Following their win over Tuck last fall, the Dartmouth Club Hockey team granted their opponents the opportunity of a rematch this past Sunday. And what a rematch it was. As the Clubbers have always been wont-to-do, they defeated themselves. As if blowing their 3-0 lead towards the end of the second period was not enough, they then proceeded to allow the game to disintegrate to a final losing score of 6-5.
Talent, or lack thereof, notwithstanding, the loss has been blamed by many on the referees' enforcement of Tuck's desire for nonviolent game play, i.e. no-checking. Defenseman Russ Daiber '06 expressed his discontent by stating, "The Tuck team refused to play actual hockey and elected instead to play pee wee no-checking rules."
Despite this obvious aberration to the dignity of hockey, the Clubbers openly embraced the opportunity to charge to victory over their on-campus rivals once again. Watching the game's live online updates, sidelined goaltender Jenn Buck sensed the intensity as the Clubbers hit the ice, "Our team just blasted out of the gates like a hunka hunka burnin' love." Her sentiments proved true as Dartmouth quickly took a 1-0 lead early in the first period courtesy of Greg Dadekian's heart stopping through-the-five-hole goal.
Shortly thereafter, Daiber contributed a magnificent goal of his own, skating coast to coast, leaving bewildered Tuck players in his wake, before moving behind Tuck's goal and emerging from the other side to bury the puck in the net. Dartmouth's confidence soared as the first period came to a 2-0 conclusion.
The second period began with a reinvigorated Tuck team, forcing the Clubbers to play a more defensive game. Despite the barrage of shots and rebounded shots, Dartmouth managed to hang on by the skin of their teeth, despite their perpetual shorthanded status. Out of this grim state of affairs emerged Shamir Kapadia '07. Pouncing on the puck like a bloodthirsty lion on its hapless prey, he proceeded to glide past all Tuck defenders before stuffing the puck in the net and giving Dartmouth a 3-0 lead.
However, as the period wore on Kapadia's goal proved to be the Clubbers' final moment of superior play as Tuck subsequently rose to prominence and brought about Dartmouth's immediate demise. In the waning minutes of the second period, Tuck at long last laid plunder to the bountiful selection of rebounds at their disposal and nudged one past the seemingly unstoppable Chuck Rosenwasser '06. Twenty seconds later the remnants of Dartmouth's confidence were completely shattered as a burly Tuck player scored off a slap shot at the blue line.
The game lapsed into a total disaster with the commencement of the third period. Despite two more goals contributed by Adam White '05 and Dadekian, Dartmouth managed to allow Tuck to leak in four more goals of their own before the buzzer mercifully sounded.
Although the game ended in a tragic outcome, all eyes were on star goaltender Rosenwasser. An awed Dan Rich '06 stated, "Chucker played amazingly, and he kept us in the game from the beginning."
A teary-eyed team Bruiser, Anthony Balsamo '04, had no comment.
