Whitecaps Upset Beauts

By Randy Schultz, NYHOL

Photos by Janet Schultz, NYHOL

Amanda Boulier scored the three-goal hat trick while teammates Haylea Schmid and Allie Thunstrom each added two goals apiece to lead the Minnesota Whitecaps to a 9-3 win over the Buffalo Beauts Sunday afternoon. It was the Beauts final regular season game, as well as home game, for their 2019-20 NWHL season.

For the hometown crowd on hand at the Northtown Center, the first period of the game proved to be quite entertaining. They saw the Beauts take a quick 1-0 lead just :59 into the period on a goal by Cassidy MacPherson.

Following another quick goal, this one by Minnesota’s Jonna Curtis to tie the game, 1-1, the Beauts once again took the lead at the 6:30 mark of the first period. The goal was credited to Marie-Jo Pelletier.

But that lead disappeared just a couple of minutes later when Boulier scored the first of her three goals. The 2-2 deadlock lasted into the second period.

The wheels then fell off the Beauts wagon in the second period after the Whitecaps scored six straight goals to take a commanding 8-2 lead.  Minnesota continued to build on their lead added another goal in the third stanza to lead 9-2.

The Beauts rounded out the scoring with a third, and final, goal at the 10:15 mark by Becki Bowering to make the final, 9-3.

GAME NOTES: Minnesota outshot Buffalo for the game, 36-20…Lauren Barnes had a three-point game with three assists for the Whitecaps…the three stars of the game all went to Whitecaps including 3^rd star, Schmid; 2^nd star, Thunstrom; 1^st star, Boulier.