Merely a fortnight ago, the Big Green saw itself atop the national standings and undefeated in the ECAC. Fourteen days and three losses later, Dartmouth is on the playoff bubble, looking up from fourth place in conference standings, and heading into arguably the toughest weekend of the season.
After a split against national powerhouse Minnesota in the first weekend of the month, the Big Green enjoyed a one-vote lead over the Gophers for the top team in the nation. However, Dartmouth lost a pair of decisions against conference rival St. Lawrence and went down in defeat against Ivy-foe Princeton, leaving the Big Green in third place, hanging on to a one-vote lead over the surging Saints.
"We're by no means out of [the playoff picture]." Said tri-captain Sarah Clark '05. "But we really need to get ourselves back on track and start playing Dartmouth hockey. We just need to play consistent, team hockey."
After an undefeated month of January, February has been most unkind to the Big Green. In six contests, Dartmouth (18-5-2, 10-3-1 ECAC) struggled to a 2-4-0 record and was outscored by a 14-21 margin. In that same time span, archrival Harvard has manufactured a 9-game winning streak, including a sweep of St. Lawrence that finally catapulted the Crimson into the top spot in both the conference and national rankings.
That same Crimson team will come crashing into Thompson Arena on Friday night with the hopes of securing a second consecutive regular season conference title. Harvard (22-2-1, 12-2-0 ECAC) will be led by established Olympians Angela Ruggiero and Julie Chu, but junior Nicole Corriero has been making the headlines, leading an explosive squad in scoring with 53 points. Netminder Ali Boe has been spectacular this season as well, boasting a 16-2-1 record and a 1.43 GAA. Harvard will be looking for revenge against Dartmouth, as the Big Green disappointed a record Bright Center crowd earlier this year with a 2-1 victory on the road.
On the stat-sheet, Dartmouth is outmatched in virtually every category, but that was the case in each of the past two meetings between these ECAC juggernauts. Prior to this season's match-up, the Big Green, a unanimous underdog, also ousted the Crimson 7-2 in last year's ECAC championship game.
In addition to the revenge factor, the contest has strong playoff implications. Dartmouth currently sits in a tie for 4th place in the conference, and only the top four teams will host in the first round of the ECAC playoffs.
"Everyone knows that Ivies is riding on the upcoming weekend and I think everyone will be focused and ready to play," Said team scoring leader Katie Weatherston '06. "We can't have any mental lapses or breakdowns defensively and we need to capitalize on our chances better this weekend."
Although the Big Green's offense has been anemic in the past six contests, its 4.32 goals per game average is still good for third in the nation. Defensively, a system of goalie by committee has been turbulent at times, but a 2.24 GAA is still amongst the tops in the country. In recent contests, however, the Big Green has frequently allowed goals off of careless turnovers.
"Our defense is one of our weaknesses." Said Clark. "That's not placing the blame on the [defensemen] and goalies but the forwards as well. Everybody on the ice has defensive responsibilities and too often these get neglected."
The last obvious defensive breakdown came on Jan. 10, when the Dartmouth blew a 4-1 second-period lead against Brown in a 5-5 tie. Coincidentally, the Bears are now tied with the Big Green in ECAC standings and will visit Hanover after its Friday night contest at Vermont.
Brown (14-8-2, 10-3-1 ECAC) has spoiled a fair share of successful Dartmouth seasons, and it will look to steal playoff home-ice away from the Big Green. Senior Jessica Link leads the team in scoring with 43 points and the defense has allowed 2.60 goals per contest.
While the two contests are not must-win games for the Big Green, ties or losses could significantly damage the team's chances of making the Frozen Four. Only four teams will make the national championships, and they are often decided according to rankings at the end of the season. Holding onto third place would be crucial for Dartmouth come tournament selection time.
"I think it all comes down to character." Said Clark. "I guess we'll see if we have any."
Friday's game will start at 7pm, and Saturday's contest is schedule for 4pm.
