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The Boston Pride's long (and well-documented) bus trip to Buffalo was certainly worth it as they opened their inaugural season with a 4-1 victory over the Beauts.
In front of 1,200+ at the HarborCenter, the Pride controlled the pace of play straight out of the gate. Opening the scoring at 12:08 in first period was, of course, Hilary Knight, who caught Beauts' goalie Brianne McLaughlin sleeping.
Hey, hey it's Hilary! @Hilary_Knight with @TheBostonPride's first goal of the game and in team history. BOS:1 BUF:0 pic.twitter.com/8BGemm9nVU
— NWHL Gifs (@nwhlgifs) October 11, 2015
For her second act, Knight went stick-side, this time assisted by Kacey Bellamy.
@Hilary_Knight nets her second of the game! 2-0 BOS pic.twitter.com/lDpWcJXAK9
— NWHL Gifs (@nwhlgifs) October 11, 2015
Although she was denied the #KnightTrick (for now), Jordan Smelker made it three anyway. By the end of the second period, the Pride racked up 29 total shots on goal compared to 15 from the Beauts.
Jordan Smelker of @TheBostonPride gets her first goal of the season and makes it 3-0 BOS. pic.twitter.com/T6b88HxDI0
— NWHL Gifs (@nwhlgifs) October 11, 2015
Topping off the scoring for Boston was Amanda Pelkey, beating McLaughlin with a quick shot, assisted once again by Bellamy.
Amanda Pelkey (@Pelkey21) of @TheBostonPride tallies her first goal of the season! BOS: 4 BUF: 0 pic.twitter.com/BhbQTzNLgm
— NWHL Gifs (@nwhlgifs) October 11, 2015
However, the Pride took five penalties, Bellamy matching her two assists with two trips to the box. During the final penalty kill of the game, Kelley Steadman sniped Brittany Ott on her glove side for the Beauts' only goal of the game and was met with raucous applause from the home crowd.
The @BuffaloBeauts are on the board. Kelley Steadman (@ksteadman9) records the first Beauts regular season goal. pic.twitter.com/ulOhiXXWBe
— NWHL Gifs (@nwhlgifs) October 11, 2015
In other less-than-great notes, Gigi Marvin was injured during her second shift and was reportedly seen wearing a sling after the game. No word yet on the extent of her injury, but given her versatile skills, this would be a significant loss for the team. However, with this offense, hopefully they'll be able to offset any possible defensive detriments.
For those who love stats, be sure to check out the stats page the league launched today, which, aside from time on ice, is pretty comprehensive. Next Sunday, the Pride will travel to New York once again, this time to face the Riveters in Brooklyn at 7:00 p.m.