BOSTON – The Northeastern Huskies turned a three-peat with a 4-0 victory over Boston University in the 46th Women’s Beanpot title game on Tuesday night at TD Garden.
The record crowd of 13,279 fans was the largest to attend a women’s college hockey game in New England and fifth in NCAA history, surpassing the record of 10,633 set at TD Garden last year.
The No. 15 ranked Huskies improved to 15-7-1 while trucking their record 20th Beanpot trophy back to Harrison Ave. NU defeated BU 2-1 in overtime last year in the first women’s Beanpot title game played in the Garden. The unranked Terriers fell to 14-8-1. Even though both teams play in Hockey East, all Beanpot matches go into the books as non-league games.
“Obviously, an exciting night for everybody, and I’m so incredibly proud of this group,” NU coach Dave Flint, who has overseen six of the Huskies’ 20 titles said.
“That was a hard-fought win, and they stepped up on the biggest stage tonight. We beat a good BU team, and they gave us everything we could handle.”
NU freshman goalie Lisa Jonsson made 30 saves to record her 11th win and fifth shutout of the season. Jonsson received the Bertagna Award as the tournament’s outstanding goaltender and the Beanpot MVP trophy. In NU’s Beanpot wins over Boston College and BU, Jonsson saved 65 of 67 shots for a 9.70 save percentage.
“It was just so amazing, and I was so nervous before the game,” said Jonsson, a native of Stockholm, Sweden. “I actually got encouraged by the crowd instead of getting nervous, and they had our backs the whole way.
“Everyone was sacrificing themselves all night for a team win. It was just so amazing, and getting a shutout is an amazing confidence boost.”
Northeastern opened the scoring on a play that began with a magnificent rush up the ice and finished with a lucky bounce. Junior defenseman Kristina Allard collected the puck along the NU end boards and made a hard dash through traffic down the right flank.
Allard circled the BU cage and passed the puck to Lily Yovetich at the left point. Yovetich, a graduate student from Los Angeles, advanced on the BU goal and fired a wobbly wrist shot that deflected off the stick of BU center Ani Fitzgerald and sailed past goalie Callie Shanahan (27 saves).
The goal was Yovetich’s first of the season and second in her college career, while Allard picked up her third assist. NU exited the frame with a 12-10 advantage in shots on goal.
“Lily is a stay-at-home D so for her to score the first goal was incredible,” said senior defenseman Tory Mariano, who finished with two assists. “All of us were so excited for her and couldn’t be more happy.”
The Huskies went to town on Shanahan in the opening minutes of the second period with a wave of golden scoring chances that went unfinished. Shanahan made her best game stop when she stoned NU right-wing Lily Shannon’s uncontested shot from the low slot.
BU found its offensive legs on a power play midway through the period, which kept Jonsson occupied with shots from all angles. NU regrouped and took a 3-0 on consecutive tallies less than a minute apart late in the period. Both goals involved left wing Jaden Bogden, a graduate transfer from Clarkson, playing in her first Beanpot championship.
Bogden forced a turnover in the BU and fired a shot at Shanahan from the right circle. Shannon swooped in and flicked home the rebound at 17:39 for her ninth of the season.
Bogden scored her fifth of the season when she redirected junior defenseman Jules Constantinople’s slap shot from the left point at 18:19. Center Skyler Irving, last year’s MVP, scored an empty net goal at 17:16.
“She (Bogden) has given some good depth to our top six and a little bit more of a scoring punch,” Flint said. “She stepped up on the big stage and it was good to see because she has never played before a crowd like that.
“She has played in some Frozen Fours, but this crowd was at another level. She has been great all year, and she does a lot of little things really well.”
