Harvard rebuffs BU for women's Beanpot

The wins have been plenty for the Harvard women's hockey team, but claiming the Beanpot trophy brought out some of the brightest smiles. (Dominic Chavez/Globe Staff)

When the teams line up for the opening faceoff in the Beanpot championship, anything is possible. It's just one game, and though Harvard (23-1-0) came into last night's women's final at Walter Brown Arena ranked No. 1 in the nation, the Crimson did not assume victory against unranked but rapidly building Boston University (12-13-3).

BU came in on a four-game tear, including its second win of the season over Hockey East rival Boston College in the Beanpot semifinals.

Both teams played the early shifts with confidence and caution, mindful of the threat the other team posed. Ultimately, the Terriers did a lot of things right, but they didn't do enough and Harvard, led by its strong and steady defense, skated to a 3-1 victory to claim its 12th Beanpot title.

"BU played us tough," said Harvard coach Katey Stone, whose team has sewn up home ice for the ECAC quarterfinals. "They made us work for every inch."

Harvard tucked in its first goal at 3:24, when Anna McDonald pulled the puck out from behind the net and flipped it to freshman Liza Ryabkina, who stuffed it past goalie Allyse Wilcox (34 saves) at the right post.

The Terriers were noticeably deflated, knowing the game had started to move in its expected direction, and they gave up an odd-man rush. Wilcox blocked Jenny Brine's shot, though, and when fleet BU freshman Lauren Cherewyk won a footrace with Harvard Olympian Caitlin Cahow to get to the puck, BU revived.

A flurry of shots tested Harvard goalie Christina Kessler (23 saves), and Gina Kearns narrowly missed the equalizer when she chopped at a rebound.

The tension returned.

BU's Amanda Shaw broke down the left wing and lofted a backhand at the Harvard net as she steamed through the slot. Kessler gloved the shot.

The Terriers worked hard to be quicker than the Crimson, particularly along the boards, but BU simply couldn't figure out how to score on the powerful Harvard defense, which is tops in the country (0.75 goals per game).

"We remained resilient," said BU coach Brian Durocher. "And we had a pretty good charge late in the game.

"I really was even pleased in the first period because I think Harvard played extremely well. They could take us a little bit lightly, but hats off to them, they played hard, and that's what I liked."

Harvard missed two power-play opportunities in the last five minutes of the first period, but had 1:05 of power play remaining to open the second, and quickly boosted its lead. After setting up in the BU zone, Brine flung the puck out of the left corner across the goal mouth to Cahow, who stuffed it inside the right post at 0:25.

BU finally broke through when Jonnie Bloemers made it 2-1 with a power-play score at 3:34, burying the second rebound off Kessler's pads on a play begun by Cherewyk's shot from the point and kept alive by Jillian Kirchner's swing at the rebound.

"It was an up-and-back game," said Stone. "I don't think there were glaring mistakes on either side of the puck."

Harvard extended its lead at 8:03 of the second on a two-on-two break. Sarah Wilson collected a pass from McDonald and lifted a backhander into the upper right corner. BU continued to challenge Kessler, taking nine shots in the final period, but she stood up to them all.

BC (11-11-6), the two-time defending champion, had just enough to withstand a late surge from Northeastern (6-19-3), winning the consolation game, 2-1.