MARCHMENT, CONNECTICUT SINK BUFFALO IN OT

Lovisa Berndtsson put on a clinic in goal for Buffalo on Saturday night, making 46 stop for the home team, but it wasn’t enough in the end. 

Kennedy Marchment scored in overtime to give Connecticut a 2-1 win. Berndtsson faced more than twice the shots that Whale goaltender Abbie Ives did; Ives made 19 saves for Connecticut to secure the win. 

The first period was a stalemate between the two teams as both goaltenders were rock solid in net. Berndtsson stopped all 16 shots she faced while Ives turned aside nine. Connecticut got a power play in the dying seconds of the first, but weren’t able to convert on it before the buzzer sounded to send the teams to the first intermission. 

Buffalo’s penalty kill was perfect all game long, going 3-3 against Connecticut’s power play. The Beauts got their lone power play opportunity midway through the second, but the Whale shut it down. Nobody lit the lamp until the latter half of the second period, when Connecticut broke the ice with the first goal of the game. With just over three minutes to play in the middle frame, the Whale moved the puck to the slot and whacked away at the rebound. Justine Reyes located the puck and slammed it past Berndtsson to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.  

Eight and a half minutes into the third period, Claudia Kepler scored her eighth goal of the season to tie things up. Emma Nuutinen centered the puck to Kepler in the slot, and despite falling to her knees, Kepler was still able to find the puck and lift it up and over Ives.  

Mikyla Grant-Mentis nearly got the go-ahead goal with four and a half minutes to play; her shot bounced off both the near post and crossbar before bouncing out, and the two teams played on until the end of regulation. 

Taylor Girard and Marchment teamed up for a give-and-go play in OT to end it. Marchment dished the puck off to Girard on the wing, and Girard sent it back to Marchment crashing the net, who tipped it past Berndtsson to give the Whale the victory. 

The two teams will battle again on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. EST. 

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.