PELKEY EXTENDS POINT STREAK IN BEAUTS LOSS

The Beauts came out fast against the Riveters on Friday night, taking the lead twice, but it wasn’t enough in a 5-2 defeat.

Buffalo goaltender Lovisa Berndtsson made 31 saves in the loss, while Riveters netminder Katie Burt stopped 22 shots for the win.

The Beauts struck first off of a beautiful set up from Mikyla Grant-Mentis just past the ten minute mark of the first. Grant-Mentis looked like she would carry the puck behind the net before braking hard and backtracking to the side of the net. She found a seam and sent a pass right to the tape of Courtney Maud, who buried the puck past Burt.

The Riveters tied things up on a Minttu Tuominen one-timer off a face-off two and a half minutes later. Neither team scored again in the first period, and Buffalo killed off two penalties, including a brief 5-on-3 opportunity for the Riveters.

The visitors retook the lead in the second frame when Grant-Mentis beat a Riveter defender and picked a corner against Burt, popping the water bottle to give the Beauts a 2-1 lead just over five minutes into the second.

Just a few minutes later, Metropolitan’s penalty kill stepped up for the home team. With the Beauts on a power play, Kelly Babstock pounced on a turnover and skated in on a shorthanded breakaway, going glove side on Berndtsson and tying the game up at two goals apiece.

Madison Packer broke the stalemate late in the middle frame. The Riveters threw the puck towards the net and Berndtsson made the initial stop, but Packer crashed the other side of the net and put home the rebound, giving Metropolitan a 3-2 lead going into the second intermission.

Amanda Pelkey made it a 4-2 game 2:16 into the third period, extending her point streak to five games, and Fanni Garát-Gasparics sealed the deal for the Riveters late, scoring the home team’s fifth goal with just over a minute to play.

The two teams will face off again on Saturday at 2 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.