Beauts Forward Erin Gehen Announces Her Retirement

BUFFALO – Veteran Buffalo Beauts forward Erin Gehen has informed the team that she will be retiring from professional hockey. A native of the Buffalo suburb of West Seneca, Gehen spent three seasons playing for her hometown team. She served as an alternate captain during the Beauts’ 2021-22 PHF season.

“Playing professional women’s hockey in my hometown – and the greatest city in the world – has been an absolute honor and a pleasure,” said Gehen. “I am forever indebted to the Beauts organization as they have helped me to grow into a better hockey player, professional and person throughout the past three years. I am extremely grateful for the teammates, coaches, staff and the fans I have met along the way, as this experience would not have been as amazing without them. A special thank you to my family as they have supported me throughout this entire journey and sacrificed for me to get where I am today. Witnessing the game continue to grow will forever be one of my favorite hobbies. Go Beauts!

Through 45 regular season games with the Beauts, Gehen tallied 8 goals, 9 assists and 17 points. In her rookie season (2019-20) she had three different streaks of scoring consecutive points in three or more games. Gehen’s finest output came from Nov. 24, 2019 through Dec. 21, 2019 when she went 3-2-5 in just three contests. 

The 5-foot-3 forward who will turn 26 years old in August had an exceptional career in Western New York even before her professional career began. Scoring 54 goals, 41 assists and 95 points in 104 NCAA DIII games for Buffalo State College, Gehen is the Bengals all-time leader in career goals, assists, points, shorthanded goals, and is tied for most games played. At the high school level, Gehen is the all-time leading scorer for the WNY Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Federation. She scored an astounding 112 goals, 77 assists and 189 points in only 71 career games.

“It’s definitely sad to see Erin step down from playing professionally,” said Beauts GM Nate Oliver. “We definitely wanted to re-sign her for next season. I’ve always said that Erin is a coach’s ‘dream come true’ because she will do anything that is asked of her and she does it while giving 110-percent. That doesn’t happen often in sports. Erin is a natural leader and she is going to be very missed in the Beauts locker room going forward. Locally to Buffalo, I do not think people realize how much she has mattered to hockey in our community and the importance of her accomplishments at the high school, collegiate and professional levels.”

 Gehen will continue in her career as the Associate Director of Athletics at Elmira College and as a volunteer assistant coach for their women’s ice hockey program. She was named to the Associate Director position on May 21, 2021. Gehen holds a degree in Business Administration and Management, which she received from Buffalo State in 2018. She completed her Masters of Science in Management from Elmira in June of 2020.

About the Buffalo Beauts

The Buffalo Beauts are a professional women's ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York and competing in the Premier Hockey Federation (formerly the National Women’s Hockey League). The Beauts are one of the Founding
Four teams that stepped on the ice in 2015 and the 2017 Isobel Cup Champions. The team is owned and operated
by NLTT Hockey Ventures. Visit beauts.nwhl.zone to learn more.

About Premier Hockey Federation (PHF)

The PHF is the leading home of professional women’s hockey in North America. Established in 2015 as the National Women’s Hockey League, the NWHL rebranded to become the PHF in 2021 and maintains the mission to provide strong role models and fuel the continued growth of the sport. The league is made up of the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, Minnesota Whitecaps, and the Toronto Six who all compete annually for the Isobel Cup.

Contact: For media information, please contact Nate Oliver: noliver@beautshockey.com.