Buffalo’s Attea Is Living Large in the 716

It is nearly every youngster’s dream to play for their hometown team. The dream of putting on the jersey, making plays infront of the local fans, and helping the team to victory is too good to be true for so many athletes.

Not for Allison Attea.

The rookie defender and native Buffalonian was drafted in the fourth round, 19th overall by the Buffalo Beauts out of Holy Cross. It is not hard to see why the Beauts had interest in her either, as Attea played in 111 games for Holy Cross. Coming into the PHF, she brought a lot of experience to the Beauts lineup, even as a rookie. During her 4-year tenure with the Crusaders, she potted eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points.

Attea is known as a solid stay-at-home defender. She excells at shutting plays down and getting in the shooting lanes. In her final two seasons at Holy Cross, she blocked 94 shots, leading the team in that category for both seasons.

Being drafted by the Beauts gave Attea a chance to play in the place where she grew up, and in front of friends and family. An opportunity like this was one she could not pass up.

“It was crazy,” Attea said. “My parents actually threw a draft party and all my friends and family were there. When we all heard my name announced by the Buffalo Beauts, I was so excited. I can’t even put it into words. Especially since for my senior year of college hockey, no spectators were allowed at games. It was a great feeling knowing that my biggest supporters could watch me at the rink I grew up playing in.”

Being a rookie and adjusting from the college game to the professional level can be difficult, but a strong positive culture within the Beauts has helped Attea adjust in many ways.

“During training camp and meeting the team for the first time I thought it was going to be super intimidating walking into the locker room as a rookie,” explained Attea. “Everyone was just so welcoming and our team culture is great. The girls are really tough and the game is also really fast too. I’d say playing in Hockey East prepared me well and it’s really nice seeing some familiar faces out there too.”

So far this season for the Beauts, Attea has shown why the team drafted her with, playing strong defensively and being responsible in her own end of the ice. In 14 games, she has two assists and seven blocked shots. With how quickly Attea continues to improve, the Beauts believe they have added a gem to their blue line for many seasons to come.