Playoff hockey returns to the Bright-Landry Hockey Center as Harvard prepares to face St. Lawrence in the opening round of the 2026 ECAC Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament. The Crimson secured the eighth seed after a crucial win in their final regular season game, surpassing St. Lawrence, who enters as the ninth seed. The two teams will compete for a quarterfinal spot on Saturday, February 21 at 3:00 PM, with live coverage available on ESPN+.
Harvard finished its regular season with a trip to Central New York, losing to RPI but defeating Union 2-1 in the finale. Emily Hamann and Morgan McGathey scored for Harvard, while goaltender Ainsley Tuffy made 33 saves and allowed only one goal.
Historically, Harvard holds a strong record in the ECAC Women’s Hockey Championship with a 50-31 all-time mark and seven tournament titles, most recently in 2015 when Laura Bellamy was an assistant coach. This year marks Harvard’s first time hosting a playoff game since 2022. Against St. Lawrence in tournament play, Harvard leads 7-2; however, their last meeting was a Saints victory in overtime during the 2012 tournament.
The Crimson also lead the overall series against St. Lawrence with a record of 46-20-11 and went unbeaten against them this season—a shutout win by Izzy Whynot and a tie at home.
Several players have contributed significantly against St. Lawrence: Emily Hamann leads active skaters with three points; Ella Lucia and Kaley MacDonald each have two assists; Carla McSweeney scored in their recent matchup; all three goaltenders—Whynot, Tuffy, and another unnamed goalie—have experience facing SLU.
Morgan McGathey is currently on a three-game point streak and has four points over that span. Elle Sproule has recorded two points in her last three games. Additionally, Harvard remains unbeaten when Annie Sun records a point.
Ainsley Tuffy stands out nationally among goaltenders this season with a .952 save percentage across 17 games played (10-5-2 record), allowing two or fewer goals in most starts.
Harvard’s offensive improvement is notable compared to previous seasons: seven skaters are now in double figures for points versus just two last year. First-year player Morgan McGathey leads with 15 points (10 goals), followed closely by linemates Carla McSweeney and Elle Sproule (14 points each). Underclassmen account for much of this output—101 combined points or about two-thirds of team scoring—ranking second only to St. Lawrence’s underclassmen production this year.
The team’s turnaround under head coach Laura Bellamy has been significant: Harvard has increased its win total by twelve from last season—the largest improvement among NCAA women’s hockey programs this year—and nearly doubled its goal tally from the previous campaign.
McGathey has made an immediate impact as both leading scorer and top faceoff winner for Harvard as a first-year center, ranking among national leaders for faceoff wins and percentage.
Carla McSweeney has earned recognition for clutch performances—including an overtime penalty shot winner against Boston University—and ranks second on the team with nine goals (three game-winners).
Defensively, Harvard continues its tradition of blocking shots under Bellamy’s leadership—with Kaley MacDonald leading at 67 blocks—and ranks thirteenth nationally by allowing just over two goals per game through thirty contests.
Recognition from ECAC includes seven weekly awards this season after earning only one last year; Ainsley Tuffy recently received Goalie of the Week honors while multiple rookies have been acknowledged throughout the campaign.
Harvard achieved five wins (and one tie) against nationally ranked opponents this season—more than their combined total from the past two years—including victories over St. Lawrence, Yale, Minnesota Duluth, Cornell, and Princeton.
The Crimson captured their first Beanpot title since returning to Cambridge by defeating Boston University in overtime thanks to Carla McSweeney’s penalty shot goal and Ainsley Tuffy’s standout goaltending performance (“Beanpot MVP” and “Bertagna Award” recipient). Head Coach Laura Bellamy became “the only person to ever win the Beanpot as a player, assistant coach and head coach.”
Looking ahead at the ECAC Championship format: winners from opening round games advance to best-of-three quarterfinals hosted by top seeds Yale or Cornell based on seeding outcomes; semifinalists then move on to Lake Placid for championship rounds March 6–7. The tournament champion earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament beginning March 13–14.
