CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's ice hockey kicks off a busy week tomorrow night when it takes on No. 14 Boston University in the semifinal round of the 2025 Dunkin' Women's Beanpot at Matthews Arena on the Campus of Northeastern University. The Crimson (2-12-2, 1-10-1 ECAC) will look to add a third ranked win to its resume when it battles the No. 14 Terriers (13-6-1, 11-3-1 HEA) in the first semifinal game on Tuesday (Jan. 14). The annual chase for Boston bragging rights and the Beanpot trophy kicks off at Matthews on Tuesday night with the championship set for next week at TD Garden on Jan. 21.
WHAT TO KNOW
The Matchup
Harvard will take on the Boston University Terriers for the 13
th consecutive season when the team square off on Tuesday night in the semifinal round of the 2025 Dunkin' Women's Beanpot. In the all-time series, Harvard owns a 28-14-2 advantage including wins in seven of the last 14 matchups. The last time these teams met was last season in a non-Beanpot clash at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center on Nov. 14, 2023. The Crimson came out with a 3-1 win in the contest that went down as the first victory in the head coaching career of the Landry Family Head Coach for Harvard Women's Ice Hockey, Laura Bellamy.
Harvard and Boston University have also met 25 times in Beanpot play, with the Crimson holding a commanding lead in the series with a 19-5-1 record. Harvard has also won 12 of the 14 semifinal matchups with the Terriers and owns a 4-0 record in semifinal games held at Matthews Arena.
Scouting the Terriers
The No. 14 Boston University Terriers are off to an excellent start in 2024-25, taking hold of the top spot in the Hockey East standings with its 13-6-1 overall record and 11-3-1 mark in nonconference play. The Terriers bounced back from a 1-3 start to rattle off eight consecutive wins, catapulting themselves into the USCHO top 15. One of the only Terriers' struggles this season has been in nonconference play where they have posted a 2-3 record including an 8-1 loss to the Princeton Tigers on Nov. 27.
Boston University displays an offense that scores 2.8 goals per game and a defense that allows only 1.95 goals per game to opponents. Both those clips rank in the top 15 in the NCAA heading into the matchup. The Terriers also have the nation's fourth-best penalty killing percentage, stopping opponents on 88.5-percent of its powerplay chances.
Individually, nine different players have registered 10 or more points for the Terriers balanced offensive attack. First-year Lola Reid and senior Christina Vote are tied for the team lead with 13 points each while junior Sydney Healey paces the team with eight goals. Senior Callie Shanahan leads the goaltending effort with her 11-4-1 record, 1.71 GAA and .925 save percentage.
Against the Hockey East
Harvard and its bench boss, Laura Bellamy, have had success against the Hockey East in the past two seasons, posting a 2-4-2 record in nine games dating back to the start of last season. This year, Harvard opened its campaign with a 1-0 shutout victory over No. 8 UConn (Oct. 19). The team also took on Providence in a home-and-home series that resulted in a 3-2 overtime loss (Nov. 22) and a 2-2 draw (Nov. 23). Most recently, the team took Maine to overtime before falling in a close 3-2 loss.
Player History in the Beanpot
Seven active Crimson skaters have recorded points in Beanpot contests, led by senior defense,
Mia Biotti and her four points. Biotti has tallied a goal and three assists to lead the team.
Gabi Davidson Adams has a goal and an assist to her name in the Beanpot while five other skaters have notched a point.
Eva Dorr and
Sophie Ensley own goals in their respective Beanpot careers.
Player History against Boston University
Six Crimson skaters own points against the Terriers in their Crimson hockey careers including senior forward
Gabi Davidson Adams, who has tallied four points in three career games against BU with two goals and two assists. That total is a team best. Fellow seniors
Mia Biotti and
Kayley Crawford own two points each and
Jenna MacDonald, Kayley MacDonald and
Zoe Boosamra each own assists.
Lucia Makes History
First-year forward,
Ella Lucia, wrote her name in the NCAA record books over the weekend against Dartmouth, scoring just 11 seconds into the matchup to record the T-8 fastest goal in NCAA history. Lucia joins former Harvard great Kristin Della Rovere '23 on the list, who also scored 11 seconds into a game against Dartmouth in the 2022-23 season.
Kaley MacDonald went on a tear down the stretch of the first half to grab a hold of the team lead in points with nine. She recorded four points in the final six games of the season including three in the series against Providence. The sophomore blueliner has scored two goals and dished out five assists to build her point lead.
On Fire
Just over halfway through her first collegiate season, first-year
Ella Lucia is beginning to her hit her stride with the Crimson. The Michigan native recorded a point in five consecutive games, scoring two goals and notching three assists over the stretch from Nov. 23-Jan. 4. Lucia became the first first-year to accomplish the feat since Kristin Della Rovere '23, who hit the mark in the 2018-19 season. It is also the longest point streak for the Crimson since Becca Gilmore tallied a point in 10 straight games during the 2021-22 season.
Too Tuff
First-year goaltender
Ainsley Tuffy has shined through nine career games played, posting a .930 save percentage and a 2.26 GAA. The save percentage is the 15th highest nationally. Tuffy stymied a surging No. 7 Quinnipiac team in just her second career start on Nov. 9, making 40 saves and holding the team to just one goal. It was the first time a Harvard first-year goalie had made 40 or more saves in a game since the 2017-18 season when Lindsay Reed accomplished the feat, also in her second career start. Tuffy recently surpassed her career high, recording 43 saves against Dartmouth (Jan. 4).
Blocking Shots
The Crimson's ability to get in shooting lanes and block shots has been a staple of the team's defensive success during the 2024-25 season. Currently, Harvard leads the ECAC and ranks third in the nation with 17.6 blocked shots per game.
Individually,
Mia Biotti and
Jenna MacDonald both rank in the top 15 in the nation and tied for fifth in the ECAC with 2.2 blocked shots per game. First-Year forward,
Scout Oudemool, has also helped out in the defensive zone, blocking 1.3 shots per contest to ranks amongst the top eight highest shot blocking forwards in the nation.
Get to the Garden
For the second consecutive season, the Championship and consolation rounds of the Dunkin' Women's Beanpot will be hosted at TD Garden, the home of the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins. The games will take place next Tuesday (Jan. 21) at 4:30 and 7:30 PM, featuring all four of Boston's women's hockey teams. Use the link in this story to purchase your tickets and help us make history by selling out the Garden!
