would drop two games in succession and finish second in the playoffs.

On October 7, 2016, Beauts forward Harrison Browne came out as a transgender man and thus became the first openly transgender athlete in professional American team sports.[4] That same year the Beauts won the 2016–17 Isobel Cup Championship in an upset win over the defending champion Boston Pride. This was Buffalo's first professional hockey championship since the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League won the 1969–70 Calder Cup.

The Beauts would sign three superstars from the CWHL's Brampton Thunder on August 31, 2017 signing Jess Jones, along with Sarah Edney and Rebecca Vint.[5]

On December 21, 2017, Pegula Sports and Entertainment, owners of the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres and HarborCenter, announced it had purchased the Beauts. This made the Beauts the first team in the NWHL not owned by the league and the first professional women's hockey team in North America to be owned by the same organization of its market's NHL team.[6]

On June 27, 2018, the Beauts signed Team Canada goaltender Shannon Szabados. Szabados had previously only played professional hockey on men's leagues such as the Southern Professional Hockey League and is the first woman to record a shutout in men's league.[7]

Season-by-season records

SeasonGPWLTOTLSOLPtsGFGAPlayoffs
2015–161859040145769Lost Isobel Cup Championship to Boston Pride
2016–1717610140116077Won Isobel Cup Championship over Boston Pride
2017–1816124—0—245141Lost Isobel Cup Championship to Metropolitan Riveters

Team

Current roster

Updated August 20, 2018[8]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
95 Canada Taylor Accursi F 23 Ancaster, Ontario
8 Canada Kelly Babstock F L 26 2015 Mississauga, Ontario
20 United States Blake Bolden D 27 Euclid, Ohio
23 United States Corinne Buie F 26 Edina, Minnesota
17 United States Jordyn Burns D 26 Chanhassen, Minnesota
24 United States Dani Cameranesi F 23 Plymouth, Minnesota
10 Canada Sarah Casorso D 29 Kelowna, British Columbia
11 United States Lisa Chesson D 32 Plainfield, Illinois
34 United States Julia DiTondo G 24 Kenmore, New York
16 United States Maddie Elia F 23 Lewiston, New York
25 United States Jacquie Greco D 27 Buffalo, New York
29 United States Nicole Hensley G 24 Littleton, Colorado
12 United States Savannah Harmon D 22 Downers Grove, Illinois
18 United States Juliana Iafallo F 22 Eden, New York
4 United States Emily Janiga F 24 East Aurora, New York
27 United States Jordan Juron F 24 Latham, New York
7 United States Emily Pfalzer D 25 Buffalo, New York
14 United States Hayley Scamurra F 23 Williamsville, New York
40 Canada Shannon Szabados G L 32 2018 Edmonton, Alberta
13 United States Annika Zalewski F 22 New Hartford, New York

Draft history

Courtney Burke from the Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey program became the first player in franchise history to be selected in the inaugural 2015 NWHL Draft.[9] Raised in the state capital of Albany, New York, Burke was also the first defensewoman selected in NWHL Draft history.

NWHL Draft

The following are the Beauts' selections from the 2015 NWHL Draft of college players in their junior year held on June 20, 2015. Note: The team has not announced any contract signings from this list to date. A player who is drafted but does not sign with the organization that selected her, may enter free-agency after completing her senior year.

#PlayerPositionNationalityCollege
4Courtney BurkeDefense United StatesUniv of Wisconsin
8Sarah LefortForward CanadaBoston University
12Amanda LeveilleGoalie CanadaUniv of Minnesota
16Emily JanigaForward United StatesMercyhurst
20Jenna DingeldeinForward CanadaMercyhurst

[10]

Franchise milestones

MilestonePlayerDate
First goalKelley SteadmanOctober 11, 2015
First winBrianne McLaughlinNovember 29, 2015
First Isobel Cup goalShelby BramMarch 11, 2016
First Championship MVPBrianne McLaughlinMarch 19, 2017
First ShutoutAmanda LeveilleJanuary 27, 2018

Media

In local Media the Buffalo Beauts are covered by The Buffalo News and home games are broadcast live by 716 Sports Podcast and simulcast on radio by WBNY, the noncommercial student radio station of Buffalo State College. With the Pegulas' purchase of the team, the company's broadcast partners, radio giant Entercom and television service MSG Western New York, would have default rights to future Beauts contests.

Awards and honors

  • Megan Bozek, Buffalo Beauts, 2017 NWHL Defensive Player of the Year Award

References

  1. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2015/04/16/buffalo-beauts-to-play-at-harborcenter.html
  2. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2015/05/22/buffalo-beauts-hold-first-summer-training-camp.html
  3. ↑ "Buffalo Beauts sign goaltender Brianne McLaughlin – Sports". The Buffalo News. 2015-07-03. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
  4. ↑ "NWHL player Harrison Browne comes out as a transgender man". ESPN. 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  5. ↑ "SCORING MACHINE JESS JONES IS A BEAUT". www.nwhl.zone. 2017-08-31. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  6. ↑ Amy Moritz (December 21, 2017). "Pegulas add the Buffalo Beauts to their hockey holdings". The Buffalo News. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Shannon Szabados signs with Buffalo Beauts". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  8. ↑ "Buffalo Beauts 2018–19 Regular Season Roster". www.nwhl.zone. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
  10. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
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