It almost felt like a David and Goliath situation for Maeve Carey and her Boston University teammates Tuesday night, going up against one of the top teams in the country.

Yet, you can always expect the unexpected whenever the Women’s Beanpot rolls around, and the former Austin Prep star emerged as a hero on the grandest of stages. The BU senior sniped the game-winning goal with two minutes left in overtime, as the Terriers (7-11-3) stunned archnemesis Northeastern at Walter Brown Arena, 2-1, to advance to the championship.

Northeastern Huskies forward Lily Brazis (61) breaks in on Boston University Terriers goaltender Mari Pietersen (92) as BU takes on NU in the first round of the Women’s Beanpot. (Staff photo by Stuart Cahill/Media News Group)

BU advances to its third consecutive Women’s Beanpot final. Each of the last two seasons, the Terriers fell short to Northeastern, which had won three straight Beanpots. This time, BU will face Harvard, which defeated Boston College in the matinee semifinal, 2-1, next Tuesday at TD Garden (7:30 p.m.).

“I think we approach every game the same,” Carey said. “We’ve just got to stick to our gameplan, and play BU hockey. That’s what got us through.”

BU taking on Northeastern was a rematch of the 2025 Women’s Beanpot championship, which the Huskies won, 4-0. This time around, it felt like the Huskies were the prohibitive favorite entering play, ranked No. 6 nationally by USA Today’s polls, and No. 7 by the USCHO.

But BU put Northeastern on upset alert just 4:28 into play. Freshman left winger Lexie Bertelsen corralled a loose puck in front of the Northeastern net, then slid a shot home as the Terriers took an early 1-0 advantage.

As they have done time and time again this winter, however, Northeastern (16-6-0) responded. With 9:25 to go in the opening period, Lily Shannon ripped a shot on net. Her first attempt skipped off a pad, and landed right back on her stick. The former Governor’s Academy standout made the Terriers pay with a second bid, firing a bullet home for her 15th goal of the season as Northeastern knotted things at 1-all.

Northeastern Huskies forward Lily Shannon (2) celebrate her goal as BU takes on NU in the first round of the Women’s Beanpot. (Staff photo by Stuart Cahill/Media News Group)

The score held well into the final period of play. The two rivals continued to trade shots on opposite ends, with Mari Pietersen standing tall in net for BU. Lisa Jonsson (32 saves) consistently countered with fantastic saves of her own in the cage for Northeastern.

Fittingly, neither school was able to find the net in the third, and the game was bound for sudden death overtime. Just moments into the extra session, the Huskies were assessed a minor for slashing, setting up Carey’s heroics.

With her team skating 4-on-4, the Gloucester native looked for a shooting lane. She saw her opportunity, and fired a prayer. The shot attempt ricocheted into the corner of the net, and the Terriers stormed the ice.

“I was in shock,” Carey said. “I took a second, kind of paused, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, we just won.’”

Boston University Terriers forward Lexie Bertelsen (22) makes her goal-scoring bid on Northeastern Huskies goaltender Lisa Jönsson (1) as BU takes on NU in the first round of the Women’s Beanpot. (Staff photo by Stuart Cahill/Media News Group)

An incredible moment indeed for the Gloucester native, and an even better story. After her time at Austin Prep, Carey played two seasons at Stonehill before transferring to BU last year. The game-winner was her sixth goal of the season.

“It’s truly special,” said Carey. “I’m just really happy that I got to do this surrounded by all my teammates and coaches that support me. They’ve really supported me, literally the whole journey.”

Pietersen finished with 35 saves to fuel the Terriers into overtime. Sydney Healey, Riley Walsh and Greta Henderson were credited with assists in the victory.

Should BU win next week it would mark just the third Women’s Beanpot title in program history, and the first for the school since 2019.

“With this group, I haven’t seen this in a really long time – external distraction doesn’t really seem to matter,” said Terriers coach Tara Watchorn. “I think because we went through some adversity early on, we’re just excited to get wins, no matter what game it is. I think the Beanpot is something you guys circle on your calendar really early. Wanting to get a win, wanting to play at home in front of a great crowd, and to go to the Beanpot finals is enough motivation.”