When the No. 3 Harvard women's hockey team needed a goal the most last night, the top forward line delivered.

Just 2:18 into overtime of the 22nd women's Beanpot championship game at Bright Hockey Center, junior winger Tammy Shewchuk found sophomore center Jen Botterill in the slot. Botterill, the Beanpot MVP, wasted no time in sending the puck upstairs past Northeastern goaltender Erika Silva.

That was the second straight year Botterill beat the Huskies in overtime in the Beanpot. Last year she had a hat trick in the first round, when Harvard erased a two-goal lead to top Northeastern, 7-6, en route to the 1998-99 title.

"She's the go-to girl," said sophomore defenseman Angela Ruggiero. "We have a lot of players that we look for on offense, but Bots is a finisher."

Botterill has never been shy of rising to the occasion. She also scored the overtime goal in last year's AWCHA national championship game against New Hampshire and was named the AWCHA MVP.

"It helps that all of us have been in this position many times before," Botterill said. "We maintained our composure. You love to play in those kind of games, everyone on the ice has so much adrenaline."

But Botterill had plenty of help. Shewchuk set up the overtime goal by threading a gorgeous cross-ice pass out of the corner. Freshman winger Kalen Ingram, who joined Botterill and Shewchuk on the top line last night, also assisted on the play. Ingram added two helpers in regulation.

Whether it was Ingram sweeping the puck across the crease onto Shewchuk's deadly stick or junior forward Angie Francisco establishing her territory behind the net on the power play, Harvard's offense was on a mission last night.