Beanpot 2025: Semifinals Preview | Harvard vs. BU, BC vs. Northeastern

It’s the most wonderful time of the year if you’re a fan of Boston-area college hockey – and no, I don’t mean the Holidays. It’s time for the annual Beanpot tournament, and after a rock star crowd at TD Garden last year for the final round, the arena will once again play host to the consolation and championship games on Jan. 21st. 

But first, the semis, in the most historic arena of all: Northeastern’s Matthews Arena. 

For anyone who isn’t aware of the format, four NCAA Division I programs all in or around Boston come together to play two rounds of their respective sports (and I say sports because there are baseball and rowing Beanpots later in the spring semester). In hockey, those two rounds used to always be in February, with the men’s programs playing on the first and second Mondays of the month, and the women on the two first Tuesdays. 

However, with the women’s finals moved to TD Garden, the Tuesday rounds of the tournament have been pushed up a month, and the four schools are set to square off on the second and third Tuesdays in January. 

The four schools of course being Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, and Northeastern. 

What makes the first round of the women’s tournament special is they’re still playing in the home arenas of the four schools on a rotation basis. Last year, Harvard’s Bright Landry Center saw BU takedown BC in a shootout to advance to the title game, before Northeastern defeated the home team in shutout fashion to secure their spot. 

Coming into the year, the expectation was BU’s Walter Brown Arena – which hasn’t hosted the tournament since 2020 (thanks COVID) – was going to be where the four teams met in the first round. With the questions surrounding Matthews Arena’s future and with Walter Brown undergoing a renovation that stretched into the spring semester, the tournament has been moved to Northeastern’s campus. 

Funnily enough, the last time the Beanpot was at Matthews in 2022 we saw the same semifinal matchups. Similarly to the location, the semifinal berths are also on a rotation, so this season BU and Harvard will take part in the early semifinal, with BC and Northeastern to follow. 

Now, you may be asking, what makes this Beanpot thing so special? 

Well, for starters there’s the whole potentially-the-last-time-at-Matthews-Arena thing. And there’s the second time playing at TD Garden, which even though it’s not the first time the tournament trophy will be hoisted there, it’s still really freaking cool to play (and watch these teams play) in an arena of that size. There’s also the fact that this is a deeply skilled iteration of the tournament, with three schools in the top-15 of both the Pairwise rankings and in the national polling. 

There’s also just the knowledge that this is the Beanpot, and regardless of how many times the tournament is played, there’s something magical about the chance to hoist that trophy. Especially if you’re a kid from Massachusetts. 

So, what should be expected from the two semifinals on the 14th? I’m so glad you asked! Let’s break down the strengths of the four teams, and get you started with what you need to know heading into the 46th Annual tournament. 

Boston University (HEA) vs. Harvard (ECAC) – 4:30 PM 

BU has had an outstanding season, a welcome sight after the last few years which haven’t gone their way. The Terriers are entering the semis with a 13-6-1 overall record, and have played remarkably well since starting the year at 1-3-0. 

Harvard on the other side of the ice (and the Charles River) have had a disastrous year in comparison. The Crimson are just 2-12-2 this season, though their two wins came over ranked opponents – UConn (No. 8 at the time) and Yale (No. 14). 

When comparing the offensive and defensive numbers, the teams are practically flipped. BU has been averaging 2.8 goals per game, and have scored at least one goal in every game dating back to Oct. 12th. Harvard on the opposite hand scrounges up just 1.4 goals for each game, and have been shutout four times already this season. They’re also winless since Nov. 11th – a 12 game stretch. 

Defensively the numbers could be worse for Harvard, with a 2.9 goals against average as a team. BU though is sitting at an even 2.0 GAA, helped mighty by the .925 save percentage of senior netminder Callie Shanahan. 

Special teams wise, there’s almost nothing BU can’t do. The Terriers are operating at a 20.3% conversion rate on their power play this season, and match it with a superb penalty kill as well, at a 88.5% success rate. 

Harvard, for a second year in a row, are entering the Beanpot with one of the worst power plays in the nation at 6.5%: 43rd out of 44 DI teams. Their PK isn’t much better, as they’ve allowed nine goals on 43 penalties taken this year (success rate of 79.1%). 

