Beauts Look to End Skid this Saturday against Pride
Published on January 3, 2020 under Premier Hockey Federation (PHF)
Buffalo Beauts News Release
This weekend will feature the final regular season meetings between the Buffalo Beauts and the Boston Pride of the 2019-20 season. Boston (15-0-0) remains the only undefeated team in the NWHL, though they have twice needed more than just regulation to keep their perfection intact. Buffalo (6-7-1) is on a four-game losing streak, and needs to string some victories together to earn home-ice advantage in the 2020 Isobel Cup Playoffs.
The Beauts will play host to the Pride at the Northtown Center on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 7:30 p.m. EST. Both teams will then play a matinee affair on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 1:00 p.m. EST. The Buffalo faithful hope to see their team become the first to knock Boston off its pedestal, while the Pride are looking to make it 17-0-0. Tickets for both games are available at beauts.nwhl.zone/tickets.
"Our focus for this weekend is getting back to playing our game," said Pride defender Lauren Kelly. "Focusing on the things we can control. It's going to be a tough battle against a strong Buffalo team."
About the only thing slowing Boston down right now is their power play. Functioning at a .174, it is second last in the NWHL. Otherwise, their overall stats are simply dominant. Their .887 penalty-kill is at the very top. The Pride have scored 80 goals in 15 games, which is nearly double or more than double every other team - no other NWHL squad has even reached 50 yet.
Individual stats mirror the team's overall performance. The league's leading scorer is Boston's captain Jillian Dempsey, who has 26 points in 15 games this season. Dempsey and linemate Christina Putigna share the NWHL's assist lead with 15 helpers each. Meanwhile, Pride goaltenders Victoria Hanson (1.74 GAA) and Lovisa Selander (11 wins, .941 SV%) are the best in all major netminder stats categories.
"One of Boston's strengths is definitely their goaltending," said Buffalo forward Erin Gehen. "I think we have to attack them with speed and get into gritty areas in order to get pucks through. We have to pressure them hard and capitalize when we have offensive opportunities."
If there is a team that is capable of halting the Pride's streak, it's the Beauts. Buffalo was the first team to earn a point off of Boston this season, and it happened the last weekend the Pride visited the "Queen City". Back on Dec. 21, Buffalo held a 3-2 lead over Boston before losing 4-3 in overtime.
Likewise, the Beauts have some impressive numbers heading into the weekend. Their 46 goals in 14 games are the second-most in the NWHL. Buffalo's penalty-kill (.840) and power play (.234) are also ranked second in the league.
The Beauts offense is fueled by NWHL-leading goal scorer Taylor Accursi, who has exploded for 15 goals in 14 games. Accursi's linemate Iveta KlimÃ¡à ¡ová (2-12-14) is a point-per-game player as well, and her 12 assists are tied for third-most in the league.
"I think we are a great skill team with a lot of individual talent," said KlimÃ¡à ¡ová, "but Boston is skilled as well. So we have to be patient and wait for our chances to score goals. I think we have something more in our locker room, and if we stick together as a team we can beat anyone."
Both games will be streaming live and free on the NWHL on Twitch on Saturday and Sunday. This is not a weekend series you want to miss.
Premier Hockey Federation Stories from January 3, 2020
- Beauts Look to End Skid this Saturday against Pride - Buffalo Beauts
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