W. Hockey Out To Defend Beanpot

Entering the 24th edition of the Women’s Hockey Beanpot Tournament, Northeastern (23-2-0) is ranked second in the nation, ready to host Harvard (10-8-1) for the Beanpot semifinals, avenge three straight years of overtime heartbreak at the hands of the Crimson, and win back the title that it was owned for a record 14 times.

But Harvard has plans of its own when it takes on the Huskies at 8 p.m. in Matthews Arena.

“I just said to our kids, it’s ours until someone takes it away from us, and that’s exactly how we’re going to play, like it’s someone’s trying to break into our house,” said Harvard Coach Katey Stone. “We’re ready to go.”

“We’re fired up. I don’t think there’s anyone on the team who is not looking forward to Tuesday,” said junior captain Jaime Hagerman.

The Crimson won each of its last three games against Northeastern in dramatic fashion with Jennifer Botterill ’02-’03 scoring the game winner in overtime each of those three years.

This year, with Botterill gone to the Olympics as a member of the Canadian national team, and seven new freshmen, the Crimson has a much different look. But led by Hagerman, Harvard is preparing the newcomers to play for the Crimson’s fourth straight Boston crown.

“We’re excited to play. Half the team doesn’t even know what the Beanpot is. So it’s up to the returners to make them realize that this is huge not only for our school, not for our team, but for the whole city. To be the Beanpot champs is definitely something you really want to hold dear to the team,” Hagerman said.

“Coach made a big inspirational speech and I think we’re ready to tear Northeastern up,” said freshman Emily Haigh.

Northeastern has won with a well-balanced team, boasting the nation’s best defense and seventh-best offense.

“[The Huskies] are very similar to what they always are,” Stone said. “They capitalize on people’s mistakes. They have great goaltending.”

To beat Northeastern, Harvard will have to beat one of the nation’s best goaltender in the Huskies’ Chanda Gunn. Gunn is second in the nation in save percentage at 94.6 and fourth in the nation in goals against average at 1.45.

“They’ve been getting outshot in a lot of games and still winning because of the goaltending,” Stone said. “We’re going to have to be close to perfect, and that’s what we’re going to work for on Tuesday night.”

Not only will Harvard have to find a way to score on Northeastern, which has yet to surrender more than three goals in a game this season, Harvard will also have to shut down the nation’s leading goal-scorer in Brooke Whitney, the nation’s leader in assists in Brooke White, and the nation’s highest-scoring defenseman in Kim Greene.

In Harvard and Northeastern’s most recent meeting on Dec. 7, the Huskies triumphed 3-1. Crimson freshman Nicole Corriero—the nation’s leader in goals per game—scored to tie the game at 1-1, but Northeastern tallied a power play goal in the final seconds of the second period on a defensive zone breakdown, and Harvard could not recover.

“We’re going to be agressive and in their face as far as pressure goes, and try to keep it real simple in our defensive end, and I think we’ll be in good shape,” Stone said.

A Beanpot title would be the perfect way to spur the momentum of a Harvard team that has been up and down all season.

“We’ve got a lot of hockey left to go,” Stone said. “The Beanpot is a very special tournament for us.”

“But it’s also something that can kick start the rest of the run here down the stretch,” Stone added.

The winner of the Harvard-Northeastern will meet the winner of the BC-BU semifinal at Matthews the following Tuesday.