Wilson’s Goal Ends Beanpot OT Thriller

Parity has arrived in Boston.

In the opening round of the 28th Women’s Beanpot at Bright Hockey Center last night, the first edition of the annual crosstown tournament to feature four varsity squads, the Crimson (11-7-4, 7-3-4 ECAC) edged Boston University (10-14-4, 5-10-2 Hockey East), elevated from club status to Division I this season, by a final of 2-1 in overtime.

Freshman Sarah Wilson deflected a pass from classmate Lauren Herrington into the back of the net for the game-winner just 46 seconds into extra time. Wilson’s prompt strike answered a challenge issued in the locker room after regulation and redeemed an inconsistent Harvard effort.

“When we came back into the locker room after the third period, we looked around and asked ourselves some serious questions,” senior captain Carrie Schroyer said. “And said, ‘Who is going to get this done?’ Because we knew going into that overtime period that the puck was going to go into the BU net.”

“To be tied at the end of three periods,” Wilson added. “We knew hadn’t given our best effort and we had to get it done.”

The Crimson has now won 18 straight against BU, but the slim margin was a far cry from the recent history between the two teams. After outscoring them 82-0 in their previous nine meetings, Harvard needed overtime to get past the pesky Terriers last night, heralding a new era for women’s hockey in the city.

“Very competitive Beanpot,” Crimson coach Katey Stone said. “I think it’s an awesome statement, our game going to overtime, it’s just a taste of what the future is. It’s going to be just like the Men’s Beanpot, there’s going to be so much hinging on it. I knew that BU would come out like they were playing for a championship. They played very inspired. I think we’re fortunate to have the opportunity [to play for a championship] on Tuesday night.”

After dominating possession and controlling most of the action for the first two periods, BU seized the momentum in the third, out-shooting Harvard 7-6 during the frame and equalizing the score with 9:11 left on the clock. With the Terriers on the man advantage, Laurel Koller notched her 12th goal of the season with assists from Cara Hendry and Gina Kearns. Senior goaltender Ali Boe finally buckled under a siege of rebound opportunities as her defense could not free the puck from a tangle of sticks and fallen bodies in front of the net.

“I’m concerned about making sure we kill penalties the right way,” Stone said. “And we did not do a very good job of killing that penalty and should not have been on the penalty kill.”

Special teams play, crucial throughout the match-up, emerged as an important theme from the outset.

Harvard, which wound up 1-for-5 on the power play, had no trouble drawing penalties in the early going, earning three extra-skater chances in the first 13 minutes alone.

After stalling on its first two opportunities, the second power-play unit broke through on the third, scoring with 5:22 remaining in the first period.

Junior Liza Solley rifled a shot on net and the rebound fell to sophomore Laura Brady, who took a swipe at the puck before Schroyer snuck in and buried it past Terriers keeper Allyse Wilcox at the near post. Wilcox finished with 39 saves.

“[Wilcox] made some tremendous saves,” Stone said. “It’s not sensational oftentimes stuffing us, but I thought [she] played really well.”

In her return to action after missing this past weekend’s games with a concussion, Boe looked strong in net for the Crimson, turning aside 16 BU offerings.

One of three seniors skating in her final Beanpot, Boe was not tested until the beginning of the second period, when she was forced to make a handful of difficult saves during a minute of 5-on-3 penalty kill.

Harvard’s offense, meanwhile, continued its recent sputtering. It entered the contest having scored a mere three goals in its last four outings and had not tallied more than a single score in a game since Jan. 8 at Cornell.

“We just couldn’t put it in tonight,” Wilson said. “We have to work on that. We’ll take this as a learning experience.”

With the victory, the Crimson, seeking a record-tying eighth consecutive Beanpot crown, advances to square off against Boston College for the title at home next Tuesday.

“It’s great to be able to play for a championship in February,” Schroyer said. “We’re looking forward to a good game with BC. These are close games and that’s exactly what you want in a mid-season tournament.”

—Staff writer Jonathan Lehman can be reached at jlehman@fas.harvard.edu.