Crimson Drops 3-OT Thriller in Beanpot

Vengeance will have to wait until next year.

Looking to defeat a Boston College team that ended its seven-year streak of consecutive Beanpot titles last season, the Harvard women’s hockey team came up short, suffering an agonizing 4-3 defeat in the longest women’s game in NCAA history.

After 114 minutes and 13 seconds, the Eagles’ Anna McDonald put a pass from teammate Kelli Stack into the back of the Crimson net, ending the epic contest in triple overtime.

“It was a great hockey game,” said Harvard coach Katey Stone. “But there are no moral victories.”

In the first period, the game hardly had the makings of a classic, as B.C. jumped out to a two-goal lead.

Captain Deb Spillane found left wing Allie Thunstrom wide open for an easy score two minutes in the game. Thunstrom leads the Eagles with 23 goals.

Eight minutes later, the two teams fought for possession in front of Harvard’s net, and B.C. center Kelli Stack was able to put her stick on the puck and push it past sophomore goalie Britanny Martin for the Eagles’ second goal of the game.

The period ended with the Crimson facing a two-goal deficit.

“I don’t think we were completely ready to go when the puck dropped,” Stone said.

Harvard turned the momentum of the game around in the second period, launching 24 shots toward the net, two of which went in.

“They took it to us in the second [period],” B.C. coach Tom Mutch said, “Harvard’s notorious for doing that.”

The Crimson’s first goal came 3:47 into the period, as Harvard halved the Eagles lead on co-captain Jennifer Sifers’ seventh goal of the season. Sifers made a pretty play, redirecting a Weaver shot through her own legs and past the goalie.

The Crimson then tied the score less than six minutes later on a power play goal by senior Katie Johnston, her tenth of the year.

The teams went into the second period with the score knotted at two a piece.

“I’m proud of how the kids dug themselves out of a hole,” Stone said.

Despite the comeback, Harvard’s hopes appeared to be dashed after Stack scored her second goal of the game for B.C. on a power play, following a holding penalty called on sophomore Sarah Vaillancourt.

But Vaillancourt immediately redeemed herself when she left the penalty box, receiving the puck from co-captain Julie Chu and threading a nifty pass to sophomore Jenny Brine. Brine ripped a shot into the top-left corner of the net. The goal was Brine’s team-leading 22nd goal of the season.

Both teams played tough defense until the end of regulation, sending the game into sudden death tied at 3-3.

The first overtime saw both teams unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities.

On the Eagles’ end, Stack was able to evade Harvard junior Caitlin Cahow and seemed on the path to a sure goal before Cahow planted her with a hard check. Cahow was sent to the penalty box, but her efforts kept the Crimson alive.

Harvard also squandered their best chance at ending the game, as Sarah Wilson found herself on a breakaway but sent the puck crashing into the boards.

The second overtime failed to bring any change, and missed scoring opportunities once again plagued both teams, who showed signs of fatigue after 100 minutes of play.

As players indiscriminately flopped across the ice, the only player who seemed to be unfazed by the length of the game was B.C. goalie Molly Shaus, who racked up an absurd 73 saves.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” she said.

The game finally came to a conclusion when Stack stung the Crimson again, this time with an assist, as she fed teammate Anna McDonald for the game-winner 14:13 into the third and final overtime.

“It was just a matter of time,” Mutch said.

Harvard will miss the Beanpot finals for the first time in eight years, as it is resigned to facing Northeastern at B.C., next Tuesday at 5 p.m.

—Staff writer Loren Amor can be reached at lamor@fas.harvard.edu.