Buffalo Beauts
| Buffalo Beauts | |
|---|---|
 2016–17 Buffalo Beauts season | |
 | |
| City | Buffalo, New York |
| League | National Women's Hockey League |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Home arena | HarborCenter |
| Colors |
Blue, White, Black, Gray |
| Owner(s) | NWHL |
| General manager | Ric Seiling |
| Head coach | Ric Seiling |
| Captain | Emily Pfalzer |
| Media |
716 Sports Podcast / WBNY The Buffalo News NWHL Cross Ice Pass (On YouTube) |
| Website | Official Website |
The Buffalo Beauts is a professional women's ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. It is one of the four charter franchises of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL).
History
The Beauts play at HarborCenter in Buffalo,[1] which is across the street from and connected to KeyBank Center, the home of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres. 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]
Of note, 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 for 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]
Team
Roster For 2016–17 Season
Updated October 7, 2016
| Player | Position | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Paige Harrington | Defense |  United States |
| Kelley Steadman | Forward | United States |
| Emily Janiga | Forward | United States |
| Ashley Vesci | Forward | United States |
| Emily Pfalzer (C) | Defense | United States |
| Kristina Lavoie | Defense |  Canada |
| Megan Bozek (A) | Defense | United States |
| Sarah Casorso | Defense | Canada |
| Lisa Chesson | Defense | United States |
| Anne Schleper | Defense | United States |
| Jordyn Burns | Forward | United States |
| Devon Skeats | Forward | Canada |
| Kayla Parsons | Defense | United States |
| Corinne Buie | Forward | United States |
| Harrison Browne | Forward | Canada |
| Jacquie Greco | Defense | United States |
| Shiann Darkangelo (A) | Forward | United States |
| Amanda Leveille | Goalie | Canada |
| Brianne McLaughlin | Goalie | United States |
| Kelsey Neumann | Goalie | United States |
| Kourtney Kunichika | Forward | United States |
| Morgan Beikrich | Forward | United States |
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.[6] Raised in the state capital of Albany, New York, Burke was also the first defenseman 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.
| # | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
| 4 | Courtney Burke | Defense | United States | Univ of Wisconsin |
| 8 | Sarah Lefort | Forward | Canada | Boston University |
| 12 | Amanda Leveille | Goalie | Canada | Univ of Minnesota |
| 16 | Emily Janiga | Forward | United States | Mercyhurst |
| 20 | Jenna Dingeldein | Forward | Canada | Mercyhurst |
Franchise milestones
- See also: List of Buffalo Beauts records
| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First goal | Kelley Steadman | October 11, 2015 |
| First win | Brianne McLaughlin | November 29, 2015 |
| First Isobel Cup goal | Shelby Bram | March 11, 2016 |
Season by Season Records
2015–16
| Games | W – L | T | OTL | SOL | Points | GF | GA | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 5–9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 57 | 69 | Lost Isobel Cup Championship to Boston Pride. |
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, a station out of Buffalo State College.
References
- ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2015/04/16/buffalo-beauts-to-play-at-harborcenter.html
- ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2015/05/22/buffalo-beauts-hold-first-summer-training-camp.html
- ↑ "Buffalo Beauts sign goaltender Brianne McLaughlin – Sports". The Buffalo News. 2015-07-03. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
- ↑ "NWHL player Harrison Browne comes out as a transgender man". ESPN. 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
- ↑ "Buffalo Beauts – 2016–2017 Regular Season – Roster". Nwhl.zone. 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
