BELFAST, Northern Ireland – Harvard women's ice hockey battled tonight in a high-intensity, back-and-forth contest with the Boston University Terriers in the Friendship Series Final. The Crimson came up short in the end, falling 2-3 to its Beanpot Rival after a classic matchup between the two sides.
Carla McSweeney continued her hot streak, scoring another goal in the game while
Elle Sproule added the second Crimson tally in the effort.
How it Happened
The two closest Division I schools by proximity met on the ice 3,000 miles away from their campuses this evening at SSE Arena to battle for the Belpot Trophy in the 2026 Friendship Series Championship. The Crimson (8-6-1, 4-5-1 ECAC) and the Terriers (4-11-3, 4-6-2 HEA) both upset top-10 teams yesterday to reach the Championship game this afternoon in what has been a drama-filled and action-packed Friendship Series Tournament.
Fresh off an upset win over No. 5 Minnesota Duluth a day ago, Harvard once again trotted out sophomore goaltender,
Ainsley Tuffy, an called on her to make several key saves in the opening minutes. The Crimson netminder made 12 saves to open play, but the Terriers were able to sneak one in late in the frame to take a one-goal lead into the first intermission. Harvard countered with a few good chances – and even had a goal called back after a successful Boston University challenge – but could not find the equalizer.
Carla McSweeney gave Harvard a huge boost early in the second period, scoring just over four minutes into the frame to level the score. McSweeney's tally was set up by
Angelica Megdanis and
Ella Lucia, who were relentless on the forecheck, causing a turnover and keeping the puck in the Terrier zone to set up their linemate. BU went right back to work, however, scoring just 36 seconds after the tying goal to retake the lead and make the score 2-1. The Crimson kept working, putting 12 shots on net in the period but went into the locker room trailing by a goal after coming up short on a few high danger chances.
Harvard did not have to wait long for an equalizer, as
Elle Sproule ripped a shot off the back bar to tie the game just 81 seconds into the third period.
Gwyn Lapp ripped back a clean faceoff win right to Sproule, who skated into the middle of the right circle and slotted a shot past the BU netminder. The Terriers had a key chance mid-way through the period after a Harvard skater was sent to the penalty box, but Tuffy stepped up to make three saves to keep the game tied. An ensuing Harvard powerplay ended in the same result after a pair of Crimson scoring chances went in favor of BU.
The Terriers struck back with just under seven minutes to play, netting the go-ahead goal and taking a 3-2 lead. Harvard had a few dangerous scoring opportunities in the closing sequences but came up empty. The Terriers escaped with a 3-2 victory to win the Belpot Trophy.
Harvard Highlights
Game Notes
- Carla McSweeney extended her goal scoring streak to four games.
- Ella Lucia has recorded seven points in her last eight games and now leads the team with 11 on the year.
Up Next
The Crimson will make the trip back to Boston this weekend to begin preparations for an ECAC series against Brown and Yale next weekend. Harvard will first battle the Bears on Friday (Jan. 9) at 5:00 PM before battling the Bulldogs on Saturday (Jan. 10) at 3:00 PM. Both tilts will be played inside the Bright-Landry Hockey Center and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
