Dartmouth (7-8-1, 6-5-1 ECACHL) could not use the momentum of a huge third period effort against RPI on Saturday to spur them past the Union Dutchmen (10-8-4, 3-3-2 ECACHL) the following evening, as a tying score by sophomore Michael Beynon slapped the Big Green with its first draw of the year.
With 4:22 left in the final frame, freshman Brendan Milnamow sent the puck toward Dartmouth goaltender Mike Devine '08, which deflected right to the stick of an awaiting Beynon.
The Big Green found itself with a golden opportunity to pick up the win 2:36 into overtime when Nick Johnson '08 forced Union goalie Kris Mayotte to his right with a shot that trickled back to Eric Przepiorka '06. The senior forward could not, however, beat Mayotte with his redirected attempt, and the game ended with the teams knotted at two goals apiece.
Union extended its home unbeaten streak to an impressive 10 games.
Johnson remained optimistic after the game, saying, "It was a good weekend. Union hasn't lost at home yet, and although I feel we should've pulled out the victory, we'll take the three points."
Rob Pritchard '09, who scored his third collegiate goal in the second period to give Dartmouth a 2-1 advantage, was somewhat more irritated with the result.
"It was disappointing to tie Union," said the freshman. "That was a game that we really felt we dominated."
Pritchard has emerged as a legitimate scoring option of late, notching his first two goals in a rout of Harvard last month and tallying an assist and a goal this weekend.
"I think that I'm feeling a little more composed on the ice now than I did before the break," said the British Columbia native. "My line is finally starting to click, and [my linemates] Sampson and Shribman are both experienced guys who can show me things out there that I might not have seen. I just want us to be able to contribute consistently for the rest of the year."
The previous evening, it seemed as if another tie was in the works versus Rensselaer -- that is, until the third period. Deadlocked at 1-1, Dartmouth went on the offensive halfway through the final frame, netting two go-ahead goals three minutes apart after 48 scoreless minutes.
Eight minutes into the third, captain Mike Ouellette '06 found an open David Jones '08, who beat RPI freshman netminder Mathias Lange to give Dartmouth a 2-1 lead. At 9:19, the Big Green third line pushed Dartmouth ahead, 3-1. Pritchard and Jarrett Sampson '06 assisted Dan Shribman '07 for the junior's second goal of the season. Finally, Ben Lovejoy '08 put the proverbial nail in RPI's coffin with five minutes left, rebounding a shot by Przepiorka.
Until its third period explosion, the Big Green had not scored since 19 seconds into the opening frame when J.T. Wyman tipped in a shot by Sean Offers to put Dartmouth up 1-0. With a 5-on-3 power play advantage, RPI's Andrew Lord potted the equalizer at 10:45, beating Devine.
Devine has been one of the few consistent forces for the Big Green since the sophomore assumed the starting role from Sean Samuels '07 in the fourth game of the year.Against RPI, Devine matched a career-high with 33 saves, while collecting 19 stops the following night versus Union. He improves his record to 6-4-1 and maintains a superb 2.22 GAA.
Although the Big Green spoiled an opportunity this weekend to pull its overall record back to .500 for the first time since opening night, Dartmouth has found a way to rise up the ECACHL standings, pulling all the way into a tie for second-place with Colgate in the twelve-team league.
Nevertheless, Dartmouth has played four more games than Colgate, as well as the four teams that immediately trail the Big Green. In order to secure a respectable seed for the league tournament in March, Dartmouth must uphold a winning record in its final 10 division games. If the team can win seven or more of those contests, it may even go a long way into making the possibility of an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament at the end of March a reality.
One major obstacle in the way of that dream confronts the Big Green this weekend. Dartmouth takes on in-state rival and 15th-ranked New Hampshire next Saturday in Manchester. The Wildcats have always proved a significant foe for the men in green, but all Dartmouth needs to do is recall last year's 9-8 thriller to motivate themselves for this season's match-up. While the game is out-of-league, a win on Saturday would only add to Dartmouth's rsum come tournament time.
Face-off is set for 7 p.m. at Verizon Wireless Arena. The Big Green will wrap up its non-conference schedule the following weekend when it hosts the divine duo of Sacred Heart and Holy Cross. Dartmouth jumps back into league action on Jan. 20 when Union comes to Hanover for round two.
