Women’s Beanpot Final Preview: BU Looks To Win First Title Since 1981

The 41st Women’s Beanpot final will feature the Harvard Crimson and the Boston University Terriers.

The Crimson punched their ticket to the Beanpot title game with a 4-1 win over Boston College in the semifinals. Harvard leads all teams in the tournament with 29 championship appearances and 14 titles.

Boston University defeated the Northeastern Huskies 4-3 in a shootout to move on to the championship game. The Terriers have not won the Beanpot title since 1981 and are looking to get back on top after a disappointing overtime loss to Boston College in last year’s tournament.

The Women’s Beanpot Championship game can be viewed Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET on NESNplus.

Here’s our preview of Harvard vs. BU:

Beanpot Records:
Boston University: 16-53-3

Harvard: 50-29, looking to win its first title since 2015.

Head-to-Head History:
Although these teams haven’t met in the finals in recent years, Harvard has had the upper-hand on BU, winning four of the last five meetings. In the past couple of years, the games have been tightly played with the Terriers taking home a 3-2 win in last years semifinals.

2018 Semifinals: BU 3, Harvard 2

2017 Consolation: Harvard 6, BU 6

2016 Consolation: Harvard 5, BU 3

2015 Semifinals: Harvard 9, BU 2

2014 Consolation: Harvard 3, BU 2 (OT)

2013 Consolation: Harvard 3, BU 0

2018-19 Season:
The Terriers have been playing great hockey this season. With a record of 13-5-5 in Hockey East and 16-6-7 overall, the Terriers sit third in the standings. The Terriers opened up the season with a loss to Northeastern but since have been stellar. BU is coming off a huge 7-1 win over Holy Cross on Saturday.

Harvard has been playing OK this season with a record of 8-8-2 in the ECAC and 10-11-3 mark overall. The Crimson know they need to step up their game if they want a shot at beating the teams above them in the postseason. The Crimson have won their last five games including a 2-1 win over Rensselaer on Saturday.

Key Players:
Sophomore forward Jesse Compher is having a huge season for the Terriers. Compher leads the team with 50 points and 34 assists. The 19-year-old is a two-time gold medalist with the USA U-18 team and currently is on a 10-game point streak. Redshirt junior Sammy Davis is having a great year up front for the Terriers, as well. The Pembroke, Mass., native has 42 points and leads the team in goals with 21. Like Compher, Davis also is a U-18 gold medal winner.

Senior forward Lexie Laing is the Crimson’s leading scorer with 19 points. Laing recorded an assist in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Rensselaer. The Marblehead, Mass., native was an ECAC Rookie of the Year finalist after posting 25 points in the 2014-15 season. Freshman forward Kristin Della Rovere is making a splash in her first season with the Crimson. The freshman leads Harvard in goals with 10 and has scored a goal in each of her last two games.

Prediction:
Boston University gets its first title since 1981 beating Harvard 4-3.