It was an Olympic heroes welcome for Buffalo’s own Emily Pfalzer.
After a whirlwind tour of NHL rinks and national TV shows Pfalzer, who was part of gold medal-winning Team USA in South Korea, finally found herself back home St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Pfalzer’s Olympic accomplishment was recognized by the Buffalo Sabres and the NWHL’s Buffalo Beauts, as she participated in the ceremonial puck drop for both team’s on March 17.
Pfalzer, who served as captain of the Beauts for the team’s first two seasons, first did puck drop prior to Sabres-Blackhawks game at KeyBank Center. She then walked across the street to HarborCenter to repeat the ceremony prior to the Buffalo Beauts’ playoff game against Boston that afternoon.
Pfalzer said she hopes that Team USA’s win can further the growth of girls hockey in the country. “I hope it inspires young girls to play the sport we love,” she said, “to continue playing and to dream big.”