By Michael Heilman
The Minnesota Whitecaps and the Buffalo Beauts returned to the Tria Rink for game two Sunday afternoon. The Beauts were looking for a little bit of payback as the Whitecaps took game one 8-2 Saturday night.
The Whitecaps picked up where they left off two minutes and forty-eight seconds into the first period as Jonna Curtis scored to put the Whitecaps in the lead 1-0 with an assist from Meaghan Pezon. Over three minutes later, The Whitecaps extended their lead 2-0 on a goal by Sydney Baldwin with an assist from Nicole Schammel. The Beauts would cut the Whitecaps lead 2-1 a minute later as Ashley Birdsall scored with an assist from Becki Bowering.
It was déjà vu all over again for the Beauts as that was as close as they would get to the Whitecaps for the remainder of the game. Over two minutes later, the Whitecaps began to distance themselves as Jonna Curtis scored her second goal of the game to extend the Whitecaps lead 3-1 with assists from Meaghan Pezon and Winny Brodt Brown. The Whitecaps committed a penalty twelve minutes and fifty-six seconds in the first period, but the Beauts were unable to find the net as the Whitecaps were playing tremendous defense. The Whitecaps led 3-1 at the end of the first period.
A minute and seventeen seconds into the second period, the Whitecaps added another goal by Meghan Lorence with an assist from Sydney Baldwin to make it a 4-1 Whitecaps lead. About eight minutes later, the Whitecaps Audra Richards scored to make it a 5-1 lead with assists from Stephanie Anderson and Lauren Barnes. Less than a minute later, Whitecaps forward Meaghan Pezon scored with an assist from Allie Thunstrom to make it a 6-1 lead. Buffalo had a chance to get back into the game when a body-checking call against Whitecaps defenseman Sydney Baldwin put the Beauts on the power play; however, they were unable to score as the Whitecaps continued to eliminate any opportunities the Beauts had. The Whitecaps led 6-1 at the end of the second period.
The Whitecaps added one more goal to the scoring column twelve minutes and eight seconds in the third period, as Nicole Schammel scored to make it a 7-1 lead with an assist from Sydney Baldwin. The Beauts had no answers in this game as the Minnesota Whitecaps defeated the Buffalo Beauts 7-1 to complete the weekend sweep.
The Whitecaps had a total of thirty-one shots on goal while the Beauts had twenty-nine. Whitecaps goalies Amanda Leveille went twenty-four of twenty-five saves, allowing one goal, and Allie Morse made all four saves. Buffalo Beauts goalies Kelsey Neumann was thirteen of eighteen saves allowing five goals, and Mariah Fujimagari went eleven of thirteen saves allowing two goals.
The three stars of the game were Whitecaps forward Jonna Curtis with two goals, Whitecaps defenseman Sydney Baldwin one goal and two assists and Whitecaps Meaghan Pezon with one goal and two assists.
The Whitecaps will remain at the Tria Rink next weekend as they welcome the Connecticut Whale Saturday at 2 pm and Sunday at 4 pm. The Beauts will get a much-needed rest as their next game will be on Saturday, February 15th, against the Metropolitan Riveters.
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