Coming into the 2004-2005 season, the prospects looked bleak for Dartmouth club hockey. Suffering from the graduations of inspirational captain Jon Webster '04 and team bruiser Anthony Balsamo '04, and the deactivation of the Dartmouth club hockey BlitzMail account, very few could have accurately predicted a positive outcome in this year's opening game.
Two weeks ago, the Clubbers defied all odds and emerged victorious against Lyndon State, a superior team with matching uniforms. Although low expectations are the norm, it appeared that this would be more of an uphill struggle than usual.
Despite the absence of injured top defenseman Russell Daiber '06, the Clubbers ended up on top by the score of 7-2.
Fifteen minutes after the proposed start of the contest, an invigorated Dartmouth team skating two full lines with only a solitary goaltender in Chuck Rosenwasser '06, the team stormed out of the gates, only to surrender a goal to Lyndon State within the initial two minutes of play.
Despite the initial setback, the Clubbers rebounded quickly, showing their nerves of steel. Leading the pack was Eric Yeager '07 (1g, 1a), who received the puck in the neutral zone and cut through the opposition's defense like a hot knife through butter before gleefully slipping the puck past Lyndon's goalie.
Doing his best to impersonate Yeager, Josh Navikonis Th '05 (2g, 1a) rattled the net with a goal of thunderous proportions a mere minute later, putting Dartmouth up 2-1.
Other notable scorers were Bart Van Veghel '06 (9a), Christine Beauchemin '07 (1g, 2a), Shane Colegrove '07 (1g, 4a), Ted "Creepy" Plumlee '06 (1g), Jamil Batcha '06 (1g), David Lindenbaum '08 (1a) and Chip Roundtree '05 (2a). The Clubbers skated off the ice satisfied at the end of the first period to raucous applause, mostly coming from the Lyndon State fans.
After what was probably a painful and emotionally scarring intermission for Lyndon State, the second period began. Little their coaches' words must have done for the Lyndon Staters, who refused to score goals during a fast-paced twenty minutes of play, although Dartmouth tallied two more.
Unleashing their frustrations in the only way they could, the away team began to play dirty, as Christine Beauchemin '07, who took a nasty shot to the head, can attest. Acts such as these encouraged the Clubbers to become a bit more physical themselves.
Channeling the metaphysical aura of former team bruiser Balsamo, Navikonis strapped on his imaginary defensive boots of doom. Unsurprisingly, a minor scuffle broke out; punches were thrown, and insults regarding moms exchanged.
Much to the disappointment of a certain Joshua M. Navikonis, however, no game misconducts or major penalties were awarded.
As the second period came to a close, the Lyndon Staters cringed with the knowledge that they must again share another lengthy intermission with their coaching staff.
A disheartened Lyndon emerged in the third period, as their starting goaltender was benched in favor of the backup. However, four minutes and three Van Veghel assists later, the first string goalie was back in net and facing a barrage of shots courtesy of an unrelenting Clubber onslaught.
Out of the melee erupted the raw, Yukon talent of Plumlee. Absorbing hits like a sponge does water, Plumlee rumbled his way to goal and beat Lyndon's goalie with ease.
It was Dartmouth's final goal and a nail in Lyndon State's coffin. Despite a late goal from the visitors, the Clubbers maintained a five goal lead and ended the game on the winning side.
A jubilant Shane Colegrove '07 summed up his thoughts on the game.
"Lyndon State really had no chance against our great mix of seasoned veterans and fresh rookie line up," he said before quizzically adding, "but who is Dave Lindenbaum and why was he out there skating?"
