BOSTON, Mass. — If you asked anyone heading into the Beanpot semifinals last Tuesday who they’d expect to see in the primetime matchup at TD Garden the following week, most responses would have included Northeastern in their answer.
The first round of the women’s Beanpot, however, did not go the way the Huskies intended. That did not stop them from making a statement on the biggest stage Boston has to offer.
In the consolation game of the 47th annual women’s Beanpot, Northeastern’s offense shone with 57 shots on goal, defeating crosstown rivals Boston College 3-2.
“I thought we played a great game, probably the best game we played in a while,” said Northeastern head coach Dave Flint. “I loved how the team grinded it out and found a way and got an important win for us.”
To say that the Huskies came out of the gate hot would be an understatement. They had a staggering 21 shots on goal in the first period alone, forcing BC senior netminder Grace Campbell to make increasingly difficult plays to keep the Eagles in contention.
And while Northeastern had far more chances than its opponents, it was BC who struck first thanks to a solo effort from junior forward Sammy Taber. Taber skated the puck through neutral ice, made a move in the center of the offensive zone that caused freshman defender Ella Lloyd to miss, and bounced the puck off sophomore goaltender Lisa Jönsson’s pads. The rebound popped right back to the charging Taber, who buried it to open the scoring with just over three minutes remaining in the frame.
“Sammy’s a tremendous player,” said Boston College head coach Katie Crowley. “The way she thinks [about] the game is elite… She’s a hometown kid, so I was happy for her.”
It took less than two minutes for Northeastern to respond.
Northeastern’s top line, made up of senior center Lily Shannon flanked by sophomore Élöise Caron and freshman Stryker Zablocki, applied a forecheck in offensive territory. Zablocki made the initial takeaway, and after a quick tap between herself and Shannon, the freshman tried for the wraparound sharp-angle chance. Campbell made the initial save but left the back door wide open off the rebound, and Caron capitalized on the rare mistake, knocking the puck in to equalize.
“I feel like we just know where each other are at all times,” Shannon said of her linemates. “Stryker and I were able to forecheck, and we were able to turn that puck over and get it right to [Caron]. We just knew that she was going to be right there and find the net. I think we just have great chemistry and it’s awesome to play with them. Even though they’re young, they play like they’re experienced players.”
The second and third periods progressed in a similar fashion to the first. Northeastern flung everything they could at Campbell, who performed massive feats of athleticism to limit the Huskies’ scoring. They were stymied at the doorstep, with a bit of rotten luck plaguing them as well; more than a few shot attempts rang off the posts or crossbar and bounced harmlessly away from the net.
A team like Northeastern could only be held off for so long, though, and their skaters only become more dangerous as the space expands on the ice. After matching roughing minors resulted in a four-on-four, the Huskies dominated possession in the special teams stint.
Freshman defender Alessia Baechler connected with junior forward Allie Lalonde in the center of Northeastern’s offensive zone. Lalonde’s initial attempt was padded by Campbell, but the puck slipped through the cracks and fell at Zablocki’s skates. The freshman chopped away in the crease and, after a bit of digging, found the back of the net with two minutes to go in the second stanza.
The Huskies continued to play comfortably, and after twelve minutes passed in the third period, Shannon would generate a turnover near the blue line while forechecking with Caron again. The Northeastern captain skated to the left circle and ripped a wrister past the shoulder of Campbell to double the Huskies’ lead.
A late effort from Taber off a rebound during the six-on-five in the waning seconds of the game brought BC to within one, but it was too little, too late from the Eagles, and the Huskies cruised to a third-place finish in the Beanpot following one of their strongest performances of 2026 thus far.
If not for Campbell, the game could have been far greater an onslaught from Northeastern, who averaged 19 shots on goal per period.
“She is the heart and soul of our team,” said Crowley. “She does that for our team every night. She sees a lot of shots, and she has heart every day… she was tremendous. She keeps us in the game.”
The overall effort was a far more complete one from the Huskies. Throughout the start of their homeless campaign, they looked like they had lost their identity on the ice. And while Saturday’s conference win over UNH seemed a bit more like the Northeastern team that fans anticipate will deliver excellence, Tuesday truly marked the first real step in the right direction towards the push for the end of the regular season.
One stark contrast from the semifinals was on the faceoff dot. Last week, Northeastern won an abysmal 23% of all draws taken; they struggled to maintain offensive zone possession due to losses on the dot and needed to work significantly harder to regain control.
The consolation game proved to be a much different story, as the Huskies more than doubled their win percentage on draws, winning 56% of faceoffs. No longer did Northeastern need to expend unnecessary energy to maintain authority in offensive territory; instead, they were able to cycle the puck with ease and it made a massive difference in the amount of pressure they were able to send Campbell’s way.
“Not only [do] the centers have to win the draws, but the wings have to get in the circle and battle for possession,” Shannon said. “I think we just brought that today. It definitely helps when you gain possession off a faceoff, whether it’s in the [defensive] zone or the [offensive] zone.”
There is no room to breathe for the Huskies, though.
They face their toughest test to come yet, with back-to-back upcoming series against the only other nationally ranked Hockey East opponents, the University of Connecticut and Holy Cross. If Northeastern wants to prove that they can contend for hardware beyond conference play, they will need to shine against some of the toughest matchups on the East Coast.
“We’ve got to keep that momentum,” Flint said. “We’ve got to take advantage of the chances that we get. I think if we can play like we did, establish our forecheck like we did tonight, and get close to as many shots as that, we’ll be really successful. I told the team before the game, ‘I want to see a high volume of shots. I wanna see bodies to the net.’ If you look at the shot chart, all our shots are right inside the house. If you can do that consistently, you’re going to win a lot of hockey games.”
Northeastern picks back up with their conference slate Saturday, Jan. 24 at the Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs, Conn., to take on the UConn Huskies. Puck drop will be at 3 p.m., with Daisy Roberts, Kabir Singh, and Mike Kaminsky on the call LIVE for WRBB Sports.
Daisy Roberts is a hockey, basketball, and baseball broadcaster and writer for WRBB Sports. She has been covering Northeastern Athletics for five years. You can read her content here and follow her on X here.