BOSTON - The Boston University women's ice hockey team saw its Beanpot hopes dashed, suffering an 8-0 defeat at the hands of Harvard in the opening round on Tuesday evening at Matthews Arena. Seniors Jenny Brine and Sarah Vaillancourt each netted hat tricks to lead the Crimson to its fifth straight win. The Terriers fall to 13-10-5 and will face the loser of the Boston College-Northeastern game in the Beanpot consolation game next Tuesday (Feb. 10).
Junior Christina Kessler recorded her second shutout of the season and 17th of her career, stopping all 17 shots she faced as Harvard improved to 11-7-3 and advanced to the Beanpot championship game for the 12th time in the last 13 years. Vaillancourt tallied seven points while juniors Jen Brawn and Cori Bassett also scored.
Brawn opened the scoring on the Crimson's first power play 3:19 into the game with her first goal of the year, streaking up the slot to fire a one-timer off a pass from junior Anna McDonald. When BU went on the power play later in the period, it was Harvard that took advantage as Vaillancourt gained control of the puck in the neutral zone and weaved through the Terrier defense to double the Crimson lead with a shorthanded strike at 7:32.
Brine made it a 4-0 game with a pair of goals just over two minutes apart midway through the second period. Vaillancourt took a shot that was blocked and the puck came to rest at the top of the crease where Brine scooped it in at the 10:03 mark. Brine added another at 12:10 when she was stationed at the far post to reel in a pass from Vaillancourt and pop it into the open net.
Harvard pulled away with four goals in the third period, beginning 18 seconds into the frame when Vaillancourt once again showed the puck handling skills that earned her the Patty Kazmaier Award last season, netting her second of the game on the power play. Brine notched her hat trick at the 3:27 mark, finding the puck after a shot bounced off several skates to net her ninth of the season.
Bassett got on the board at 11:26, taking advantage of another power-play opportunity and firing a high shot from the right face-off dot for her fifth goal of the season. Vaillancourt closed the scoring at the 16:38 mark, lifting a shot in on the power play to tally her hat trick with her 14th goal of the season.
The Crimson was 4-for-10 on the power play in the contest, while BU could not break through on five extra-man chances. Harvard outshot the Terriers by a 37-17 margin.
Senior Allyse Wilcox made 25 saves while allowing six goals for the Terriers before junior Ashley Leichliter came on for the final 10 minutes and stopped four shots in her first action of the year.
The Terriers return to Hockey East action on Friday (Feb. 6) visiting Connecticut to open up a home-and-home series at 7 p.m. in Storrs.