For the first time in women’s hockey history, the 45th annual Women’s Beanpot was held at the TD Garden. There was a consolation game between the Boston College (BC) Eagles and the Harvard University Crimson on Tuesday, January 3, followed by the championship game between the Boston University (BU) Terriers and the Northeastern University Huskies. This year, Northeastern came out on top with a 2-1 win in overtime over the Terriers.
The Beanpot is an annual tournament between BC, Harvard, BU, and Northeastern; the four prominent hockey schools in Boston. The inaugural women’s tournament was held in 1979 by Northeastern at Matthews Arena where the Huskies had a 3-1 victory over the BC Eagles. Historically, the four universities have rotated hosting the women’s tournament, however history was made this year as the tournament was held at the TD Garden. Although the semifinals were held at Harvard’s Bright-Landry Hockey Center, this change has a massive impact on the progression of women’s hockey.
On Monday, January 15, prior to the puck-drop of the Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils game, each of the four teams had a player representative from their past team assist in the raising of the Women’s Beanpot banner at the Garden. The alumni were Alison Quandt Westgate, BC class of 2006; Lisa Whitcomb Huckins, BU class of 1984; Angela Ruggiero, Harvard class of 2005; and Kelly Dyer Hayes, Northeastern class of 1990. Both the women’s and men’s Beanpot banners now hang in the TD Garden rafters side by side.
Following the raising of the banner, during the night of the tournament, the Garden was filled with 10,633 fans; the largest crowd in women’s hockey history within the City of Boston. Youth and high school teams from all over Massachusetts came to support and cheer on their favorite teams, while simultaneously celebrating this historic moment. By breaking down barriers previously limiting women’s hockey from being represented on a larger scale, the collegiate athletes on these four teams continue to act as pioneers for women’s hockey, paving the way for the success of future generations. Younger generations of girls are able to dream bigger and envision themselves playing the sport they love on a larger scale, because of the current players and progression of the sport.
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