What could bode well in Harvard’s favor is the weekend BU had – a two game series the Terriers split with Vermont (a team that is… how do I say this: underperforming this season) in Burlington. Combine a two game weekend (while Harvard had just one Friday game) with the travel to and from Vermont and it could end up causing problems with the tight turnaround for BU. The Crimson themselves are coming off a 3-2 OT loss to Maine, which although the game was fairly close, the team couldn’t quite close things out. 

Last Matchup:

Tuesday, Nov. 14th, 2023: 3-1 Harvard win at Bright Landry

Last season, albeit when BU was working things out under then first-year coach Tara Watchorn and before Harvard really began to struggle, the Crimson skated away with a 3-1 win at home against these Terriers.

Harvard scored two goals in just over two minutes early in the first period thanks to Kaley MacDonald and Kayley Crawford. Gabi Davidson Adams added a third Harvard goal late in the second, which was responded to with a Madison Cardaci tally with 26 seconds to play in the middle frame. The Terriers couldn’t get closer than that however, and the Crimson earned their 10th win all-time over BU. 

Shanahan however did not dress in the matchup for BU, and instead it was freshman Mari Pietersen who had gotten the start against the Crimson. With Shanahan in net, it could (and probably would) have been a completely different game. 

Last Time at the Beanpot:

Tuesday, Feb. 14th, 2023: 7-4 BU Win at Conte Forum (Consolation Game)

Just nine months prior to their meeting in November, the Terriers and Crimson faced off in the consolation game of the 2023 tournament, and after falling behind 4-2, BU scored five straight to take the game 7-4. 

Christina Vote for BU was crucial, with two goals (including the eventual game winner) and an assist. The now-senior is returning to the matchup for BU on Tuesday, and is also tied for the lead in scoring on the Terriers in her final season with 13 points. On the opposite side, Shannon Hollands had two goals for Harvard, while goaltender Daisy Boynton made 34 saves in the loss. Neither player is still on the Crimson roster. 

One player that is still on the roster who played a key role for Harvard is Gabi Davidson Adams, who had two assists in the consolation game, and is tied for third in scoring on the Crimson in 2024-25 with five points. 

Both teams converted on the power play in the game – Harvard just 26 seconds into their first opportunity, and BU on their third chance of the afternoon. It wasn’t the tightest game from either side, but it was entertaining and high scoring for two teams that didn’t do a whole lot of scoring that season overall. 

Who to Watch For: 

BU – Outside of Vote, the other leading scorer for BU this year is freshman Lola Reid, who after a super strong start to the year is on a 10 game pointless streak heading into the Beanpot. Defender Julia Shaunessy has provided strong play on both sides of the puck, with 12 points and 18 blocks this season. The biggest scoring threat will come in the form of Sydney Healey, who leads the Terriers with eight goals including three on the power play. She can be deadly accurate, and that will be critical for BU. 

Harvard – I didn’t touch enough on the netminders for Harvard. First is Ainsley Tuffy, who as a first-year is sporting a .930 SV% in eight starts this season. The netminder is yet to record a win in her young NCAA career, but both Tuffy and junior Emily Davidson have relatively respectable numbers on a team that is giving up 34.3 shots per game on average. Kaley MacDonald is also a key contributor, as both the leading scorer for the Crimson (nine points in 16 games) and as the third-highest in blocked shots on the team with 32. The Crimson do average 17.6 blocks per game, an incredible mark, which could help them throughout this semifinal. 

What to Expect: 

While the second game should be more evenly matched, I don’t want to count Harvard out entirely in the earlier matchup. However, this should be a game that BU takes with relative ease. They have the better numbers, and just overall have better mojo coming into this game compared to Harvard on their losing streak. BU is going to get a lot of shots off, and is going to further limit a Crimson team that already struggles to generate. Harvard is going to have to fight for their lanes, which I think is something they are going to have trouble doing. But we’ll see. 

Boston College (HEA) vs. Northeastern (HEA) – 7:30 PM 

BC and Northeastern have often been prime viewing over the last few years, and this year is no different. The two squads are both comfortably in the top-four in Hockey East, and are sitting at fairly even records (14-6-1 for BC, 13-6-1 for Northeastern). 

