Boston College would be perfectly fine if the clichés turned out to be true in the women’s Beanpot championship game against Northeastern.
Could the third fourth time be the charm for the Eagles after falling to the Huskies three times already this season? Can BC upend the Goliath that is Northeastern?
The answers to those questions will be revealed Tuesday when the Eagles and Huskies meet at Conte Forum with a chance to etch their names in the Beanpot record books while Harvard and Boston University face off in the consolation round.
Here’s what you need to know about the championship game and the consolation matchup. Both games can be watched on NESN+.
Northeastern (27-2-1) vs. Boston College (18-12-1), 7:30 p.m. ET
It’s been months since the Huskies last suffered a defeat as they make their way into the title bout in impressive fashion having won 15 straight games. That includes their 4-1 semifinal win over BU as well as topping UConn in overtime this past Friday.
Northeastern’s top line of Alina Mueller, Chloé Aurard and Maureen Murphy are a nightmare for opponents and have the Huskies poised for an 18th Beanpot title. They combined for seven points against BU and they all have registered over 40 points on the campaign. There’s plenty of depth behind that line, too.
The Eagles, who earned a shutout win over Harvard in semifinal action, have a staunch defensive unit backboned by graduate senior goalie Abigail Levy, who is a National Goaltender of the Year semifinalist. BC is well-balanced offensively with Hannah Bilka amassing a team-leading 34 points while the Eagles had three defensemen score against the Crimson. BC looks to hoist the Beanpot hardware for the first time since 2018.
In the three meetings already this season, Northeastern combined to outscore BC, 7-0. The Huskies won the last matchup, 1-0, in overtime courtesy of a goal from Aurard.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Gwyneth Philips, Northeastern: While much is made of Northeastern’s top line, and rightfully so, they have also received stellar play between the pipes from Philips. The senior netminder leads the entire nation in goals-against average (0.84), save percentage (.959) and shutouts (9).
Cayla Barnes, BC: The senior defenseman and two-year captain can practically do it all for the Eagles as Barnes has tallied six goals and nine assists while providing strong play in her own zone. The big stage of the Beanpot won’t faze Barnes, either, as she is a two-time Olympian.
Boston University (10-17-3) vs. Harvard (7-16-3), 4 p.m.
It has been down seasons for both the Terriers and the Crimson, but notching at least one win at the Beanpot would bring some joy.
BU was playing some of the best hockey it has all season coming into the tournament, but fell flat against Northeastern and lost by a goal to BC over the weekend. Relying on its steady defense and playing with a lead would be a good recipe to get the Terriers back on the winning track.
Harvard will never be confused for an offensive juggernaut as they are near the bottom of the NCAA in scoring. But the chances to find the back of the net were there against BC, the Crimson just weren’t able to convert them. And if Harvard can find its finishing touch, it could be looking at a much different outcome against the Terriers.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Andrea Brandli, BU: Brandli did everything she could in her first Beanpot appearance to try to keep Northeastern off the scoreboard. She posted 41 saves, just one stop shy of tying her season high. The Terriers will need a similar performance out of Brandli, who has a .937 save percentage on the season, against the Crimson.
Anne Bloomer, Harvard: If the Crimson are going to generate any consistent offense, it’s likely to come from the senior forward. Bloomer leads Harvard with 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points. It wouldn’t be a bad time to replicate an outstanding game she had a couple of weeks ago against Cornell when she tallied three goals and two assists.
