Women’s Hockey: Terriers ready for Beanpot battle, face No. 6/8 Harvard in semis
By Patrick Donnelly
After a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Women’s Beanpot is back as the 43rd edition of the tournament is set to kick off at Northeastern’s Matthews Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 1.
The Boston University Terriers are looking to make it four straight trips to the tournament finals, falling to rival Boston College in overtime in 2018, winning for the first time as a varsity program in 2019 with a double overtime win against Harvard, and losing in double overtime to Northeastern in 2020.
“It’s a lot of fun, great for the kids. They’re super excited about it,” BU head coach Brian Durocher said. “You’ve got two classes that have never played it, and that’s a slightly different look than normal. It’s not just us, but it’s the other kids at the other three schools. They’re in the same boat and really looking forward to something that they’ve heard about, watched, and been around. Now we’ll be playing live and in color tomorrow night.”
The Terriers (10-9-4, 9-6-3 HE) are coming off a 4-3 win against Holy Cross on the road on Friday before their Sunday game against BC was postponed. BU is just 1-4-1 since the start of 2022, including taxing losses to Northeastern and a winless trip to the Battle at the Burgh’ tournament to begin the new year.
BU had a 2-1 win against those same Huskies in October, in addition to a 5-4 win against BC in November. Senior captain Kaleigh Donnelly thinks those results give the Terriers added confidence heading into the Beanpot.
“I think what’s different this year than previous years is that we know we can beat them now, and I think that confidence will help us in the tournament,” she said in an interview with BU Today.
They will draw No. 6/8 Harvard, winners of six straight, in the semifinals to begin Tuesday’s action, facing the Crimson for the first time since Nov. 19, 2019, a 6-2 win on home ice.
So far for the Terriers, senior forward Courtney Correia has led the way offensively with 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 21 games. Senior forward Mackenna Parker (eight goals, seven assists) and junior forward Julia Nearis (four goals, 11 assists) each have 15 points in 22 and 20 games, respectively. Meanwhile, sophomore defender Julia Shaunessy leads the BU defense in terms of production with four goals and eight assists for 12 points in 19 games.
In terms of the Beanpot, Parker (one goal), Correia (one assist, Donnelly (one assist) and junior defender Nadia Mattivi (one assist) have each found the scoresheet in the tournament.
“Leadership is important, but also knowing what it feels like and being able to potentially translate that to the kids, tell the stories, continue to keep the excitement up,” Durocher said. “All those things are real positives, particularly if we get down to a tight game. It gives them that much more experience, knowledge and sense for the fact that we could close it out and have done it before.”
In goal, senior Kate Stuart has had most of the workload with 15 appearances, posting a 5-6-4 record, a .922 save percentage and a 2.23 goals-against average. She has not seen any action in the Beanpot to this point in her collegiate career. Showing promise has been freshman netminder Callie Shanahan, who holds a 5-3-0 record to go along with a .927 save percentage, a 2.26 GAA and one shutout.
Donnelly, Correia, Parker, Stuart, senior defender Alex Allen, senior goaltender Nicole McGuigan and senior forward Emma Wuthrich were freshmen when BU took home the Beanpot in 2019.
“To bookend your career with a first and last year [win] would be a super exciting experience,” Durocher said.
Donnelly feels the Terriers have hit their stride as tournament and playoff games approach, despite the rough start to the second half.
“Especially now with everyone playing at their best, especially our goalies, I think the potential is endless,” she said. “I see us going pretty far and I hope that we do.”
Scouting Harvard
For the Crimson (15-5-0, 12-3-0 ECAC), senior forward Becca Gilmore paces the team with 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in 20 games. Junior forwards Kristin Della Rovere (8-16–24 in 22 games) and Anne Bloomer (15-7–22 in 22 games) and senior forward Dominique Petrie (8-11–19 in 17 games) are each point per game players as well. However, they will be without senior forward Keely Moy (6-7–13 in 13 games), who will be representing Switzerland at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
“I still look at the the core, being the kids up top: Della Rovere and Gilmore,” Durocher said. “They have a talented group of defenders, both young and old, with size and ability… and they have good goaltending as well. You’re going to have a team that’s good at all three positions, and I think has enough experience and an awful lot of enthusiasm and focus this year.
“If everybody’s healthy, and they’re feeling good about themselves, It’s gonna be a tough, tough opponent to say the least.”
Gilmore has two assists in the Beanpot on her career, Della Rovere has two goals and two assists, Petrie has a goal and three assists, and Bloomer has two assists. Five other Harvard skaters have recorded at least a point previously in the tournament: senior forward Brooke Jovanovich (two goals, one assist), sophomore forward Shannon Hollands (one goal), junior defender Kyra Willoughby (one assist) and junior defender Maryna Macdonald (one assist).
Between the pipes, senior Becky Dutton has gone 10-2-0 with three shutouts, a .938 save percentage and a 1.50 GAA. Behind her, junior Lindsay Reed has struggled with a 2-3-0 record, an .884 save percentage and a 3.42 GAA in five appearances.
