A recap of Harvard, Boston College, Boston University and Northeastern fighting to get to TD Garden.
Harvard and Boston College faced off in the first Beanpot semifinal at Walter Brown Arena with a trip to the championship on the line. Harvard struck first in the opening period, as rookie Morgan McGathey scored a brilliant solo goal, giving the Crimson an early lead in her first Beanpot appearance. That score set the tone for a tight defensive battle between the two teams.
The Eagles responded in the second period, answering Harvard’s early strike with a goal to even the score. From that point forward, both teams tightened up defensively and traded chances, but neither could break through for the remainder of the period. Each side pushed hard on both ends, keeping fans on edge as the semifinal unfolded.
In the third period, Harvard’s defense, anchored by Ainsley Tuffy’s stellar goaltending performance, stifled the Eagles’ attack and kept the score deadlocked. Tuffy finished with an impressive 40 saves for the Crimson, repeatedly denying high-quality opportunities from Boston College and giving Harvard the edge to score an unanswered goal in the third. Meanwhile, Harvard continued to generate offense and logged more shots over the course of the game, finishing with 34 shots on goal versus BC’s 41. The Crimson also blocked a significant number of shots to protect their lead.
Ultimately, Harvard held on for a 2-1 victory, punching their ticket to the Dunkin’ Women’s Beanpot Championship for the first time since 2022, marking a significant milestone under head coach Laura Bellamy. McGathey became the first Harvard rookie to score in a Beanpot contest since 2022.
The next matchup was Northeastern vs. Boston University. The Terriers opened the scoring early in the first period when freshman Lexie Bertelsen finished a rebound opportunity just over four minutes into the game. Northeastern responded midway through the period as Lily Shannon found a loose puck in the slot and buried it to even the score at 1-1. The remainder of the first and the entire second period featured strong defensive play from both sides, with neither team able to capitalize despite several quality chances.
The Huskies pushed the tempo in the third period, generating sustained offensive pressure and outshooting BU, but Terriers goaltender Mari Pietersen stood tall to keep the game tied. Northeastern goalie Lisa Jönsson was equally sharp, turning aside multiple BU chances as regulation ended deadlocked and the game headed to overtime.
In overtime, a Northeastern penalty proved costly. On the ensuing power play, BU captain Maeve Carey scored the game-winning goal with under two minutes remaining in overtime, sealing a 2-1 victory for the Terriers in their home arena. Pietersen finished the night with 35 saves, while Jönsson made 32 in a strong performance for the Huskies.
The win sent Boston University to the Beanpot championship game for the third consecutive season, while Northeastern’s pursuit of a fourth straight Beanpot title came to an end. The Beanpot Final will take place Jan. 20 at TD Garden.