NOTEBOOK: Crimson Ends Beanpot Draught

BOSTON—For a tournament that has little bearing on where a team resides in its conference standings or what seed a squad will draw in the NCAA Tournament, the Beanpot is a pretty big deal in women’s hockey.

Boston-area teams reference and hype it in their recruiting pitches, games draw larger crowds than at any other point in the season, and players play with an intensity usually reserved for the Frozen Four.

Because of this, it is understandable that not winning the Beanpot in three years has been an especially unpleasant experience for the Harvard women’s hockey team.

The Crimson was bounced out by Boston College in the final in 2006, and the Eagles broke Harvard’s collective heart in the opening round of last year’s tournament in a 4-3 triple-overtime thriller.

Two straight years of disappointment left a frustrated Crimson team focused on turning around its fortune this season.

“Certainly one of our goals in the beginning of the season was to recapture the Beanpot,” Harvard coach Katey Stone said.

After last night’s 3-1 championship round victory over Boston University at the Terriers’ Walter Brown Arena, the Crimson finally cleared the Beanpot hurdle.

“It feels great,” Stone said. “We feel very fortunate to bring the Beanpot back to Harvard.”

For the Crimson players, winning the tournament also speaks volumes about what they feel has been a uniquely rewarding season. Harvard has won all but one of its 24 games, and has embraced a team-first mentality that the squad feels has been an essential contributor to its success.

“I think for us this is totally a different season,” senior tri-captain Caitlin Cahow said. “I’ve kind of been here for a while now and it’s almost to me like a rebirth of Harvard hockey…I couldn’t be more proud to be part of this team this particular year because I think it really is a rejuvenation of how people come together with a different attitude.”

Although the Beanpot wins over BU and Northeastern came against lesser, unranked teams, they also displayed what the Crimson might be capable of in a playoff-type environment.

“For us to be able to come in here in somebody else’s barn and win two close games—that’s a huge deal for us,” Cahow said. “I think it’s going to bode well for what we’re going to be able to accomplish at the end of the season.”

TOP OF HER CLASS

Junior forward Sarah Wilson had only known failure in the Beanpot during her years at Harvard.

In this year’s tournament, not only did Wilson’s team take home the championship trophy, but she came away with some hardware as well.

After the game, Wilson was honored as the Beanpot Most Valuable Player in a postgame ceremony.

“Honestly right now it’s kind of a side note to winning,” Wilson said. “I’m more excited about the Beanpot.”

After picking up an assist early in the game, Wilson scored Harvard’s final goal to give the Crimson a two-goal cushion. She also picked up an assist in the first round against Northeastern.

BETWEEN THE PIPES

Perhaps the most constant factor for Harvard all season has been sophomore goalie Christina Kessler.

The Crimson netminder, who leads the nation statistically in all major goaltending categories, was as effective as ever in Harvard’s two Beanpot wins.

In both games, Kessler allowed early first period goals before settling in to hold her opponents scoreless for the remainder of the contests.

Kessler was particularly impressive in last night’s win over the Terriers. Stopping 23 of the 24 shots that came her way, Kessler made some highlight-reel saves to stop several BU scoring threats.

In one particular sequence, Terriers forward Holly Lorms broke out for a fast break and found herself one-on-one with Kessler. Lorms lifted a hard shot high over Kessler’s shoulder. The puck seemed destined for the back of the net, but Kessler flashed leather through the air and in an instant the puck was in the webbing of Kessler’s glove.

“I think every day with Christina has been phenomenal,” Wilson said. “It’s just a thrill to see her come out and play every game because she’s so smart and she works her angles really well.”

DOUBLE AGENT

Sophomore Anna McDonald seems to always come up big in the Beanpot, no matter what team she plays for.

Last season, as a freshman at BC, McDonald devastated her future Harvard teammates, slamming home a rebound in sudden death triple-overtime to give the Eagles a 4-3 win.

After the Crimson’s win last night, McDonald became the only player ever to win a Beanpot for two different teams.

“I think it feels great the second time too,” McDonald said. “I expected it of us even more this year. Last year came more as a wonderful surprise.”

McDonald played a key role in her team’s victory this time around as well, racking up two assists against the Terriers, a team she was more familiar with than her teammates, having faced them in Hockey East play last season.

“I always know that BU’s a really chippy team and they fight hard every game,” McDonald said.

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