Reed, to her credit, led Harvard to the Beanpot finals in 2019, making 52 saves in an upset win against BC in the semifinals before turning in aa 51-save performance in the loss to BU in the finals, winning the Bertagna Award as the tournament’s best goaltender. Dutton has made just one appearance in the Beanpot, making 35 saves on 37 shots in a 3-1 loss to Northeastern in the 2020 semifInals.
Reed’s performance as a freshman could almost be a case study into the unpredictability of the Beanpot.
“Usually that wacky nature starts with the goaltender, and it carries on to the skaters,” Durocher said. “The goaltender maybe has to sort of set you in the direction and maybe keep you in the game at some times along the way. Then it comes down to some timely goals, and they may not have to be nine-bell ESPN highlight goals, but just ones that go into cage.
“If you can put a couple of those things together, block a couple key shots, who knows what can be happening at the last minute or two of a game to get you over the hurdle?”
On the other card for Tuesday is a showdown between hosts and defending champions No. 1/3 Northeastern and BC.
The other tilt on the card
The Eagles (14-11, 12-8 HE) are in the midst of a four-game winning streak. A trio of forwards have reached the twenty-point threshold for BC: freshman Abby Newhook (13-11–24 in 25 games), junior Hannah Bilka (10-12–22 in 25 games) and senior Kelly Browne (7-14–21 in 25 games). Senior goaltender Abigail Levy has staked her claim to the crease with a 13-11-0 record, a .936 save percentage and a 2.46 GAA.
For BC, four skaters have recorded one or more points in the Beanpot: Browne (one goal, two assists), Bilka (one goal), junior defender Alexie Guay (one goal) and senior defender Jillian Fey (one assist).
Northeastern, coming off an upset loss to Vermont, has been led by senior forward Maureen Murphy, who has 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists) in 24 games. Senior forward Chloe Aurard (14 goals, 14 assists) and senior defender Skylar Fontaine (four goals, 24 assists) each have 28 points in 19 and 25 games, respectively.
“I think the recurring theme is Northeastern a pretty darn tough team to deal with at the national level and the upper level of college hockey,” Durocher said.
Aurard has six points (three goals, three assists) in the tournament, during her career, Fontaine has four (two goals, two assists), and senior defender Brooke Hobson, senior forward Mia Brown and junior defender Megan Carter each have an assist. Senior defender Lauren MacInnis scored the 2020 Beanpot-winning goal in double overtime against BU, although it did not officially count towards the stat sheet.
However, this year’s favorites will be without senior forward Alina Mueller (8-21–29 in 18 games) as the Swiss national is off to the Winter Olympics for the third time in her career. Mueller leads all active NU skaters in scoring for the Beanpot with seven points (two goals, five assists). The Huskies have lost just three times this season, and they’ve been without Mueller in each loss.
“With Alina Mueller missing, it takes a little bit of the starch out of them,” Durocher said. “Three losses and she’s not there for any of the three, so it gives you a little bit of an indicator… All that does is maybe give the other teams just a little bit more confidence that, ‘we could play a good game and possibly beat this team.’
“Northeastern’s used it motivation saying, ‘Hey, we know we have a good team. We’ve won a lot of games with her, but also a good number without her. Let’s see if we can put our best foot forward, and go win another championship.”
Senior goaltender Aerin Frankel has continued her run of dominant form, posting a 16-2-1 record, a .958 save percentage, a 1.04 GAA and seven shutouts. Junior Gwyneth Phillips has been equally as good when in the net with a .960 save percentage, a 0.89 GAA, a 5-1-0 marker and one shutout.
A deserving honor
Among this year’s Beanpot Hall of Fame class will be former Terrier captain Sammy Davis, who scored the winning goal in double overtime in the finals against Harvard in 2019, lifting BU to their first Beanpot title since 1981, their second all-time, and first as a varsity program. Davis also tied the game with 22 seconds remaining in the final versus Northeastern in 2020, sending the game to overtime before thee Terriers ultimately lost. Now an All-Star with the PHF’s Boston Pride, the scoring winger had three goals and four assists for seven points in eight Beanpot games on her career.
“Unfortunately, that Beanpot hadn’t been good to us for a while, so it was sometimes tricky to say who might be worthy of that nomination,” Durocher said. “but to have a championship next your name, and to have a game-winning goal, those are easy things to identify that were part of Sammy’s time in the Beanpot. So, it’s great to see her get recognized with the Hall of Fame nod.”
Donnelly told BU Today Davis’ game-winner is her favorite moment of her BU career.
“One memory definitely stands out—my freshman year when we won the Beanpot. I was lucky enough to be on the ice in overtime and when Sammy put that in,” she said. “It was definitely the best moment of my career.”
Puck drop between BU and Harvard is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Matthews Arena, while the night cap between BC and Northeastern is set for 7:30 p.m. The winners will square off in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday, Feb. 8, and the consolation game precede it at 4 p.m.
Be sure to stick with WTBU Sports (@WTBUSports) all week during the Women’s Beanpot as Owen Gund (@owengund) and James Garrison (@JamesGarrison27) will have the call of both games on Mixlr, Carolyn Mooney (@caramooney) will be on hand for photos, and Sasha Abrams (@sasha_abrams) will have complete written coverage following both games.