Statistically speaking, there’s different areas where both teams succeed. The Eagles have the edge in goal scoring, with a 3.0 goals per game average to Northeastern’s 2.2. The Huskies have seen their goal scoring elevate in their first games of 2025, with a combined 11 across three contests including a four goal effort against Yale and star-netminder Pia Dukaric. 

On the opposite side, after struggling to keep pucks out of the net to start the season, Boston College has lowered their GAA to 2.1, helped majorly by the performances by junior Grace Campbell over the last two months. NU, a team opponents consistently struggle to score against, is giving up just 1.6, also largely due to the superb play of their netminder, freshman Lisa Jönsson. 

The key for both of these squads outside of their goaltenders has been the successes (and struggles) on the special teams this season. Northeastern’s penalty kill is the top unit in the country, with a 93.3% success rate and only four goals allowed. One of those four goals came courtesy of the BC power play, which is operating at a 19.3% conversion rate. 

The Eagles on the other hand have the fifth best PK in the nation, at 88.4% through 21 games. The good news for them is Northeastern’s power play has been lackluster at best and terrible at worst. The Huskies are seventh-worst in the NCAA at 11.6% – although they have scored two of their eight power play goals in their last three games. 

Last Matchup:

Saturday, Nov. 30th, 2024: 3-0 BC win at Matthews Arena

The other good news for BC is how well they dismantled Northeastern on Matthews Arena ice already this season. In the Thanksgiving weekend matchup, BC scored three unanswered goals in the third period to take the win from Northeastern – and to snap an eight-game win streak held by the Huskies. 

Both leading scorer Sammy Taber and second-leading scorer Abby Newhook converted for the Eagles, and freshman defender Olivia Maffeo’s first career goal stood as the eventual game winner. 

The loss was one of just two suffered by NU netminder Jönsson in her young career – the other coming against BU in her first career start back in October. The freshman leads the nation in both SV% (.959) and GAA (1.01), and is the only first year to crack the top ten in both statistics. Since the loss, Jönsson (and Northeastern) is sporting a 4-0 record, with shutouts against both New Hampshire and Holy Cross. 

Last Time at the Beanpot:

Tuesday, Feb. 14th, 2023: 2-1 NU win at Conte Forum (Championship Game)

It’s funny, looking back at where these two teams were ranked in 2023 to compare to where they’ll be on Tuesday. The Huskies came into that contest the fifth-ranked team in the nation, while BC just cracked the top 15 in the final spot. BC’s No. 12 (as of Jan. 6th) this year isn’t quite the same, but their performance this season has put them near the top of the conference standings – the place where Northeastern has often found themselves for the last half-decade. 

In that 2023 championship – a rematch of the 2022 semifinal where BC beat Northeastern in Matthews – it was as close as can be. The Huskies took an early lead thanks to a power play goal from forward Mia Brown in the first 10 minutes. Maureen Murphy – eventual tournament MVP and now a forward for the Montréal Victoire – extended the lead with a tally in the second period, and the Huskies were able to hold that lead for the next 30 minutes of regulation. 

With the goaltender pulled, Hannah Bilka brought the Eagles within one in the last two minutes of the game, and though BC looked dangerous until the final buzzer they couldn’t quite break past Gwyneth Philips in net again. 

The win was just the second in eight matchups (2-6-0 overall) in the Beanpot for the Huskies dating back to the 2013 title game. A game, coincidentally, that also went to Northeastern.  

Who to Watch For: 

BC – Sophomore star Taber is a force on the ice, and sophomore Julia Pellerin has been on fire over the last few games including a five point effort (3G, 2A) vs. Maine last weekend. Those two and Newhook are going to be critical on the front end, and Molly Jordan defensively should also play huge minutes for the Eagles. 

NU – Éloïse Caron has gotten back into her scoring ways over the last few games, and she’ll be crucial in the new-look top-6 for the Huskies. And of course there’s reigning Beanpot MVP Skylar Irving who is always a threat on the offensive side. Of course the biggest piece will be Jönsson, and her play may very well make the difference in this matchup. 

What to Expect: 

These two teams are strong, and play the puck well at all times. The first matchup of the season saw nearly 50 minutes of play go by before anyone was able to break through, and it wouldn’t be surprising if that were to happen again. The two teams are fast, and they are fun to watch, and this game shouldn’t be any different. 

All games of the Beanpot are available to stream on NESN in New England, and on ESPN+ for those outside of the region.