BEAUTS TRAVEL TO TORONTO FOR REMATCH

As the end of the regular season comes within sight, the Beauts will face off against Toronto in a border battle this weekend hungry for some points.

Both teams got a bye week last weekend thanks to the All-Star game, but that didn’t mean that everyone on the team was idle. Four Beauts players - Mikyla Grant-Mentis, Dominique Kremer, Emma Nuutinen and Antonia Matzka - suited up for the ASG. Grant-Mentis picked up an assist and helped Team Canada to the victory over Team World in the championship game. 

Now that the festivities are over, the Beauts will turn their attention back to the regular season. Both Toronto and Buffalo are entering the weekend on a one-game losing skid - the Beauts dropped their second game against Metropolitan in its last series while the Six split its last weekend against Connecticut.

Despite the loss, the Beauts are hoping to ride some momentum and strong goaltending from its last series against the Riveters. Their win against Metropolitan on January 21st was the team’s second win of the season and a much-deserved victory for goaltender Lovisa Berndtsson, who stopped 41 shots in her first career PHF win.

Berndtsson will likely be the team’s go-to goalie for the remainder of the season - Kassidy Sauvé, who’s been battling injuries all season, announced recently that she will undergo season-ending surgery. Tera Hofmann and Berndtsson will be the team’s anchors in net in her absence, much like they’ve been doing all season.

Claudia Kepler and Grant-Mentis are tied for the team lead in scoring. Kepler has seven goals and five assists while Grant-Mentis has put up three goals and nine assists.

The Beauts will have to slow down Toronto superstar Brittany Howard, who is leading her team in scoring with 23 points (15G, 8A) while also keeping an eye on Emma Woods (15 points), Kati Tabin (13 points) and Shiann Darkangelo (12 points).

Special teams will once again be crucial for the Beauts as they look to take some points away this weekend. Buffalo has the edge on both the power play and penalty kill, with a 20 percent success rate with the extra skater and killing off penalties at an 87.8 percent clip.

Toronto isn’t that far behind them - their power play needs some work, converting at just a 12.2 percent rate, but the penalty kill kills off just over 80 percent of their penalties with an 81.8 percent success rate.

Saturday’s game will start at 2 p.m. EST at Canlan Sports Rink at York University. The puck will drop on Sunday’s contest at 2 p.m. EST at the same location.

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 the 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, Montreal Force and the Toronto Six who all compete annually for the Isobel Cup.