Proving that last week's victory was a mere aberration, this past weekend saw the Dartmouth club hockey team revert back to its familiar losing ways, dropping games to both Babson College and the University of Vermont.
The clubbers visited Babson Friday night where they were welcomed by a hostile, sold-out arena. However, the presence of a belligerent, yet surprisingly existent audience did little to deter the clubbers' high spirits. Inspiration came with the unexpected coaching debuts of former team captains Peter Hanbury '03 and Justin Poitras '02, as well as the highly anticipated return of defensive anchor, Russell Daiber '06.
The wise words of Poitras and Hanbury fell upon deaf ears as the first period saw the clubbers scrambling to keep up with a determined, crafty and slightly neurotic Babson team. However, considering Dartmouth's previous away game debacle at Holy Cross, the clubbers considered themselves fortunate to be trailing by the slim score of 3-0 at the conclusion of the first period. The clubbers trembled in fear of their coaches as they gloomily skated off the ice to a chorus of boos and degrading chants.
The clubbers emerged from the locker room tearful, but hungry to prove to their former leaders that club hockey at Dartmouth wasn't as sad as it was during their days as captains. With goaltender Charles "Chucker" Rosenwasser '06 making a string of death-defying saves, Dartmouth was able to hold off a barrage of Babson onslaughts and even managed to create a number of scoring opportunities. At the end of the second period, the score remained 3-0 in favor of the home team.
The third period saw the clubbers storm out of the gates as two lightning quick goals from Chip Rountree '05 put Dartmouth back in the game. Unfortunately, after both goals, somebody from the Babson audience threw a dangerous fuzzy green object onto the ice and Dartmouth was consequently penalized.
The clubbers successfully killed the first penalty, but a sudden defensive lapse during the second saw Babson capitalize, and it was quickly 4-2. With Hanbury fuming and Poitras sleeping, the clubbers sensed the urgent necessity to find the net. Relief arrived as Julian Saltman '04 stumbled upon Jon Webster '04 squatting in front of Babson's goal. To the elation of all, Webster's shot went in the net, beating Babson's hapless goaltender on the glove side.
With the contest nearing its conclusion, Babson maintained a 4-3 lead. Despite a power play to end the game, the Clubbers were tragically unable to tie the score.
Following the game, team captain Webster summed up Dartmouth's Friday night experience, stating, "I really enjoyed playing in front of a packed house at Babson. One of the fans told me that I should go to a 'real Ivy League school.' My self-confidence was shattered by this comment. I cried for 10 straight minutes between periods. Now I understand why Dartmouth has boxed off the area behind the penalty box. I just can't stand to see hurt feelings like that."
Webster overcame most of his emotional hardships in time for Sunday's game against the University of Vermont at Thompson Arena. However, his on-ice play betrayed the fact that he was still a bit shaken up.
With the possible exception of Webster's vicious attack against the boards, Sunday's game proved to be generally less exciting than Friday's, something attributable to a complete lack of fans and to the noticeable absence of Hanbury and Poitras after their refusal to continue their roles as coaches following Friday's disgrace.
The periods dragged by slowly that bleak Sunday afternoon, but by the time the last moments of the third period rolled around, Dartmouth had managed to score three goals courtesy of the talents of Daiber, Arnie Engel '07, and Dan Rich '06. This left the clubbers trailing 4-3, and with a minute-and-a-half remaining, UVM scored again to seal their victory.
Team bruiser Anthony Balsamo '04 immediately broke down and began to weep and mutter obscenities about Vermont, hockey and potatoes.
Webster again related his post-game feelings, this time saying, "I think we learned a valuable lesson about losing this weekend. Apparently, if you score fewer goals than the other team, you lose. Let's be honest, we lose pretty often, but at least we haven't lost our dignity."
