MacDougall plays hero to give Buffalo first win of season

Every season, the Beauts have proven that they’re a team that never gives up and makes life difficult for their opponents. They showed that again on Sunday afternoon, frustrating Montreal and earning their first win of the 2022-23 season.

Autumn MacDougall’s breakaway goal in the third period was the difference maker in a 3-2 victory in front of a home crowd; the win gave Buffalo four points out of a possible six in their first weekend series. Beauts goalie Tera Hofmann was incredible in her season debut for Buffalo, making 31 stops to earn the win. At the other end of the ice, Montreal keeper Marie-Soleil Deschênes made 15 saves.

Whitney Dove got the scoring started for Buffalo at the 12:52 mark of the first period, assisted by Allison Attea. She notched her second goal of the weekend with an absolute bomb from the blue line that tipped off Deschênes’ glove and into the net.

Attea picked up her second point of the afternoon with a goal in the final minute of the opening frame, giving the Beauts a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

The Force cut the lead in half with a goal from Deziray De Sousa two minutes and 26 seconds into the second period. De Sousa skated the puck up the wing and went five hole on Hofmann to get the Six on the board.

Even after Montreal got on the board, the team’s frustration started to boil over in the second period. Sarah Lefort received a major penalty and a game misconduct for checking from behind late in the middle frame, and though the Beauts weren’t able to capitalize on the power play, they headed into the third period up by a goal.

The Force muscled their way back into the game with a tying goal right after killing off another power play. 18 seconds after Montreal killed off a penalty, Catherine Dubois got a feed from Kristina Shanahan right in front of the net to get the Force’s second goal.

With the game tied 2-2, it was anybody’s game with the clock ticking down in the third. Eight minutes into the final period, Autumn MacDougall brought the Beauts’ home crowd to its feet with a dazzling breakaway. MacDougall picked up a perfectly placed pass from Anjelica Diffendal and was off to the races, getting control of the puck at the last moment and flicking it top shelf past Deschênes to give Buffalo a 3-2 lead.

Montreal threw everything but the kitchen sink at Hofmann in the final minutes, hitting the crossbar and pulling its goalie in an effort to tie the game up again. But their desperation got the better of them, and a late roughing penalty from Jade Downie-Laundry was the final nail in Montreal’s coffin.

The Beauts will get a week off to rest and practice before they travel to Connecticut for their first away series of the season. Buffalo’s first game against the Whale will be on Saturday, November 19 at 6 p.m. ET.

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.

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