No.15 Northeastern women’s hockey (13-6-1, 10-4-1 HE) might be entering the Beanpot tournament as a two-time consecutive returning champion — but this year will be different. A championship win is far from impossible, but this season’s field is more competitive.
The Huskies are the third-highest ranked team in the tournament, notches behind the No. 12 Boston College Eagles (14-6-1, 11-4-1 HE) and No.13 Boston University Terriers (12-5-1, 10-2-1 HE).
Northeastern was a better team the years it brought home the trophy. In 2024, Boston College was the only team ranked higher than the Huskies, No.13 to NU’s No.15, but Northeastern never actually faced them in a Beanpot matchup. Instead, the Huskies beat out the notably unranked Harvard University Crimson 2-1 in the semifinal while Boston University just barely beat BC in a 3-3 (1-0) shootout. In this year’s tournament, Northeastern will face Boston College first, a team it lost to 3-0 just over one month ago in November.
That being said, the Jan. 14 Beanpot semifinal will be different from the Nov. 30 game in several ways. The day the Eagles took home the win against the Huskies was a far more meaningful game for Boston College than Northeastern — BC’s head coach earned her 400th win and senior forward Abby Newhook notched her 100th goal. Two milestones in play likely gave the Eagles a more ferocious edge and an extra leg up; at the Beanpot, the stakes will be equal.
The semifinal will also be the eighth and final time the Beanpot tournament will be held in Matthews Arena, the Huskies’ home since 1979. The team has been currently 9-3-0 this season when it plays in the historic arena, and eight of the Huskies’ 19 Beanpot wins were in Matthews. The added home factor could be the extra push the Huskies need to get past the semifinals.
The team has been in a transition period for a large part of the season, onboarding some fierce new rookies including decorated freshman goaltender Lisa Jönsson. The Huskies’ strong defense has perhaps built an over reliance on goaltending in the past, the team stuck when it comes to converting. It’s also a factor the team has been turning around over the course of a four-game winning streak since its loss against BC.
After bringing home a 4-3 win against the Yale University Bulldogs Jan. 7, the game before the Beanpot, head coach Dave Flint stressed the necessity of a good offense going into the tournament.
“We play [Boston College] enough that we know them pretty well. We’ve just got to keep up the offensive production. We’ve got to be good in our own way, we’ve got to take care of the puck because their team, if you turn the puck over a lot, they’re going to make you pay for it,” Flint said post-game Jan. 7.
The team has a few stars to keep an eye out for that have been turning the offense around.
Solid upperclassmen Northeastern will be relying on, especially during tense moments, include senior forward Skylar Irving (#88), who scored both goals in the 2024 Beanpot final against Boston University. Captain and senior forward Taze Thompson (#44) has been a reliable shooter and leader all season, with 11 points on her stats sheet.
Junior defender Jules Constantinople (#41) and junior forward Lily Shannon (#2) can also be expected all over the ice as Beanpot veterans.
The team’s bench is deep because it needs to be, something Flint has emphasized all season. Northeastern is no longer able to rely on star alumni like the Boston Fleet’s Alina Müller or the New York Siren’s Chloé Aurard to dominate.
“We’re going to need contributions from all the lines for us to be successful. It’s not the days of Alina and Chloe … We need everybody to step up, and that’s what we got tonight,” Flint said after a 4-0 victory against Holy Cross Jan. 4.
Younger stars include freshman forward Éloïse Caron, who notched three points against Yale, and freshman forward Morgan Jackson, who’s been a major part of the rejuvenated offense, creating three great points in the last two games versus Holy Cross and Yale. Sophomore forward Allie Lalonde is also back on the ice, a part of the ever-improving power play unit.
Northeastern holds the No.1 penalty kill percentage in the NCAA at .933, while Boston College holds the fourth-highest at .884. Northeastern’s ability to shut down the opposition’s advantage has served it well, although notably not against the Eagles Nov. 30.
Last time the teams met, two of the Eagles’ three goals were on the power play (the third was an empty-netter). Northeastern’s power play conversion rate is considerably weaker at .116 to the Eagles’ .193. Northeastern’s unit has improved since the Nov. 30 game, scoring two power play goals against Merrimack College Jan. 4 and Yale University Jan. 5 after devoting more time to power play strategy in practice, Flint has said. The numbers could prove important come game day as cross-town rivals tend to play dirtier. On Nov. 30, the teams totaled a combined nine penalties.
If the Huskies make it past the Eagles, it will likely be a dog-on-dog game once again. When the Huskies take on the Boston University Terriers — arguably the team’s biggest rival — games tend to be unpredictable and physically brutal. The Huskies met their rival at Matthews Arena Oct. 11, clinching a 4-0 shutout only to be given the same score backwards the next day in BU’s home rink.
A lot has changed since the Huskies’ initial meetup with the Terriers. Northeastern’s new goaltender, Jönsson, now has stats that put her at No. 1 in the NCAA for both goals against average and save percentage.
If the rivals were to square off in the finals, the Terriers would need to adjust to a team stronger in both goaltending and shooting than they’ve seen before.
After the loss against the Eagles Nov. 30, Flint looked at the upside. “I’m okay with a loss [against Boston College] the game before the Beanpot,” he said. “It gives us a little bit of fire and I’m like, ‘Alright, we’re not just going to walk into this game and win. We’ve got to work.’”
A little fire could be just what the Huskies need to take home a third consecutive Beanpot championship. The team has not lost a game since the BC defeat, notching 13 goals in the process.
The Huskies take on the Eagles Jan. 14 in Matthews Arena at 7:30 p.m. Boston University and Harvard go head to head before Northeastern takes the ice at 4:30 p.m.
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