Beauts punch ticket to third consecutive Isobel Cup Final

Beauts 3, Pride 2 (OT)

Casorso’s first goal of the season comes at best possible moment — sending Beauts to Isobel Cup Final yet again

Boston and Buffalo have a lengthy NWHL postseason history together — at least, as lengthy as can be in a three-year-old league. So it was no big surprise that the third-seeded Pride would try to hold off the second-seeded Beauts for as long as possible. In the end, it took overtime for the Beauts to pull out a win, on a power-play goal by Sarah Casorso in front of a packed house at Harborcenter Saturday night.

Sarah Casorso is the hero for the @BuffaloBeauts as they make their third consecutive trip to the Isobel Cup Final! pic.twitter.com/osXP6MZ74K

— The Ice Garden (@TheIceGarden) March 18, 2018

The Beauts attempted to dictate the play early with a goal on a booming shot by Sarah Edney, but the Pride soon took over, getting that goal back and then some. Mary Parker hit Heather Schwarz with a beautiful pass curling out of the corner to tie the game just two minutes after Edney’s goal, then got one of her own on a net-crashing play midway through the second period.

Despite starting the scoring, the Beauts didn’t seem completely at ease in the first. Their offense struggled to finish plays or get sustained time in the Pride’s zone and Brittany Ott proved equal to the task on shots in close and from the point alike. Buffalo overcame that to outshoot Boston 16-7 in the second (after getting outshot 14-7 in the first), but the score was 2-1 Pride after two periods of play.

In fact, it wasn’t until the third period that the Beauts finally found their finish, with Corinne Buie hitting home on the power play just shy of six minutes into the final frame. That energy carried over into the overtime period, when just 1:21 in, Casorso saw the perfect shot and took it, giving the fans plenty to cheer about and getting her team back into the final for the third consecutive year.

Player of the Game: BOS — Parker provided tons of energy and two big points on the night for the Pride, forechecking hard and getting in the right place at the right time.

BUF — Casorso may have had the game winner, but Buie’s goal in the third period was quite literally the game-changer for Buffalo. Her leadership and excellent play up front has her poised to win a record third Isobel Cup, and should it happen, it would be well-deserved.

Scoring:

BUF: Edney, Buie, Casorso (OT, GWG); Leveille 34 sv

BOS: Schwarz, Parker; Ott 34 sv