BOSTON – In front of a packed Walter Brown Arena, Boston University knocked off No. 7 Northeastern 2-1 in overtime, ending the Huskies’ bid for a fourth straight Women’s Beanpot title and sending the Terriers to the final to face Harvard.
The semifinal had all the ingredients expected of a Beanpot rivalry game. It was physical, fast, and tight throughout, with long stretches of end-to-end play and two goaltenders setting the tone. BU ultimately broke through on a power-play goal in overtime by senior defenseman Maeve Carey, capitalizing on a faceoff win and traffic in front to seal the upset.
From the opening puck drop, the intensity was evident. Walter Brown was filled on both sides, with Northeastern students packing the visiting section and overpowering BU’s home crowd shift for shift.
The officials seemed to allow that intensity to spill onto the ice, swallowing their whistles during significant physical play along the boards and after stoppages, a theme that persisted throughout the night.
During the first period, chances were traded at both ends, but sustained offense was hard to come by as both teams clogged the neutral zone and finished checks. BU opened the scoring just over four minutes in when freshman forward Lexie Bertelsen beat Northeastern goaltender Lisa Jönsson after a scramble near the crease, giving the Terriers a 1-0 lead.
Northeastern responded midway through the frame via senior captain Lily Shannon, who crashed the net on a chaotic offensive sequence to tie the game at one. The goal settled the Huskies, who began generating more zone time late in the period, though BU netminder Mari Pietersen held firm against multiple good looks.
The second period developed into a goaltending showcase. Both teams generated volume but neither could find a breakthrough. Jönsson made several point-blank saves through traffic to keep Northeastern level, while Pietersen held serve at the other end, tracking rebounds well and preventing second chances.
The tone of the game grew increasingly chippy as it went on. Play along the boards turned punishing, and after the whistle, Northeastern skaters were repeatedly met with extra shoves and cross-checks that went unpenalized.
The extracurricular physicality seemed to favor the Terriers, who appeared to get away with a number of boarding and tripping infractions as the game wore on. With officials largely keeping the whistles down, the physical edge became a defining feature of the game rather than an occasional flare-up.
“[The game] was physical, probably a little more physical than it should have been, but they let it go and that’s the way the game went.” Northeastern head coach Dave Flint acknowledged postgame.
The third period followed a similar script. Northeastern pushed early, testing Pietersen from the slot and the circles, but BU countered with extended offensive-zone shifts of its own. Neither side blinked, and the game remained tied after 60 minutes.
Both sides traded chances early in the overtime frame, but just over halfway through the extra period, Northeastern grad student Jaden Bogden was whistled for slashing. BU went to the power play, an area that had been a season-long struggle for the Terriers.
Not this time, however. When it mattered most, BU’s power play came through. Carey stepped into a wrist shot from the slot, which made its way through traffic and found the back of the net, ending the game and igniting the home crowd.
“I was in shock,” Carey said. “I kind of paused for a second and then I was like, oh my God, we just won. We knocked Northeastern out.”
The numbers underscored how tight the contest was. Both teams finished with 56 total shots, with Northeastern holding a narrow 36-34 edge in shots on goal. Faceoffs, however, proved decisive. BU won 77 percent of the draws, repeatedly controlling possession in key situations.
“We got annihilated on faceoffs,” Flint said. “That’s a big part of the game. If you can’t get possession in the offensive zone, you can’t run any plays. In the defensive zone, they’re getting possession and running theirs.”
For Northeastern, the loss ends a run of three straight Beanpot titles. The Huskies found themselves right on the doorstep throughout but were unable to convert after Shannon’s first period goal.
“I thought our team battled hard,” Flint said. “We had chances. We just didn’t capitalize when we needed to and fell short.”
Northeastern will look to rebound on Saturday as the Huskies travel to Durham to face UNH. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. where Daisy Roberts and Armaan Vij will have the call on WRBB Sports.
Armaan Vij is a third-year student at Northeastern University and a broadcaster and writer for WRBB Sports. He has covered Northeastern hockey, baseball, and rowing both on-air and in print for the past two years. Read all his articles here.