BU Plays Spoiler As Women’s Hockey Falls

BOSTON, Mass.—The No. 7/8 Harvard women’s hockey team lost, 5-2, to Boston University on Tuesday at the Walter Brown Arena in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Crimson fell short in the final round of the Beanpot last season and was looking to get off to a strong start in the first round of the Beanpot against a quality opponent.

“It’s a pride game—there is no question about it,” Harvard coach Katey Stone said.

The Terriers (15-12-1, 9-7 WHEA) were seeking to end a 31-year Beanpot tropy drought, while the Crimson  (14-7-1, 11-4-1 ECAC) was looking to add number 14 to its collection of tournament wins.

Harvard’s hopes for a title were rocked early, as BU got off to a fast start and controlled the puck for a majority of the opening minutes.

After Terriers freshman Caroline Campbell earned a penalty for tripping, Harvard looked poised to take advantage of the opportunity.

But BU stayed aggressive. Senior Tara Watchorn got control of the puck in the Crimson zone and slid it to junior Jill Cordella, who fired a shot past Harvard goaltender junior Laura Bellamy through the five hole to give the Terriers a 1-0 advantage just over six minutes into the contest.

“I think we were out of sync a bit at the beginning of the game with personnel, and that shorthanded goal takes the wind out of your sails a bit,” Stone said. “Also, BU did an excellent job of killing penalties all night.”

Then the Crimson got sloppy and started committing penalties. Junior Kelsey Romatoski went to the box for slashing, and freshman Sarah Edney  joined her for tripping only 63 seconds later, giving Harvard the tough task of killing a 5-on-3 power play.

The Crimson initially did a good job of limiting BU’s shots. But shortly after Romatoski’s return, Harvard faced another setback when junior Josephine Pucci was called for body checking.

The Terriers were able to control the puck on the long 5-on-3 and swing it around the perimeter, looking for opportunities. One opened as senior Kasey  Boucher shuffled a pass to sophomore Kaleigh Fratkin who fired a well-placed slap shot past Bellamy’s left shoulder into the goal.

The score gave BU a 2-0 lead with seven minutes remaning in the opening frame.

The Crimson seemed to be off to a better start in the second period, but the Terriers controlled the puck early and sophomore Marie-Phillip Poulin made it a three-goal game off a well placed backhand after a pass from sophomore Louise Warren.

BU was able to stretch the lead when junior Isabel Menard rifled a shot past Bellamy on the left side of the goal, giving the Terriers a dominant 4-0 lead with just under two minutes remaining in the second period.

BU did not take its foot off the gas, as freshman Caroline Campbell got away on a fast break. After the rookie lost the puck, teammate  senior Jenn Wakefield corralled it right in front of the net and slipped a shot over the shoulder of the keeper with nine seconds remaining in the period.

Despite the large deficit, Harvard wanted to close out the game on a high note with a strong third period.

“After the second period we were down, 5-0, and at that point you can either crumble or turn it around the other way,” Pucci said. “We really wanted to come together at the end of that period. We wanted to make sure the third was the best period we could play.”

The Crimson did just that, as its aggressive play led to five BU penalties in the final frame.

Harvard, which had many chances all night but was unable to finish, was finally able to get on the board when Sarah Edney put away a rebound in front of the net with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game.

The Crimson cut the lead to three when junior Jillian Dempsey scored another power-play goal with just fewer than five minutes remaining.

“We just got ourselves together in the third period,” Stone said. “We got back to the things that we did well and kept it simple and helped each other out. And we were able to capitalize on two power plays.”

Harvard though was unable to make the game any closer and ultimately fell, 5-2.

The Crimson will look to get revenge on No. 4 Boston College, who defeated them in the final last year, in the Consolation game on Feb. 7th.

—Staff writer Cameron Dowd can be reached at camerondowd14@college.harvard.edu.