Game 1: Colgate 4, Dartmouth 3 4 OT. Game 2: Dartmouth 3, Colgate 1. Game 3: Dartmouth 5, Colgate 2.
Just as the books were closed on Winter term's finals week, the Dartmouth men's hockey team opened its postseason with the Eastern College Athletic Conference quarter-finals against Colgate at Thompson Arena.
The first game score is not a misprint -- it really took four 20-minute overtime periods on top of the three regulation sessions to settle the opening match. Colgate persevered with a 4-3 victory in the epic quadruple-overtime battle on Friday night to avenge Dartmouth's double overtime win in the first game of last year's ECAC playoffs.
Hugh Jessiman '06 had two goals and Lee Stempniak '05 had three assists to lead the Big Green and embellish the score sheet, but Colgate forward Kyle Wilson's lone goal made all the difference.
"That's the type of goal that's going to end it," Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet '81 said of the scrappy final tally. "I thought we played a really strong game. We were off for a while, we had finals, but we got the rust off."
"It was an unbelievable game," Colgate head coach Don Vaughan said. "I was really proud of the way we competed tonight. Both teams left it all on the ice. It's just too bad someone has to lose a game like that. The kids really put forward an effort that I haven't seen in a long time, on both sides."
The longest game in Division I hockey history was on March 8, 1997, when it took four overtimes and 129:30 for Colorado College to score the only goal in the second game of its WCHA first round playoff series against Wisconsin. The memorable Dartmouth-Colgate battle fell 8:25 short of the record.
While the overtime periods saw just one penalty handed out, regulation was full of whistles. The Raiders scored on two of their eight power play opportunities, while the Big Green cashed in on two of six Colgate infractions.
Co-captain Trevor Byrne '03 put a rebound shot through traffic and past Colgate netminder Steve Silverthorn (50 saves) to put the Big Green up 3-2 at 10:05 of the third period.
Just when the Big Green gained control of the game, the Raiders' Ryan Smyth tied the score at three with a rebound goal, and memories of overtime went storming through the minds of the Thompson faithful.
After the game-tying mark, 65:04 of scoreless hockey ensued, as Dartmouth goalie Nick Boucher '03 pumped up his saves total to a whopping 65. Dartmouth unleashed 109 shots (53 on target) to Colgate's 108 (68 on target).
"Colgate shoots a lot from the outside," Gaudet said of the high saves/shots total. "I think the grade-A opportunities were two-to-one us."
Two 20-minute overtime periods could not appease the hockey gods this time around, so the game raged on to an uneventful third overtime period before the fourth overtime swayed the vote in Colgate's favor.
In the second game, Stempniak scored all three Dartmouth goals in a 3-1 victory to keep the Big Green alive in the ECAC quarterfinals.
Stempniak has feasted on the Raiders throughout his career. This was his second hat trick against them this season, increasing his total to eight goals in eight games against Colgate. He has had at least one point in every one of those contests.
"Lee is really one of the elite players in all of college hockey, not just in our league," Gaudet said of the sophomore right-winger. "I don't think he gets enough credit."
Stempniak's second goal came in astounding fashion and put Dartmouth ahead for good at 8:21 of the third period.
"Lee scored as amazing a goal as I've ever seen," Gaudet said of the game-winner.
Alone on the right side, Stempniak tried to deke Joey Mormina, but was hooked to the ice. As he was falling, he threw his stick out in desperation with one hand and rocketed a shot past Silverthorn.
"I just came down and in a last-ditch effort I threw down my stick," Stempniak said. "I guess it went in, I didn't even know. I thought someone put in a rebound rather, I just heard everyone screaming."
Silverthorn was named the third star of the game after allowing just two goals and recording 41 saves in the losing effort. Boucher made 19 saves in a quiet night at his end of the ice.
Dartmouth opened the scoring on a power play at 6:14 of the second period. The Colgate defense parted for Stempniak and he skated to the center of the ice, unleashing a wrister that Silverthorn could neither see nor stop.
The Big Green controlled the second frame, until Scooter Smith sprung Adam Mitchell on a breakaway.
Mitchell came in alone from the blue line and slid a backhand shot underneath a sprawling Boucher at 18:05. At the end of two, Dartmouth had 52 attempted shots but just one goal to show for it, due to Colgate's cramming of the slot and Silverthorn's outstanding performance in net.
"He stopped everything we threw at him," Gaudet said.
It took a stroke of magic from Stempniak to finally break that seal. Stempniak completed the hat trick with an empty-netter thanks to senior assistant captain Pete Summerfelt's third assist of the evening.
In Sunday's rubber match, Dartmouth scored four unanswered goals to overcome an early 2-1 deficit and beat Colgate to advance to the ECAC semifinals. After the Raiders emerged victorious in Friday night's four-overtime affair, the Big Green mustered up the strength to take the last two.
"We're doing simple things and doing them well," Gaudet said. "We've gotten good goaltending, we're solid defensively and on offense we're generating. The guys are playing their best hockey of the year right now. Everybody's playing well, so we can roll four lines."
The Big Green got its first goal from third-line winger Darcy Marr '06 and the game-winner from ever-improving fourth-line winger Nathan Szymanski '05.
True to do-or-die form, both teams came out flying and scored on their very first shot of the evening. Colgate lit up the scoreboard at 1:20 when P.J. Yedon set up an easy look for Brad D'Arco on a two-on-one. Marr responded for Dartmouth with his first collegiate goal 39 seconds later.
Not to be outdone in the timely response department, the Raiders gained a 2-1 advantage just nine seconds after Marr had knotted the game at one. Alone on the left wing, Darryl McKinnon ripped a backhander over Boucher's right shoulder to swing the momentum back in Colgate's favor.
"I think we were so keyed up and so emotionally up for the game that we were a little tight," Gaudet said.
"I think we were a little nervous," Szymanski added.
Dartmouth dominated the remainder of the period, but had seven shots blocked by the Raiders' defense and 16 saved by the still-flaming Silverthorn.
The first line came through for the Big Green at 5:33 of the second period. Stempniak held the puck along the boards for Jessiman, who sent a cross-ice pass that Mike Ouelette '06 one-timed from the right wing past Silverthorn.
The game remained locked at two for the rest of the second, leaving the third period of the third game to decide which team would move on to the third round of the playoffs.
Szymanski scored the first of three third period goals for the Big Green, the eventual game-winning tally. Szymanski kept the puck on the right side of a two-on-one and rifled a backhander into the top left corner.
"Sammy [Jarrett Sampson '06] crashed the net and gave me some room and I just took my chance and got lucky [and] it went in," Szymanski said of his second goal this year.
Defenseman P.J. Martin '03 added to the Big Green lead with a pinpoint wrister from the right side that snuck inside the far post.
Vaughan opted to pull Silverthorn with 2:26 remaining after Dartmouth was whistled for icing. Stempniak made it nine goals in nine career games against the Raiders when he flicked the puck into the empty net at 17:51, sealing Dartmouth's ticket to Albany, N.Y.
Check out tomorrow's sports page for a recap of the Big Green's performance at the ECAC championships this past weekend.
