The Women's Beanpot: Northeastern the Key

Wednesday evening at Northeastern's Mathews Arena, four beans are going to be thrown into a boiling caldron--and you can bet that the two labled Harvard and Northeastern are going to rise towards the top.

The sport is women's ice hockey, and the tournament is the eighth annual Women's Beanpot.

The Crimson (6-6-1 overall) enters the 'Pot, which consists of Harvard, Boston College, Boston University, and Northeastern, with a string of impressive post-exam performances, including a 3-1 win at Yale last Friday.

Despite a hard-fought 2-1 loss at the hands of Ivy-power Brown in Providence Saturday, Harvard's young squad--just two seniors and a single junior--is showing definite signs of developing the disciplined and dependable game that makes consistent winning hockey possible.

"This team is coming along beautifully," said Harvard Coach John Dooley. "In preparing for the Beanpot, we're coming together more and more with team play. Our freshman, and even some of our sophomores, who are used to playing as individuals, are beginning to understand the team concept."

"We spent the first half [of the season] learning system hockey, and our victory over Yale shows that we've got a good handle on it at this stage of the game," Dooley added.

The first round prognosis for Harvard is excellent, as it faces the grounded Eagles of Boston College (1-6 overall).

Women's hockey at BC has only club sport status, and judging by the way the Eagles are playing this season, that doesn't seem likely to change any time soon.

The Crimson blasted the Eagles, 11-0, early in the season in a contest in which Harvard directed an incredible 81 shots on goal, and Johanna Neilson and Co-Captain Genie Simmons both notched hat tricks.

Based on that performance, Karen Carney--the team's second leading scorer with eight goals and 10 assists--betrayed her team's confidence level, "We know we can get by BC."

In fact, though it may be tempting the sometimes-unpredictable gods of sports fate, Harvard is definitely gazing past the Eagles. "We can't look by them, but we are," sophomore Co-Captain Julie Sasner said.

And with good reason.

Because before Harvard can capture the 'Pot trophy in next Tuesday's final, it will probably have to stickhandle and pass its way past steaming-hot Northeastern.

If you're a betting person, bet on the Huskies to get by first-round foe Boston University and be waiting for the Crimson.

Northeastern is recruited, talented, and 9-3-1. All three of its losses came at the hands of dynasty-like University of New Hampshire.

"Northeastern is excellent," Dooley stated. "Because they offer scholarships, they're at a great advantage over those schools that don't. There are just not that many women's ice hockey players of great caliber."

"Not only do they have very talented players," Carney added, "but very large ones as well."

Northestern boasts a corps of defensewomen that "shoot the puck as hard as some collegiate men," according to Dooley, and in the person of sophomore sensation Louise Duguay--who leads her team in scoring with 12 goals and eight assists--one of the finest centers in women's hockey.

The Huskies' opponents in the opening round are the all-bark-and-no-bite Terriers of Boston University (1-7), losers to NU earlier this season, 6-0. The Crimson powdered BU 11-1 last Wednesday.

The last time Harvard met Northeastern was in last year's 'Pot, when it had the misfortune of drawing the Huskies in the first round. The Crimson walked out of that contest with its pride, having played the formidable opponents to a 2-2 deadlock in the third period. Unfortunately, an early six-goal deficit left the pucksters on the short end of an 8-2 final score.

But this time the Crimson is aiming to skate off the ice with more than its pride.

A victory would do rather nicely.

"I'm looking for us to go out and play a solid, disciplined game of hockey," said Dooley. "If we make up with our minds what we lack in skill, we can give them a game."

One of the hopeful aspects for Harvard is the presence of freshman Jennifer White in the nets. The young goalie, who after outstanding outings against Yale and Brown is allowing less than three goals a game, will be the most important Crimson link in resisting the swarming onslaught of the Huskie offense.

White will be aided by the Harvard defense, the most consistent aspect of the team's game throughout the season, which is led by Sasner.

At the other end of the ice, Co-Captain and center Genie Simmons will lead the Crimson offensive attack, whose high scorers include Neilson (nine goals, 11 assists), Carney, and the versatile Sasner (three, nine).

Harvard's third line suffered a debilitating blow in the Yale contest, when forward Julie Trotman broke her leg on her first shift of the game. Trotman, who scored her first career goal in the BU rout, was showing definite signs of improvement while fighting her way back from an earlier ankle fracture.

The unlucky freshman will be out for the remainder of the season.

Despite the Trotman injury and the Brown loss, the Crimson's game appears to be jelling on a more consistent basis, and the team's attitude is one of quiet confidence.

So if you turn on your television to watch next Tuesday's Beanpot final, don't be surprised to see the Harvard women there. And don't be surprised if they're giving Northeastern a great game.

"We're going into the Beanpot," says Dooley, "with the attitude that we're going to win it."

The Schedule

Monday, February 3: Northeastern vs. Boston University, 6:15 p.m., Boston Garden. Harvard vs. Boston College, approx. 9 p.m. Past Results

YearChampion  Harvard Finish

Men's Beanpot

1952  Harvard  First 1954  Boston College  Second 1955  HARVARD  First 1956  Boston College  Second 1957  Boston College  Third 1958  Boston University  Third 1959  Boston College  Third 1960  HARVARD  First 1961  Boston College  Second 1962  HARVARD  First 1963  Boston College  Second 1964  Boston College  Third 1965  Boston College  Fourth 1966  Boston University  Second 1967  Boston University  Fourth 1968  Boston University  Second 1969  HARVARD  First 1970  Boston University  Third 1971  Boston University  Second 1972  Boston University  Second 1973  Boston University  Second 1974  HARVARD  First 1975  Boston University  Second 1976  Boston College  Third 1977  HARVARD  First 1978  Boston University  Second 1979  Boston University  Fourth 1980  Northeastern  Third 1981  HARVARD  First 1982  Boston University  Fourth 1983  Boston College  Fourth 1984  Northeastern  Fourth 1985  Northeastern  Third

Women's Beanpot 1979  Northeastern  Fourth 1980  Northeastern  Second 1981  Boston University  Fourth 1982  HARVARD  First 1983  HARVARD  First 1984  Northeastern  Second 1985  Northeastern  Third