Amanda Makela (born December 20, 1993) is a women's ice hockey player. Having played at the NCAA level with the Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey program, she was a member of the Buffalo Beauts during the 2015-16 NWHL season, the first in league history.

Amanda Makela
Born (1993-12-20) December 20, 1993 (age 30)
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
CWHL team
Former teams
Toronto Furies
Playing career 2008–present
Medal record
Women's ice hockey
Representing  Canada
IIHF World Women's U18 Championships
Silver medal – second place 2011 Sweden Tournament
Representing  Ontario
Esso Cup
Gold medal – first place 2010 Regina Tournament

Playing career edit

With the Thunder Bay Queens (2008–11), Makela captured the 2010 Esso Cup. In the championship game against Saskatchewan's Notre Dame Hounds, she made 30 saves in a 4-3 win.[1] One of her teammates on Thunder Bay was future 2016 CWHL Draft pick Kaitlyn Tougas.

Hockey Canada edit

On December 21, 2010, Makela was one of 14 players from Ontario named to Canada's U18 national women's team. [2] Making her debut with the U18 national team in a preliminary match against Switzerland on January 1, 2011, she would make 24 saves (including 11 in the first period) in a 9-1 victory.[3] Of note, future Beauts teammate Shelby Bram was also part of Canada's roster. Despite emerging from the 2011 U18 Women's Worlds with a silver medal, Makela was a statistical leader in two categories, including save percentage (.945) and goals against average (1.00).[4]

NCAA edit

From 2011 through 2015, Makela played for the Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey team. In her freshman season, Makela occupied a backup role to goaltender Hillary Pattenden. Makela appeared in only three games, making one start. In said start, Makela would record her first win with the Lakers, defeating the now defunct Niagara Purple Eagles. As a sophomore, she ranked 13th overall in the NCAA in goals against average. In the aftermath of her season, she surpassed Desi Clark's program record for most saves in one season, recording 781.[5]

During her senior season (2014–15) with the Mercyhurst Lakers, she was honored as the CHA Conference Goaltender of the Year. Standing between the pipes in 31 games, she finished the season with 20 wins, compared to eight losses and three ties. In addition, she would log a 1.44 goals against average and a .932 save percentage, respectively.

Pro hockey edit

Signing with the NWHL's Buffalo Beauts as a free agent on August 11, 2015, Makela served in a backup capacity to goaltender Brianne McLaughlin during the club's inaugural season. Her salary for the 2015-16 Buffalo Beauts season was US$15,000. Of note, she was also selected by the Canadiennes de Montreal in the 2016 CWHL Draft.

Career stats edit

   
Season Team League GP W L T MIN Sv % GAA
2011–12[6] Mercyhurst Lakers ECAC 3 1 0 0 99:18 .931 1.21
2012–13 Mercyhurst Lakers ECAC 15 9 5 1 835:07 .911 2.01
2013–14 Mercyhurst Lakers ECAC 35 22 8 4 2024:46 .925 1.87
2014–15 Mercyhurst Lakers ECAC 31 20 8 3 1796:41 .932 1.44
2015–16 Buffalo Beauts NWHL 6 1 2 2 322:52 .909 2.79

Awards and honours edit

  • 2008 Thunder Bay Bantam Boys Best Goalie Award
  • 2009 Thunder Bay Queens Most Dedicated Player
  • MVP Award at 2010 Esso Cup National Championship
  • 2010 Thunder Bay Queens Most Valuable Player
  • 2015 College Hockey America Goaltender of the Year Award [7]

References edit

  1. ^ "THUNDER BAY QUEENS BEAT NOTRE DAME FOR ESSO CUP TITLE". TSN2. 2010-04-25. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  2. ^ "Canada's National Women's Under-18 Team Announced for 2011 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship". Hockey Canada. 2010-12-21. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  3. ^ "Canada 9 – Switzerland 1 Canada Opens World Women's U18 Championship by Whipping Switzerland". Hockey Canada. 2011-01-02. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  4. ^ "GOALKEEPERS: As of SAT 8 JAN 2011 - Including Game 22" (PDF). IIHF. 21 December 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Makela, Scrivens Sign with Buffalo, New York". NWHL. n.d. Archived from the original on 2016-02-20. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  6. ^ "Amanda Makela Career Statistics". USCHO. n.d. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  7. ^ "CHA Regular Season Awards 2015". College Hockey America. n.d. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2016-08-23.

External links edit