Northeastern women’s hockey reflects on Beanpot success

College Sports

The Huskies will face BU for a chance at their third consecutive Beanpot title, after beating BC in last Tuesday’s semifinals.

By Emma Healy, The Boston Globe

January 21, 2025 | 10:28 AM

3 minutes to read

Lindsay Berman can’t help but laugh when she calls four years without winning a Beanpot title “a struggle.”

A player at Northeastern in the late 2000s who’s now an assistant coach at her alma mater, Berman is doing what she can to make sure every Husky finishes her career with at least one Beanpot title — and ideally more.

“I want everyone that comes through our program to experience that,” Berman said.

Berman played for Northeastern at a time when the women’s hockey program was trying to rediscover its identity. After establishing themselves as a powerhouse under legendary coach Don MacLeod in the 1980s and ’90s, the Huskies didn’t have a winning record for seven years in the 2000s. They broke back through in 2009-10, Berman’s senior year and when current coach Dave Flint — whose run began the prior season — took a leave of absence to assist the US women’s team at the Olympics.

Northeastern’s longest stretch without a Beanpot title followed three straight victories from 1996-98; the Huskies didn’t win another until 2012. In Berman’s four years, Northeastern won just one Beanpot game.

She laughs at those struggles not because it wasn’t a difficult time for the program, but because it’s easy to forget these days that Northeastern ever went through a rough patch.

“To go through the heartbreak of it every year, and then to see what they’re doing now — it’s pretty cool,” Berman said.

Northeastern has won 19 Beanpot titles in the tournament’s 46-year history — including eight straight under MacLeod. After beating Boston College in last Tuesday’s semifinals, the Huskies will face Boston University for a chance at their third consecutive Beanpot title.

The consolation and championship games return to TD Garden this year for the second time, with BC taking on Harvard at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by the championship game at 7:30 p.m. It’ll be a rematch of last year’s title game, when Northeastern beat BU, 2-1, in overtime in front of a record 10,633.

Berman said it would have been easy for her players to fold under the pressure of a crowd that size. Even she, in her seventh year as an assistant, felt overwhelmed by the spectacle.

But since his first days as Northeastern’s coach, Flint has consistently preached about the importance of being “even-keeled” in high-pressure situations.

“They could get really nervous, but it only fuels them,” Berman said. “It’s really amazing how these players handle the pressure. They took it in stride.”

Since Flint took the reins in 2008, the Huskies have returned to powerhouse status. Northeastern has won six of the last seven Hockey East tournaments and made it to the NCAA Tournament semifinals in three of the last four years — including to the championship game in 2022.

Flint cited the program’s “rich history” as a driver of that success, and his players seem to agree. Asked about what it means to her to score the opening goal of Tuesday’s 4-2 win in her first Beanpot tournament, freshman forward Morgan Jackson looked to the past.

“It means a lot, especially for the players who wore the jersey before us,” she said.

Berman said it’s remarkable for a teenager to have such a mature attitude toward success, and it’s an indication of the culture that has allowed Northeastern to be so successful during Flint’s tenure.

The Huskies are expecting a dogfight Tuesday. BU will be on the hunt for revenge after last year’s loss in the final left “a bad taste in their mouths,” according to Berman.

BU and Northeastern split a pair of 4-0 decisions in October, and the Terriers have been playing some of their best hockey in recent weeks.

“It can be really scary when a team is feeling really good about their play going into a game like this,” Berman said. “We expect to see their best, and we always get it, especially on this stage. That’s what we’re prepared for.”