Beanpot Another Step To The Pros For Boston-Based NCAA Players

The annual Beanpot has featured women's hockey since 1979. Pitting the best Boston-based NCAA teams against each other to prove city bragging rights. Northeastern University has the most Beanpot titles on the women's side with 19, but Harvard, Boston University, and Boston College have all taken their turns claiming the championship.

While Beanpot titles are one way to measure the success of the event, the Beanpot has also become an annual right of passage for many players as they advance to senior national teams and professional hockey.

This season, that cohort of alumni includes 27 past Beanpot participants playing in the best women's hockey league in the world, the PWHL. For a trio of PWHL players, the Beanpot isn't far in the past. Toronto Sceptres defender Megan Carter, Ottawa Charge goalie Gwyneth Philips, and Minnesota Frost forward Katy Knoll all won the 2024 Beanpot as members of the Northeastern Huskies. The Huskies beat Boston University 2-1 in overtime in front of a Beanpot women's hockey record crowd of 10,633 at TD Garden in Boston.

Northeastern leads the way in alumni in the PWHL with 12. Among those players are national team stars like Aerin Frankel, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Alina Muller, Hayley Scamurra, Chloe Aurard, and Denisa Krisova, and the PWHL's 2024 Hockey For All Award winner Maureen Murphy.

Boston University has five alumni in the PWHL this season including Marie-Philip Poulin and Corinne Schroeder. Boston College has eight alumni in the PWHL, a list including some of the league's top talents like Alex Carpenter, Cayla Barnes, Hannah Bilka, Megan Keller, Kali Flanagan, and Daryl Watts. Harvard has the smallest group of alumni, a list which includes three players - Emerance Maschmeyer, Dominique Petrie, and Jillian Dempsey.

More Pros On The Way

The list of pros who have stepped on the Beanpot ice would grow significantly if you looked at European leagues, and even players like Maude Poulin-Labelle, Kristin Della Rovere, and Savannah Norcross who are in Europe this season after playing in the PWHL last year. But where the alumni list is more likely to grow is in the coming seasons as more alumni make the jump. This season, players like Northeastern's Skylar Irving and Boston College's Alex Newhook have appeared on draft lists, as have Tamara Giaquinto, Julia Shaunessy, Callie Shanahan, Sidney Fess, and Tory Mariano. There are a crop of alumni playing in Europe this season, including the aforementioned Poulin-Labelle, Della Rovere, and Norcross, who could join the league late this season, or through the draft next year as well. Among those players are Swiss netminder Andrea Brandli, as well as Skylar Fontaine, Nadia Mattivi, Nara Elia, Julia Nearis, Lindsay Agnew, and Alexie Guay.

The Stage Continues To Grow

The stage for women's hockey at all levels continues to grow. Last season was the first where the women's final was played at TD Garden resulting in the record crowd of 10,633. It's a moment players like Boston College's Abby Newhook recognized as significant.

“After playing at TD Garden last year, I can honestly say it was one of the greatest moments of my career so far at Boston College,” said Newhook. “The atmosphere was amazing, and it paved the way for the next generation of female hockey.”

The crowds continue to grow in all locations. For their semi-final game against Boston College, Northeastern drew 3,298 to Matthews Arena which set a record at the historic venue for the largest women's hockey crowd, and largest women's hockey attendance for any game on a campus site at the Beanpot.

2025 marks the 46th annual Beanpot tournament for women's hockey, and while the tournament has a past speckled with memorable games, and stars of the sport, the future is also bright.