ALLSTON, Mass. - Junior Callie Shanahan didn't allow a puck to get by her in the shootout and sophomore Lilli Welcke scored the winner to send Boston University past No. 13 Boston College and into the title game of the 45th Dunkin' Women's Beanpot on Tuesday evening at Harvard's Bright-Landry Hockey Center.
The archrivals skated to a 3-3 draw with the Eagles clawing back from BU leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 before a thrilling overtime where both teams nearly ended the game.
The ensuing shootout produced no goals in the first two rounds before Welcke started the third with a nifty move to beat BC netminder Grace Campbell. Shanahan then poke-checked the puck away from Sammy Smigliani to seal the victory and a spot in next Tuesday's title game at TD Garden against No. 15 Northeastern, which topped Harvard by a score of 1-0 in the second semifinal.
Sophomore Sydney Healey, sophomore Luisa Welcke and senior Lacey Martin all scored goals for the Terriers, who move to 9-10-3 on the year.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Terriers got on the board just 2:16 into the contest when junior Ani FitzGerald tipped the puck off a Harvard stick to Healey, who stickhandled below the left circle before backhanding a shot off Campbell and in.
- The lead lasted exactly a minute as BC's Sammy Taber found the back of the net at the 3:16 mark.
- A gritty goal gave BU the lead back midway through the first as Lilli Welcke curled around the back of the net before sending the puck on net. Freshman Neely Nicholson pounced on the rebound in the slot and her shot was deflected right to Luisa Welcke at the left crease, where she knocked in her fifth goal in six games.
- It was another short-lived lead, however, as Caroline Goffredo got an equalizer for the Eagles when she corralled a left-circle faceoff win by Smigliani and beat Shanahan high to the far post 1:35 after Welcke's goal.
- Freshman Alex Law was assessed a five-minute major for contact to the head late in the first and BU drew a penalty on the Huskies midway through the major. The Terriers came out the major unharmed in the early stages of the second.
- The Terriers had their highest shot output in the second with 14 but neither team scored in the frame and the third period started with the teams in a 2-2 deadlock.
- Martin put BU up 3-2 when sophomore Clara Yuhn bumped an Eagle off the puck and calmly found the senior at the foot of the left circle, where she roofed a shot for her team-leading 10th goal of the season at 1:36 of the third.
- The Terriers had a great opportunity to take a multi-goal lead when two tripping penalties on BC created a 5-on-3 for 1:04 but BU was unable to capitalize.
- The BU penalty kill was put to the test two more times with back-to-back penalties but came through each time and the teams were at full strength for the remainder of regulation.
- Right after BC pulled Campbell in favor of an extra attacker, the Eagles set up a play off a faceoff that resulted in a tip-in at the right post Katie Pyne that got past Shanahan to make it a 3-3 contest with 1:43 to play.
- Neither team was able to pot a late winner in regulation and the game moved to overtime, which ended up being a heart-stopping affair with good chances on both ends including a wild scramble in front of the BU net.
- The horn sounded on overtime and even though the game would go down as a draw for the teams' records, there was more on the line with this shootout than any other all season.
- Campbell and Shanahan stopped in succession attempts by freshman Alex Law, Goffredo, Luisa Welcke and Taber.
- That set up the third-round dramatics as Lilli Welcke and Shanahan came through to lead BU to its first Beanpot title game since 2020.
GAME NOTES
- BU held a 33-30 shot advantage as Shanahan turned in a 27-save performance before her impressive effort in the shootout.
- Campbell made 30 stops in goal for the Eagles.
- The Terriers were 0-for-2 on the power play but held the Eagles scoreless on their four player-up opportunities, including the major.
- Senior Tamara Giaquinto tied three Eagles for the game high in blocked shots with four.
- Six Terriers made their Beanpot debuts.
UP NEXT
- The Terriers will welcome Vermont to Walter Brown Arena for a weekend series on Jan. 19-20.
- Friday's contest will start at 6 p.m. while the finale on Saturday gets underway at 3 p.m. and will be televised on NESN+.
