BUFFALO, NY – The NWHL wrapped up the opening weekend of its second season with the Connecticut Whale falling 5-4 to the Buffalo Beauts despite a hat trick from the Whale’s Haley Skarupa. Sunday’s match marked not only the first game of the season for the Whale, but Skarupa’s first professional game as well, making her the first NWHL player to record such a feat in their debut game.
Although the game started off at a quick and exciting pace for both teams, Connecticut was first on the board less than two minutes into the period after a deep turn over and lethal two on one to goal. The goal was the rookie Whale Skarupa’s first of the night but it didn’t stop the Beauts from battling back to tie things up 1-1, with only seventeen seconds remaining in the period on a goal from Megan Bozek. Going into the first intermission, the teams were near mirror images of one another recording 10 shots and a penalty a piece.
Like clockwork, the Whale returned to the ice in the second period and again struck first within the first two minutes of play to send them up 2-1 after Kelly Babstock batted a bouncing puck just over the shoulder of Beaut netminder Amanda Leveille. In addition to her eventual hat trick, Skarupa was also credited with the assist on Babstock’s tally. As the minutes ticked down, it seemed that the Whale would run away with the game, dominating in shots, an impressive 17 to the Beauts’ six.
Two more goals from Skarupa before the period elapsed however, attempted to spoil the party for the Beauts (one of which coming with less than twenty seconds remaining in the second period). Buffalo remained relentless and was able to convert on the power play, late in the period between Skarupa’s second and third tallies, with Emily Janiga putting the Beauts back on the board with her first professional goal and a much needed boost to her team. “Emily’s playing great all weekend,” Beauts coach Craig Muni said. Despite the play from Janiga, the Whale sailed into the third period up 4-2 with the momentum heavily in their favor.
Buffalo goaltender Brianne McLaughlin was first on the ice for the Beauts to begin the final period and turned away all nine attempts in the final twenty minutes. “I thought she played steady, she came in, she played strong, she gave the girls a chance to rally and come back,”said Muni. And come back they did.
Less than a minute into the period, Beauts forward Kelley Steadman launched Buffalo back into contention on a hard fought goal from the ice, putting the Beauts back within one with former Whale Shiann Darkangelo notching her second assist on the night. With the energy now in their favor, Kourtney Kunichika eliminated the goal deficit to tie the game up for the Beauts 4-4 on the power play.
Tied on the board, both teams continued to battle until just over midway through the third period when Steadman rang a shot in off the crossbar with laser precision to put the Beauts ahead for the first time in the contest.
The Whale earned a two-man advantage late in the period, and made one final rush on McLaughlin in the final minutes but were unable to convert with the entire Buffalo defensive unit holding down the fort for the win. “I think we just work pretty well off of one another and our D are really good,” Stedman said later of the Buffalo penalty kill on which she spent some time. “It’s easy to kind of play with them and when they’re getting sticks on pucks and taking away chances it’s easy for us to get the puck out.”
Shiann Darkangelo was also an asset on both sides of the ice, spending her share of time on the penalty kill unit. “We just worked as a four-man unit,” she recalled. “I stayed in my lane and was focusing on blocking shots because they have some good players on their team that will shoot the puck and obviously can put the puck in the net.”
Darkangelo is no stranger to the Whale; however, and has certainly made her presence known in Buffalo. Citing her transition to Buffalo as a positive one, she already knows what Buffalo is all about. “I think our team will strive on hard work and outworking other teams so it’s been good – it was an exciting game.”
