Just a couple hours following the news that Taylor Accursi won’t be playing in Lake Placid, the Buffalo Beauts announced the signing last Thursday of forward Brittany Colton for the league’s sixth season.
Colton joins the organization after spending four seasons in the NCAA. Attending the University of Maine, she competed with the Black Bears in Division I Hockey. According to Dan Rice of The Hockey Writers, Colton, 23-years-old, has been skating with the hockey club since late December.
Joining the team in Upstate New York, Colton reunites with some friends in Alyson Matteau, Carly Jackson and Brooke Stacey. Stacey re-joined the franchise before the holidays for her second pro season after having a child.
Colton becomes their 23rd signing and their 13th forward heading into the bubble. As well, she becomes their seventh rookie, set to make her debut against the Whale next Saturday. Targeting a youthful approach, the other six are Whitney Dove, Carly Jackson, Caty Flagg, Autumn MacDougall, Hunter Accursi and Alyson Matteau.
Taking a deeper look at her college days, the senior racked up nine goals along with 18 assists, amassing 27 points. She did so in 162 games. As a sophomore, for her academic achievements, the forward was acknowledged by the school as a UMaine Scholar Athlete, receiving the bronze medal.
A native of Groton, Massachusetts, Colton rounds out Buffalo’s forward corps while adding on height, standing at five-foot-six. While a late addition to the hockey club’s roster, GM Nate Oliver said of the team’s latest signing, “We are very pleased that Brittany was able to join us for this season in Lake Placid. She and I had been talking for a stretch, and there are only good things to say about her,” he said. “Britt is multifaceted and can play defence or forward. She played at Maine and was a defender in her first two seasons as a Black Bear. But in the back half of her time there, she was playing wing on Maine’s top scoring line. She forechecks like there is no tomorrow and is really good in the corners. Britt has a great personality and is a topnotch teammate. You need strong role players like that in a tournament-style season like this, and Britt can really play in any type of situation for us.”
The Beauts begin their quest for the cup in the first of five games starting January 23rd. They’ll open against Connecticut on Saturday before a battle on Sunday against the Boston Pride. From there, they’ll face the Riveters on Wednesday before a showdown with their neighbours, the Toronto Six, on Thursday evening.
Their season concludes January 30th with a matinee meeting against the Minnesota Whitecaps. All games will be streamed live on Twitch.tv/NWHL. From there, the semifinals and finals will be carried exclusively on NBCSN. Additionally, streams and coverage will be available on the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com.
It’ll mark the first time that women’s pro hockey is carried live in the U.S. on a national cable network. As per the official press release, further details on broadcasts will be shared ahead of puck drop.