Nicholson’s eventual game winner secured BU the Belpot and sent Harvard back across the pond without any trophies.
Tuffy turned in a season-low performance, making 25 saves for a save percentage of .893. Before the trip to Northern Ireland, she averaged a savings rate of 0.957.
“If we took care of business in the first game, it could happen where we were playing BU,” Harvard head coach Laura Bellamy said. “We were just talking about if we had that chance, this was the one: We want to win the Beanpot.”
Heading into the rematch, this time only for a different trophy, the pressure only increased on an already high-stakes match between Harvard and BU.
For starters, BU moved the previous two Beanpot Championships to Northeastern. This time, however, the Terriers battled past the Huskies in a 2-1 overtime win. In retrospect, it felt like BU’s toughest hurdle had already been cleared on the way to securing what would have been the program’s third Beanpot, and only its second as a varsity team.
The Crimson had yet to play in a championship game at TD Garden, a much different atmosphere than a consolation game.
In front of 10,175 fans, BU fell short as Carla McSweeney’s penalty lifted Harvard to an overtime victory.
Yes, McSweeney’s goal ended it, but what propelled the Crimson to their win was Tuffy’s performance.
“Person? It’s a brick wall in here,” Bellamy said, praising the netminder’s stellar performance.
Tuffy made 47 saves and finished the night with a .979 save percentage – her highest of the season.
“You’re going to have to work to score,” Watchorn said of breaking Tuffy’s goaltending in a media call before the championship.
Watchorn was right. The Terriers literally worked overtime and still couldn’t crack Tuffy.
BU beat Harvard hands down. Sure, there were areas the Terriers could have executed better – especially on the power play – but they controlled possession in the offensive zone for most of the night, stayed aggressive on the front foot and generated plenty of shots.
“She showed us exactly what we expected,” Watchorn said of Tuffy.
The Terriers put 47 shots on goal, compared to Harvard’s 14. However, Watchorn was not completely satisfied with the quality of the shots until the third period.
“I really think we settled in and started focusing on getting the pucks in, you know, letting them turn it over and we get going and find those transition moments and wear them down shift after shift,” Watchorn said of the third frame.
This is the type of hockey the Terriers are proud of.
It’s their identity.
If they can play so well and still walk away empty-handed, it will be hard. It’s frustrating.
After seven power play opportunities, BU converted just once. The unit has struggled all season, and although it made a breakthrough in the semi-finals, it came at a 4-on-3 – a very different look than a standard 5-on-4. Prior to the championship, BU had not scored on a traditional power play since the Boston College series.
Even the extra attacker couldn’t stop Tuffy; it caught the Terriers even more off guard.
“As a goalie you can save the puck and keep it out of the net, but it’s also kind of a mental game for the other team,” Tuffy said, “and playing that game and winning is certainly fun when you take a penalty.”
Her rebound control was impeccable, leaving BU with virtually no second-chance looks. That ultimately cost the Terriers the game: waiting for a rebound that wouldn’t come.
Receiving a pass from defenseman Keira Healey, senior forward Sydney Healey took a shot from the bottom of the right circle, sophomore forward Kaileigh Quigg expected a rebound, but it just wasn’t there. The puck bounced off Tuffy’s path into the open ice and McSweeney left the races with a breakaway opportunity.
The Healeys were caught below the goal line, with Quigg standing just in front of the crease. As Keira Healey rushed to recover, she ended up committing a trip — a mistake that led to the penalty shot that ultimately sealed the game for Harvard.
Tuffy’s performance earned her both the Bertagna Award, given to the tournament’s best goaltender, and the Beanpot MVP. But it also left the Terriers with a bleak, stinging loss, with BU vowing: “We will make sure we never put ourselves in that situation again.”
“I don’t think we’d be here without her,” Bellamy said.
And without her BU, it could very well be her third Beanpot.
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