The Boston University women’s hockey team celebrates a goal against Providence December 9. The Terriers are 9-10-2 overall this season. Photos by Jon Ratner

Women's Beanpot

Women’s Beanpot Begins Tuesday. This Year’s Tournament Will Look Different

For the first time in history, consolation and championship games will be played at TD Garden

The 45th annual Women’s Beanpot ice hockey tournament—the battle between Boston-area rivals Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern University, and Harvard University—begins Tuesday. But this year’s hockey classic promises a historic twist.

For the first time in the tournament’s 45-year history, the consolation and championship games will be played in an NHL arena: TD Garden, home to the Boston Bruins, Celtics, and, for the last 70 years, the Men’s Beanpot. The move signifies the increased visibility and importance of women’s collegiate ice hockey locally. Also new, this year marks the first time the Women’s Beanpot championship has a title sponsor (Dunkin’). In January 2023, Dunkin’ was named the first-ever sponsor of the 2023 Men’s Beanpot tournament and their multiyear sponsorship includes this year’s women’s championship. 

“Playing at TD Garden is an honor and a moment of pride,” says forward Catherine Foulem (CAS’24). “Watching the boys play there every year and cheering them on, and now that being the case for us, it’s just really exciting and a proud moment for the women’s hockey world and BU.”

But first the Terriers will face the No. 13 Boston College Eagles in the first matchup of the Dunkin’ Women’s Beanpot on Tuesday, January 16, at Harvard University’s Bright-Landry Hockey Center at 4 pm. The winner of that game will face the victor of the No. 14 Northeastern and Harvard matchup on January 23 on the TD Garden ice.

The team believes this year’s tournament signifies a major win for the women’s hockey world and see their team’s evolution as the difference-maker ahead of the competition.

Boston University

The Terriers enter the opening match of the tournament with a sense of confidence, having won three of their last five Hockey East matchups. The team stands at 7-8-1 in conference play. 

They last won the Beanpot in 2019, their first and only title as a varsity program. Last year, they lost to host school Northeastern 4-1 in the semifinal, then beat Harvard 7-4 in the consolation game.

This year’s tournament marks another important change for the Terriers: it’s the first Beanpot they’ll be led by head coach Tara Watchorn (CAS’12), who became only the second coach in program history when she was appointed to succeed Brian Durocher (Wheelock’78) last year.

BU is the only team to have faced all three of the other Beanpot rivals this season. They opened Hockey East play against Northeastern, losing 4-1 and 2-0 on January 4 and 5, respectively. They dropped a 3-1 matchup with Harvard on November 14, and a 5-3 matchup with BC on November 17. Most recently, they lost a 2-1 overtime decision to Northeastern on December 1. 

Despite the losses, Foulem says she is excited. “We played BC once early on, but I think we’re a completely different team now,” she says. 

Foulem’s 13 points this season are second to Lacey Martin (CAS’24, Sargent’24), who leads the Terriers with 18. The Terriers boast the best penalty kill in the Hockey East (91.1 percent). 

Boston College

Sitting atop the Hockey East in record (11-3-3) and goals (54), the No. 13 Eagles’ high-powered offense makes them a tough draw for the Terriers in the semifinal round. They are led in scoring by Sammy Taber and Sammy Smigliani, whose 20 and 18 points, respectively, are Hockey East’s two running bests. 

The Eagles have dominated the Terriers in recent years, winning the last five head-to-head matchups. BU’s last victory against BC came in November 2021. However, the two teams have not met in the Beanpot since BU won a 4-0 semifinal match in February 2020. 

“Playing BC is definitely always a big rivalry, and I think it being part of the Beanpot as well just ups the stakes,” says defenseman Andi Calderone (Questrom’24). “I think we’re definitely going to be dialed in, we’re definitely going to be ready for it.” 

BC last won the Beanpot in 2018, making them the owners of the longest-running drought in the tournament field. 

Northeastern University

The defending Beanpot champions have won two of the last three Beanpot titles. Combined with the men’s triumphs in four of their last five tournament appearances, Northeastern has won six Beanpot trophies in five years. Their dynastic run can be credited to their adept goalkeeping. 

Northeastern netminder Gwyneth Philips was last year’s Women’s Hockey Commissioners Association National Goalie of the Year. Philips became just the second player to win the award since its inception three years ago. The 2021 and 2022 honors went to former Huskies goaltender Aerin Frankel.

In last year’s Beanpot, Philips took home tournament MVP honors, allowing just one goal in each of the two Beanpot games. This season, Philips’ 1.20 GAA is a college hockey best. The No. 15-ranked Huskies are 8-7-1, and stand third in the Hockey East table.

Harvard University

The only non–Hockey East team in the field, Harvard is 3-14-1 this season, with their first of their three wins coming against BU on November 14. Then, they upset Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) rival No. 8/10 St. Lawrence 1-0 on December 1. Seven of the 16 college hockey teams with a national ranking in either poll reside in the ECAC. 

Harvard has won 15 Beanpot titles, including 7 consecutive wins between 1998 and 2005. They last won the tournament in 2022. Set to play Northeastern in the 2024 opening round, the Crimson and Huskies have met 34 times in the Beanpot, with Harvard winning 14 matchups and tying Northeastern once. 

As with BC and BU, Harvard has not faced Northeastern in the Beanpot since February 2020, where the Huskies triumphed 3-1 en route to winning the tournament over the Terriers.

The Women’s Beanpot semifinal game against Boston College is Tuesday, January 16, at 4 pm at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center. Tickets for the Women’s Beanpot are available here. Both the women’s championship and consolation games will be played at TD Garden, and streamed on NESN. The consolation begins at 5 pm on January 23, and the championship thereafter at 8 pm. Tickets for the women’s tournament’s second round can be purchased here. Follow the women’s team @TerrierWHockey on Twitter.

The Men’s Beanpot will take place on Monday, February 5, and Monday, February 12. The No. 1-ranked Boston University men’s program will face No. 2 Boston College in the opening round at 8 pm. All Men’s Beanpot games will be played at TD Garden.