Northeastern women’s hockey (15-8-1, 10-6-1 HE) dominated the Boston University Terriers (14-8-1, 11-4-1 HE) in a resounding 4-0 victory at TD Garden Jan. 21 to take home their third consecutive Beanpot victory. 

“[I am] so incredibly proud of this group. I mean, that was a hard-fought win. And they stepped up on the biggest stage tonight,” said head coach Dave Flint after the game. 

From the start of the game, Northeastern immediately looked like the stronger team, with two shots on goal from junior forward Kristina Allard and junior forward Lily Brazis to start the team off right. Within minutes, freshman forward Éloïse Caron received a penalty for holding the stick after finding herself in a struggle by the boards in the neutral zone. The Huskies still managed to find themselves with the puck, a testament to Northeastern’s penalty kill unit, currently holding the No. 1 percentage in the country at .923.

Sharp breakaways from the Huskies had the record-breaking crowd on their feet, with the Huskies launching five shots on goal before graduate student defender Lily Yovetich took a powerful shot from the blue line that bounced past defenders straight to the back of the net in a lapse from senior goaltender Callie Shanahan. 

The goal was Yovetich’s first of the season and brought the score to 1-0 just nine minutes into the game. The arena’s disproportionate amount of Northeastern students crowding into the Garden likely had something to do with the teams readiness for the puck. 

“I actually got really encouraged by the crowd. Instead of getting nervous, I felt like they had our backs the whole way,” Jönsson said. 

Freshman goaltender Lisa Jönsson showed off with a few saves from her stick, launching herself sideways in heroic displays that had Northeastern fans bowing down and Boston University increasingly frustrated. Jönsson received both the Bertagna Award and MVP for the tournament after taking home 30 saves and her sixth career shutout.

Flint said he sees Jönsson as one of the greats. “A lot of people might not understand the pressure of a freshman being put in that situation and having to step up,” Flint said. “The one thing I love about her is she’s unflappable.”

With five minutes left in the first period, junior defender Jules Constantinople got knocked down, falling hard on her elbow and causing her to head back into the locker room for a quick evaluation. 

“When that happened, I went into panic mode, because I rolled the dice dressing five defense tonight, and all I was thinking was, ‘God, if she’s hurt now we’re down to four with half the game to go, a little more than half,’” Flint said.

The team’s hiccups from its double loss against Providence College Jan. 17 and 18 were out of sight as they dominated puck time, despite a relatively even shot count, coming in at 11-10 for the first period. 

Going into the second period, Northeastern got 11 shots off to Boston University’s nine before Northeastern got its second advantage of the night after senior forward Christina Vote collided with Caron as she was receiving a potential assist, the Terrier receiving a minor for interference. Holding onto a dangerous 1-0 lead still, the team launched four shots during the advantage but failed to widen the lead with 10 minutes to go in the second period. 

With two minutes left in the second period, the Huskies brought the arena to their feet once again to secure a 2-0 scoreboard. Graduate student forward Jaden Bogden came in from the right of the net to pass to junior forward Lily Shannon, who cut the puck straight through Shanahan’s legs. 

It only took Bogden 40 seconds to come back with another goal — widening the score 3-0 — this time off an assist from Constantinople into the crease and past Shanahan’s outspread legs. As a transfer from Clarkson University, Bogden came ready to give Boston a show.

The Terriers were having a hard time gathering themselves for the final minute of the period. Caron came down with a breakaway that fell just short, the team on a roll, dominating the puck for the final minute of the second period, bringing a high energy for the final push.  

A minute into the last period, Caron received her second penalty of the night for tripping but Boston University still found itself scrambling, unable to capitalize against Northeastern blocks. As the final period etched on, Boston University was getting desperate. 

Northeastern defense was strong despite Flint’s decision to only dress five defenders. “When I see my team throwing themselves to save the pucks for me, it just makes me try so much harder to help the team out and pull off the win,” Jönsson said.

Three goals down, the Terriers were having trouble getting a sequence together. In hopes to regain control, Boston University pulled Shanahan for an extra forward. However, their attempt backfired as Northeastern held the puck and scored on the empty net, courtesy of senior forward Skylar Irving with five minutes left in the period. 

“The players that have been here before, that have played in these pressure situations, have laid the groundwork, but they also develop our younger players, so, like our freshmen now, see how our upperclassmen handle themselves in this situation, and it just carries on, year to year.” Flint said.

When the buzzer sounded minutes later, the team rushed out to the ice surrounded by 13,279 fans, the fifth-largest crowd in women’s college hockey history and the largest women’s college hockey crowd in Massachusetts history. 

“To compete in TD, I feel like it’s a whole other level, and just great for women’s college hockey,” said senior defender Tory Mariano. “I don’t know, it’s just, to play in the Beanpot here is incredible, and just to go out with a Beanpot championship, nothing like it.”