Boston Pride Defeat Buffalo Beauts in Thrilling Shootout
Boston, MA - On Saturday night, the Warrior Ice Arena and a sold out crowd played host to the Buffalo Beauts for the home opener for the Boston Pride. The Boston Pride revealed the 2015-2016 Isobel Cup Championship banner as part of “The Night of Champions.” The boisterous crowd was also treated to the display of Denna Laing’s number and an appearance of the former Boston Pride player. During the opening ceremonies, other former Pride players were also announced and returned to the ice for a team picture with the championship banner. One in particular, Corinne Buie, now of the Beauts, took part in the opening puck drop.
After all the ceremonies, the two teams who played in the 2016 Isobel Cup Finals, took the ice ready to play. One week prior in the opening game of the season, the Pride defeated the Beauts 4-1 in Buffalo. However, on Saturday, Buffalo was ready to spoil the ceremonial night for Boston.
The Beauts did a great job all game slowing the Pride offense. The Pride were once again without Hilary Knight who is out with an undisclosed injury. The Pride had still averaged 5 goals per game in their first two games, without the 2015-2016 leading scorer, Knight. After the game we asked Boston Head Coach Bobby Jay about the time table for Knight’s return. “I’ll pull a Bill Belichek… I never went to med school, I don’t know, I just tell the trainer, get her back as soon as you can and tell me when she’s ready…. when they tell me she’s ready to go, I think I’ll find a spot for her.”
There was an enormous amount of energy from both teams to start the game. The Beauts won the opening tip off, both teams battled up and down the ice in the first period, but neither team was able to beat the goalie. The Beauts looked faster than the Pride in the first period, as evidence by a breakaway by Emily Janiga that Blake Bolden and Brittany Ott were able to keep Janiga and the puck out of the net.
In the second period, the Pride were the better team. They controlled the puck in the second and led the shots on goals 14-3. The scoreless game was ended 6:53 into the period, when Brianna Decker passed the puck across the goalie to Jordan Smelker who beat McLaughlin giving the Pride the only lead of the game. Smelker was asked after the game what it was like to celebrate last year’s championship in front of the team they defeated to win the Isobel Cup. “It was a little awkward… we’re building off of last year… we’re really focused on this year and getting better.”
The third period was a much closer period with Harrison Browne and Sarah Casorso of the Beauts getting a little more physical with the Pride players. At 15:09 Lexi Bender received an interference penalty partly due to the frustration of the physicality from the Beauts. While Bender sat in the Penalty Box, Shiann Darkangelo got the equalizer at 15:35 in the third period.
Brianne McLaughlin and Brittany Ott were amazing in goal all night, McLaughlin making 41 saves, Ott with 16. At the end of regulation, there was no winner. The overtime period was 5 minutes of 4 on 4 hockey. The play was wide open and both teams went up and down the ice. However, there was still no winner. So the teams went to a shootout.
WATCH FULL GAME HERE:
Boston shot first in the shootout. McLaughlin stopped the first 4 rounds of Pride players, Decker, Alex Carpenter, Gigi Marvin, and Zoe Hickel. Ott also held suit stopping Casorso, Darkangelo, Lisa Chesson, and Janiga.
In the fifth round of the shootout, Amanda Pelkey slammed a shot past McLaughlin. Corinne Buie, the former Pride player, came up with the opportunity to keep the Beauts going. Buie skated in and tried to fake out Ott, but Ott went to the ground and poked the puck away with her stick making a great stop to seal the victory for the Pride. The Pride move to 3-0-0 on the year and the Beauts still picked up a point with the overtime loss 1-1-1.
The Pride host the New York Riveters next Saturday the 23rd at 6:30. The Beauts host the Connecticut Whale Sunday the 24th at 3:30.
