The semifinals was a tale of two different wins as Northeastern’s top line showed out against BU, while the Eagles got goals from three separate blue-liners. Each benefitted from strong goaltending as well.
Alina Müller (1g, 1a), Chloé Aurard (2a) and Maureen Murphy (2g, 1a) showed out, combining for three goals and seven points in the game.
Murphy got the scoring started less than 10 minutes into the game on a perfectly executed 2-on-1 that saw her slip through the BU defense before roofing a backhander.
The Terriers got on the board early in the second when Brooke Disher put a loose puck top shelf from the slot, but the Huskies answered less than two minutes later when Murphy completed a tic-tac-toe passing play with her linemates, highlighted by a no-look feed from Aurard.
Müller added insurance about five minutes into the third, picking the top left corner on Brändli, a fellow Swiss national. Brändli (41 saves) did all she could as BU tried to mount a late push, but it was no use as Taze Thompson added an empty-netter with less than a second to go on the clock to seal the Huskies’ 14th straight win.
Huskies advance to the Women’s Beanpot finals!@hockey_east | @GoNUwhockey pic.twitter.com/PQoDNCqfDR
— NESN (@NESN) February 8, 2023
In the nightcap, the Eagles found timely scoring against a shorthanded Crimson squad, dressing just 16 skaters.
Co-captain Cayla Barnes opened the scoring less than five minutes in, streaking into the slot and redirecting Caroline Goffredo’s pass off the rush.
Keri Clougherty’s first of the season extended it to 2-0 in the second when the blue-liner walked in from the point and blasted home a loose puck. Sidney Fess added another from long range, also her first of the year, to make it 3-0 on the power play with 37.4 seconds to go in the period.
In the third period, Abigail Levy stood tall, stopping all 15 shots Harvard threw at her en route to a 30-save shutout.
Eagles soar back to the Women’s Beanpot championship@BC_WHockey | @hockey_east pic.twitter.com/wOtmqiqiEO
— NESN (@NESN) February 8, 2023