Most women's hockey players in the United States have to leave the country to fulfill their dreams of playing professionally. Kelly Seward only has to travel 20 minutes.
On Friday, Penn State announced the former women's hockey defenseman had signed with the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), according to the release from GoPSUSports.com.
Buffalo is one of the "Founding Four" teams of the league, that also includes the Connecticut Whale, the Boston Pride and the New York Riveter. The league's inaugural season began on Oct. 11, 2015.
Seward, a native of Williamsville, New York, is the first player from the women's hockey program at Penn State to sign a contract with the NWHL — the first professional women's hockey league in North America, according to the release.