Harvard Eliminated from Beanpot with Shutout Loss

No matter the outcome, yesterday would be a historic night as Boston College and Harvard each sought victory.

A win for the Eagles would mark their first ever women’s Beanpot championship, whereas the Crimson would tie Northeastern for the greatest number of consecutive championships with eight straight wins.

At the end of regulation, when all was said and done, BC shut out Harvard to win its first ever Beanpot, 2-0.

The Eagles (16-9-4) came out early with a desire to etch their names in the record books.

“My hat’s off to BC,” coach Katey Stone said. “They were hungry.”

Thirty-seven seconds into the period, after a mental error by the Crimson (12-9-4), Deborah Spillane scored to give BC an early 1-0 lead.

After an initial save, Harvard players failed to clear the puck.

Spillane seized the opportunity, scoring over the left shoulder of goaltender Ali Boe.

Anxious to make up for the early error, the Crimson then controlled the puck for the majority of the period, outshooting the Eagles, 9-5, in an attempt to even the score.

However, nothing seemed to fall into place for Harvard as BC goaltender Alison Quandt, with 23 saves for the night, continued to frustrate the Crimson offense.

“We got some great saves,” Eagles coach Tom Mutch said. “To get an early lead…gave us a little comfort zone, a little lift.”

And with that energy, BC kept Harvard scoreless in the first period.

As the second period opened, the Eagles again kept the pressure on the Crimson, not allowing easy shots on goal.

Though Harvard’s strength this season has been its ability to score during the power play—Sarah Wilson’s overtime goal against Boston University last week was the first even-strength goal by the Crimson since Jan. 11, a span of 303:48—two power plays in the second frame for the Crimson brought no fortune, as all six shots taken were saved by Quandt.

Continued strong play from BC, combined with a bad pass by Harvard and swift move by Spillane, brought the Eagles’ lead to 2-0 with 17:22 left in the second period.

The period ended with little offense from Harvard as BC outshot the Crimson, 14-8, and kept Harvard scoreless throughout the second period.

The Crimson began the third period with more of the same, as the Harvard offense never mounted a strong showing.

The Crimson managed to fire six shots on goal, but, due to great play by Quandt, all of them were saved.

Harvard pulled its goaltender with 58 seconds left to play in an attempt to muster some offense, but the Eagles defense remained impenetrable.

As the final seconds expired, the BC bench erupted. A combination of impressive play by the Eagles and costly errors by the Crimson had given BC its first victory against Harvard in the Beanpot.

“This means a lot to our program.” Mutch said. “This is such a special win. It’s a special win to anyone who’s worn a BC jersey.”

The Crimson, though hurt by the loss, looked onward.

“I thought we were ready for BC,” Stone said. “We owned the Beanpot for seven years, and we let it go.”