In its first ever Beanpot as a Division I program, the Boston University women’s ice hockey team forced No. 8 Harvard University into overtime before finally succumbing to the Crimson, 2-1.
“The game was superlative and we gave a great effort,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “I saw tons of character with a sprinkling of frustration at the end.”
“I knew that it was going to be a great game,” said Harvard coach Katy Stone. “BU gave us exactly what I thought they would. I was impressed with the way they played.”
The Terriers (10-13-4, 5-10-2 Hockey East) began the first period by bombarding Harvard’s senior goalie Ali Boe with close shots on net. The Terriers’ intense start would not last long though, as they totaled just five shots for the period. Shortly thereafter, the Crimson (11-7-4, 7-3-4 ECAC) picked up the pace and kept BU stuck in its own zone for most of the first.
The Terriers avoided costly penalties in the opening 10 minutes, but the floodgates opened when freshman Amanda Shaw was called for contact to the head after decking Harvard freshman Sarah Wilson (who would get sweet redemption later). Less than a minute after Shaw came back out on the ice, junior captain Cara Hendry received a two-minute minor for bodychecking.
“They were penalties I could live with,” Durocher said. “Sometimes you go in strong and draw penalties. The ones that drive coaches crazy are the hooks from behind.”
While BU was able to kill off Shaw’s penalty, the team would not be as fortunate with Hendry in the sin bin.
Freshman Erin Seman caught a shot taken by sophomore Laura Brady from the left faceoff circle and appeared to stop a sure goal. But just before Seman was ready to clear it into the neutral zone, Harvard’s senior captain Carrie Schroyer deflected the puck past Allyse Wilcox. The freshman goalie was unable to catch up with it and the Crimson took a 1-0 lead with just over five minutes to play in the opening frame.
The Terriers’ best chance in the opening period came when Seman and fellow freshman Gina Kearns were out ahead on a 2-on-1 breakaway. Seman was on the right side and attempted to pass it across the ice to Kearns, but the pass deflected off Boe and the play was dead.
After being outshot in the first period, 15-5, BU’s offense wouldn’t improve much in the second frame.
“The second period is a credit to Harvard,” Durocher said. “They can intimidate you with their speed, and we had to recreate a lot of offense for ourselves.”
Harvard was forced into a 5-on-3 disadvantage in the first minute of the second period, yet the Terriers couldn’t impose their will on Boe. In fact, BU rarely got out of its defensive zone during the power play.
Once the Terriers did find some open shots on net, they were totally shut down. Boe made 16 saves to improve to 9-7-2 on the season.
Fortunately for BU, Wilcox was playing a masterful game between the pipes as well. She made 18 saves in the second frame alone, including several stops of breakaways and close-range shots.
“It was a wonderful effort by her,” Durocher said. “We feed off of the goaltender because she keeps us in the game. We give her a lot of credit for putting us in a position to win.”
On two separate occasions, Wilcox made incredible saves in which she slid from one side of the net to the other to fend off a quick one-timer by the Crimson. It was one of the best performances she had all season.
The third period would bring a breath of fresh air for the Terriers as they attacked the net more effectively and found the open shooters. And with nine minutes left to play in regulation, BU freshman Laurel Koller grabbed the puck in a scramble in front of Harvard’s net and put it past Boe for the game-tying goal.
“It was another situation where we got to a bunch of loose pucks,” Durocher said. “She got it and snapped it into the net.”
BU had been holding the puck in Harvard’s end waiting for the right moment, and in a battle right in front of the net, Koller came out on top, assisted by Hendry and Kearns.
The Terriers got another excellent chance to score with about four minutes left in the third when Hendry deked around Boe and tried to score a backhander. But Boe made the tough stop to force overtime.
“Initially they controlled the pace, but we picked it up later on,” Hendry said. “We just couldn’t put one away in the end.”
In overtime, the Crimson didn’t wait long to end the Terriers’ dreams of a Beanpot Championship. Less than a minute into the extra period, Wilson scored the game winner with a shot that deflected off Wilcox’s left leg pad.
“There wasn’t much to it,” Durocher said. “They picked off a pass and then took a good low shot that was tipped in.”
And just like that, after being so close, the Terriers find themselves playing the early game next Tuesday.
And with Boston College winning, 4-3, in overtime in the night’s first game, the Terriers will face Northeastern next week in the 5 p.m. Beanpot consolation game.
