Neither the Big Green (7-9-2, 6-5-1 ECACHL) nor the Wildcats (12-7-4) could seem to find an offensive groove as the puck bounced from one end of the rink to the other in the opening minutes of play. With an early UNH penalty with 14:50 left to go in the first period, the Big Green's power play -- ranked first in the ECACHL and sixth nationally -- took to the ice in hopes of drawing first blood. The highly-touted power play, however, continued Dartmouth's offensive woes in the early goings and produced only one shot on goal during the two-minute advantage, leaving the scoreboard reading 0-0.
The game would not remain scoreless for long, however, as UNH capitalized on a Grant Lewis '07 penalty and senior captain Brian Yandle connected to give the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead.
With 3:24 left to play in the first, Dartmouth finally found the back of the net as third-line center Connor Shields '09 recorded the third goal of his collegiate career to tie the game at one.
The Wildcats caught a bit of luck as freshman Jerry Pollastrone's shot glanced off a defender's stick and shot above the glove of Dartmouth goalie Mike Devine '08 with just under two minutes left to play, giving UNH a 2-1 advantage at the break.
The second period, highlighted by six penalties and plenty of offensive opportunities for both squads, miraculously saw only two goals scored. Dartmouth struck early in the second frame, as defenseman Lewis charged onto the ice and made a beeline for a cleared puck skittering through the UNH zone. Lewis quickly found a streaking Nick Johnson '08, who beat Wildcats goalie Kevin Regan, who ended the game with 43 saves, to tie the game at two.
Late period penalties by Tanner Glass '07 and Lewis, however, gave the Wildcats a two-man advantage with just two minutes to play in the second. With the dangerous UNH offense closing in around the goal, there was little Devine could do as Phoenix Coyotes draftee Dan Winnok scored to put the Wildcats ahead 3-2. As the clock ticked down to zero, Dartmouth headed to the locker room down a goal for the second period in a row.
The Big Green entered the contest sporting an 0-8 record when trailing after the second period. Apparently, no one told that to Jarrett Sampson '06, who blasted a shot that bounced off the crossbar and into the net just 2:01 into the third period to tie the game at three. The score gave Sampson his fourth goal in two games against UNH.
Big Green goalie Mike Devine (28 saves), who had made clutch saves all game, really stepped up his game in the more intensely-paced third period and made efforts worthy of the highlight reel throughout the final stanza to keep Dartmouth in the game.
Devine, however, could not stop UNH sophomore Brian Pouliot from scoring. With just 3:24 left in regulation, the pro-UNH crowd of approximately 6,000 at the Verizon Wireless Arena erupted into a frenzy as the Wildcats retook the lead late in the game.
With under two minutes to play and Devine pulled from goal to give Dartmouth the man advantage, UNH, a team that boasts a very young lineup and only four seniors on the entire roster, showed its inexperience after the go-ahead goal. Attempting to score on the empty net, the Wildcats managed only to ice the puck, missing the goal entirely, and bringing the puck back into their own zone for a face-off.
Dartmouth, still playing hard late in the game, capitalized on the opportunity. Eric Przepiorka '06 netted his first goal of the match with just 0:44.6 left to play in regulation, silencing the UNH crowd and sending the small Dartmouth contingent into hysterics.
With 44 seconds left to play, however, the drama had just begun. Twenty seconds later, UNH junior wing Jacob McFlicker made a great move by the Dartmouth defense and managed to get a breakaway opportunity. Mike Hartwick caught up to McFlicker and pulled him down, sending both players crashing into Devine and the net, setting up a penalty shot. With the crowd on its feet, the score tied at four and just 22.5 seconds remaining in regulation, McFlicker took the puck at center ice for a one-on-one against Devine. McFlicker almost had Devine beat, but a perfectly-timed poke at the puck by Devine stymied McFlicker and kept the Big Green hopes alive.
The ensuing face-off deep in the Dartmouth zone was the backbreaker for the Big Green. With just 14 seconds left in regulation, McFlicker, the RiverStone player of the game, redeemed himself and found the back of the net to give the Wildcats the victory, 5-4.
"Our team played good hockey from the drop of the puck," said Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet. "It was a back and forth game, and the final minute was a reflection of that."
Junior Dan Shribman lauded the Big Green's goaltending but also hoped for more consistent play in the future, saying, "Our goaltending was fantastic and we played well enough to win but that doesn't make it a moral victory. We know we can outplay the best teams in the country, but we need to start winning on a consistent basis."
Dartmouth hockey will look to find some consistency this weekend when it takes on Sacred Heart and Holy Cross.
