BOSTON - Thanks to late heroics, the No. 14/13 Boston University women's ice hockey earned a 2-1 overtime victory over Harvard in the semifinal round of the 46th Dunkin' Women's Beanpot on Tuesday evening at Matthews Arena.
Graduate student Lindsay Bochna scored with 1:17 left in overtime after junior Sydney Healey scored with just under a minute left in regulation.
BU will face No. 15 Northeastern in the Beanpot championship game at TD Garden next Tuesday (Jan. 21). The Huskies topped No. 12 Boston College, 4-2, in the second semifinal to set up a rematch of last year's title tilt.
The Terriers held a commanding 41-10 advantage over the Crimson in shots on goal but gave up the game's first tally in the early stages of the third period.
After pulling goaltender Callie Shanahan in favor of an extra skater, the Terriers finally solved goaltender Ainsley Tuffy when Healey took a pass from junior Riley Walsh and converted near the right post with 55.5 seconds on the clock.
BU had three scoring chances in overtime and ended the game when Bochna skated past a defender on the left side before beating Tuffy to the near post to ignite a team celebration on the ice.
Senior Julia Shaunessy assisted on both goals for the Terriers, who improved to 14-6-1 on the season. Harvard fell to 2-13-2.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Terriers held an 8-4 shot advantage in the opening period but the Crimson had the better of the chances as Shanahan was forced to make a couple of tough saves to keep it a scoreless affair through the first.
- BU was unable to take advantage of an early power-play chance and then killed off a penalty late in the period that crossed over into the second.
- Junior Clara Yuhn drew a holding penalty on Harvard late in the second period for the Terriers' second power-play opportunity of the game but the Crimson kill was up to the task again.
- BU limited Harvard to just one shot on goal in the middle frame.
- The Crimson broke the scoreless deadlock when freshman Angelica Megdanis buried her first collegiate goal off a chance in the slot just 1:42 into the third.
- The Terriers posted a 15-4 shot advantage in the third and used the 15th to draw even.
- With Shanahan pulled in favor of an extra skater, Shaunessy sent the puck to the slot from the left point and found Walsh, who used a touch pass to set up Healey as the junior lifted the puck over Tuffy's shoulder.
- Julia Shaunessy rang a shot off the left post with three minutes left in overtime.
- Senior Tamara Giaquinto set up junior Luisa Welcke for an open look by the right post with two minutes remaining in the extra session but she was denied by Tuffy.
- After Bochna lost control of the puck at the top of the offensive zone, she raced back to collect it at the BU blue line before quickly skating around two Crimson skaters to create a path to the net and score the winner.
GAME NOTES
- Healey has now scored a Beanpot goal in each of her three seasons with the Terriers.
- Shanahan made nine saves and her teammates forced Duffy to make 39 stops.
- BU was 0-for-2 on the power play while Harvard was 0-for-1.
- The Terriers won 18 of the game's final 24 faceoffs.
- Harvard had 20 blocked shots to BU's five.
- The Terriers are now 8-11 in the Beanpot semifinals as a varsity program.
UP NEXT
- The Terriers will return to action on Saturday (Jan. 18) when they visit New Hampshire.
- Game time in Durham is set for 1 p.m.
