BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo Beauts announced a new team award which will be given out at the conclusion of the 2021-22 NWHL Season and for each Beauts’ season going forward. The Debra A. Cresanti Memorial Award will be awarded to the Beauts player most actively involved in the Western New York community, as voted by the Beauts team captains.
This award was created in honor of Beauts superfan Deb Cresanti, who sadly passed away unexpectedly in early February 2021.
“The news of Deb’s passing came as a sudden shock to our entire Beauts organization and left many of us heartbroken,” said Beauts GM Nate Oliver. “I had just spoken to Deb days prior while we were in Lake Placid, as she had asked me to send her a photo of her own cardboard cutout in the stands. There is no replacing someone like her and what she meant to our team.”
Cresanti was widely beloved for her immense support of the Beauts. Since the 2017-18 season, she created banners and signs to hang up in the rink during Beauts home games. Cresanti liked to spoil the players by giving them snacks for road trips and ordering pizza for after practices. Cresanti often made the trek to see the team on the road and routinely attended Beauts practices. She was a fixture at many of the Beauts’ community events, including charity bowling and at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens.
“Deb was so much more than a fan of the Beauts,” said team captain Taylor Accursi. “She invested her time into the game and the team she loved. It didn’t matter if the Beauts were playing at home or away, you would look into the stands and Deb would be there. Her energy at practices, games and team events was contagious.
She loved women’s hockey, but the Beauts were where her heart was. The Buffalo organization meant a lot to Deb, and Deb meant a lot to this organization. Every time that I’ll put that jersey on, I know Deb will be cheering for us to bring home the Cup. Maybe not in the stands, but with a view with less mesh.”
