Coach Brian Durocher has continued to admirably lead the young Terriers, putting them in position to potentially qualify for the Hockey East playoffs for the first time ever. Their backbone is Allyse Wilcox, a talented but inconsistent junior netminder. Jillian Kirchner, a freshman forward, has paced the team offensively with 14 points.
Harvard University
The Crimson (17-1-0), who won seven consecutive Beanpot titles from 1999 through 2005, look to be the prohibitive favorites to add another Beanpot to their trophy case. The Beanpot could be just one step on the journey toward a national championship for Harvard, currently the No. 1 team in America.
On paper, Harvard is a mismatch with every other team in the tournament. Sarah Vaillancourt, Jenny Brine, and Caitlin Cahow are three veterans who are among the best players in the country, while the Crimson have also been bolstered by impact freshmen Liz Ryabkina, Katharine Chute, and Kate Buesser. Also added to the Crimson attack this year is Anna McDonald, a transfer from BC who scored the winning goal over Harvard to win the Beanpot for the Eagles last year.
Goaltender Christina Kessler's stats aren't too shabby: a 0.81 goals against average and a 96.1 save percentage. Make no mistake: Beating Harvard will be a colossal task for any team in this tournament.
Northeastern University
The Huntington Hounds are the biggest long shot in this year's Beanpot field - but it wasn't always this way. Northeastern leads all teams with 14 Beanpot titles, but few expect them to challenge for a 15th this season. Although the Huskies (5-15-2) have made significant strides since last year, winning two games against BC, taking a game from Providence, and fighting Minnesota tooth and nail en route to a 5-3 loss to start their season, they appear to be overmatched statistically.
Leah Sulyma, Northeastern's exciting freshman goalie, was the hero in the team's two wins over BC, but she has been spotty on the season overall with a 3.43 goals against average. Freshman forward Kristi Kehoe has helped charge up Northeastern's offense, leading the team with 18 points. Chelsey Jones, the highly touted winger out of Stillwater, Minn., has hit a bit of a sophomore slump, but is still third on the team with 14 points.
Spring Break
