The last two championships were each won by the same 1-0 score. Three years ago, the Harvard-Boston College first-round game became an epic triple-overtime battle, seeing Eagles goaltender Molly Schaus set the NCAA single-game saves record before her then-teammate—and current Crimson senior—Anna McDonald netted the game-winner.

Even this year, the Northeastern-Boston University matchup last week saw a thrilling Terrier comeback stopped short by the Huskies’ goalie Leah Sulyma in a shootout.

Why the near-guarantee of an exciting game? Well, simply put, because it’s important.

“We might not have the 18,000 people, but we’ve got the hearts that are just as big as anyone else’s,” Stone said. “These kids are working their tails off to get the exact same thing [as the men], the exact same kind of recognition.”

I hope that someday I’ll get a chance to get the men’s Beanpot experience I’ve imagined since I was a kid—the chance to watch my team skate in front of a packed Garden crowd in a thrilling, well-played contest.

But in the meantime, I’m more than content to sit in mostly-filled campus arenas and watch a group of talented women play for a title they care about.

—Staff writer Kate Leist can be reached at kleist@fas.harvard.edu.