The first season of the National Women’s Hockey League concluded Saturday when the Boston Pride completed a 2-0 series sweep of the Buffalo Beauts to win the Isobel Cup.
The first game of the series Friday night in Newark, NJ at Prudential Center Practice Facility resulted in a 4-3 overtime win for Boston that came with controversy. Buffalo’s Hailey Browne was called for delay of game when she was called for covering the puck in the zone. Some believed she didn’t, but it’s the officials eyes that mattered.
Penalty shot awarded because a Beauts defenseman covered the puck with their hand. #NWHL #IsobelCupFinals pic.twitter.com/NH4RTSvjjH
— NWHL Gifs (@nwhlgifs) March 12, 2016
The result of such infraction is a penalty shot and Hillary Knight scored to give her team the 1-0 series lead.
Penalty shot goal by Hilary Knight (@Hilary_Knight) in OT and @TheBostonPride take Game 1 of the #IsobelCupFinals pic.twitter.com/5Ov1YNNznX — NWHL Gifs (@nwhlgifs) March 12, 2016
Game 2 started with the Pride peppering Beauts goalie Brianne McLaughlin with shot after shot. Their 12-2 shot advantage showed they tried to suffocate the life out of the Beauts. Midway through the first period, Brianna Decker took a pass from Blake Bolden and raced down the middle of the ice and fired a shot past McLaughlin to give the Pride a 1-0 lead.
The score remained 1-0 after two periods but it visually it looked similar to the first period where Boston continued to dominate the play and McLaughlin keeping her team in it as best as she could.
Buffalo’s best chance to even the score turned into a 2-0 hole when they were on the power play. A Buffalo defenseman fumbled the puck at the blue line and Knight took off on a breakaway. McLaughlin made the first save but Knight chased the rebound in the corner and found a trailing Decker open in the slot where she ripped a one-timer in the net.
Buffalo thought they cut its deficit to one when Meghan Duggan scored but it was called no-goal on the ice due to a high stick.
Boston didn’t Buffalo to keep the momentum and took a 3-0 lead midway through the third period. Jordan Smelker skated the puck with the left boards and passed the puck to the stick of a streaking Knight. McLaughlin falls forward to make the save and Knight was able to lift the puck up and over.
Give credit to the Beauts, they did not quit playing despite the deficit and managed to break Brittany Ott’s shutout bid with seconds remaining in the game when Erin Zack scored a backhander from the slot.
Decker was named MVP of the playoffs, as she recorded nine points over the four playoff games.
