The men’s hockey team traveled to the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., where it lost two close games to Ivy League rivals Princeton University in overtime and Brown University in the Liberty Invitational tournament.
Dartmouth first squared off against Princeton on Friday night in a tough 3-2 loss. The Big Green (0-3-0 ECAC) dominated the first period, notching 19 shots to the Tigers’ (1-0-0 ECAC) five. Princeton goalie Sean Bonar proved to be the equalizer, however, as he turned away everything the Big Green put on net in the first, finishing with 38 saves for the game.
“We played a solid game,” head coach Bob Gaudet said. “We had the puck a lot, it just didn’t go in. Give credit to Princeton: their goalie played well, and they scored key goals.”
The second period featured more even play, with both teams registering nine shots. Bonar was again up to the task, playing another shutout period, while senior Jack Berger gave the Tigers their first lead of the game with a power play goal at the 17:01 mark. The scoring sequence stared with Berger ripping a shot from the left that deflected off senior Eric Carlson into the left boards, where sophomore Jonathan Liau gained control and dished the puck to Berger who was coming in from a line change. Berger was able to spin and put his slapshot past Big Green goalie James Kruger ’16 for the score. Kruger, making his first career start, made 17 saves but took the tough loss.
“We did a lot well in the first game, outshooting them 40 to 20, but we have to bury the chances when we have them,” forward Brandon McNally ’15 said. “We had more puck control and were pretty dominant in the game. It’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to record points.”
Freshman Ben Foster extended Princeton’s lead to 2-0 with a goal at the 2:25 mark in the third period. Kyle Rankin, a sophomore, got the puck out of the corner to junior Tom Kroshus, who ripped a shot from the point which Foster redirected into the goal from the doorstep. The goal was reviewed for a possible high stick violation, but was upheld.
A little over a minute later, the Big Green was finally able to get the puck past Bonar. Tim O’Brien ’16 moved the puck below the redline, playing well along the boards, and passed to Jack Barre ’16, who finished at the 3:40 mark to make the score 2-1 in favor of the Tigers.
The Big Green continued its aggressive play and, with 36 seconds left and the goalie pulled, knotted the score at two goals apiece. Defenseman Brett Patterson ’16 found Erik Neiley ’15 with a blueline to blueline pass, which Neiley finished with his backhand on the breakaway, setting the stage for a sudden death overtime.
Unfortunately the Big Green could not hold the momentum, and just 45 seconds into the extra period Princeton junior Tucker Brockett gained control of a loose puck off of a deflection near the net and put it in the top left corner for the win. It was Brockett’s first career goal, and for the Tigers it could not have come at a better time.
“It was great scoring on a breakaway,” McNally said. “We scored an awesome goal, and we thought we were going to be able to come out fast, but they had a lucky bounce and were able to beat us. Emotionally it was very upsetting.”
Dartmouth finished 0-2 on the power play while Princeton finished 1-4.
The Big Green next took on Brown (2-0-0 ECAC) Saturday, ending the afternoon contest in a 5-3 loss. The Bears and Dartmouth played a fairly even first quarter, with Brown recording 11 shots to Dartmouth’s nine. The Bears scored almost immediately, forcing the Big Green to play with an early deficit. Only 26 seconds into the game Mark Naclerio, the tournament’s eventual MVP, won a face off and transferred the puck to Brandon Pfeil, who put it into the top left corner of the net.
“We battled hard but we want to work on consistency,” Gaudet said. “We came out a little sluggish after playing the night before, and we need to play a full 60-minute game. It’s harder done than said, but it would also help us to be able to get a lead.”
The Big Green countered with a strong push as the first quarter wound down, but shots by both Kyle Nickerson ’17 and Ryan Bullock ’16 were stuffed by the Bears’ freshman goalie Tyler Steel, who finished with 31 saves.
The second period featured a flurry of scoring. Dartmouth first took advantage of a power play, scoring just seconds after Brown returned to full strength. McNally fed Andy Simpson ’15, whose shot was deflected to Troy Crema ’17, who redirected the puck into the net. Less than 15 seconds later, the Bears responded with junior Matt Lorito slapping a loose puck past Morris, bringing the score to 2-1 in favor of the Bears. Sophomore Nick Lappin was given an assist on the play. The game continued to feature back and forth scoring between the two teams.
“It was one of our first games, and we were just trying to feel out our game plan,” defenseman Rick Pinkston ’15 said. “You can’t worry about the momentum, you have to play your game and not worry about what the other team is doing.”
Again taking advantage of the power play, the Big Green evened the score at two apiece at the 14:20 mark. Eric Robinson ’14’s initial shot was deflected by Steel, and Neiley buried it from the left circle. Neiley scored a goal in each of Dartmouth’s games this weekend, and was credited by Gaudet as a standout.
“Eric is consistently one of our top players,” Gaudet said. ”He’s constantly around the net, and has the same work ethic every day in practice that he has in the games, and it’s really paying off for him. His skill is contagious, especially the way he goes into the corners and works hard.”
Brown responded by opening up the scoring in the third period at the 5:50 mark, again taking advantage of the power play and taking the lead, 3-2. Lorito passed the puck from behind the Big Green net, and freshman Nick Lappin was able to shoot, recover his own deflection and shoot again, barely pushing the puck across the line. Dartmouth fought right back, with McNally just getting the puck past Steel after a Brett Patterson ’15 slapshot from the point, tying the game at 3-3.
“Nickerson took the puck in deep and we had a nice play,” McNally said. “He took a good shot and I was lucky enough to be able to tip it in. I was in the right place at the right time.”
The Bears pulled ahead late in the third, as Naclerio scored at the 15:26 mark. He was fed by Lappin and was able to place a shot to the left of Morris to give the Bears a 4-3 lead. Freshman Garnet Hathaway scored an empty netter in the waning seconds to give Brown a 5-3 lead that would be the final score. Both teams finished with 31 shots on goal.
The Big Green was very effective in their power play situations, converting twice in six tries.
The Big Green started two different goalies in the tournament to give players who find out what the team is made of in the early season, Gaudet said.
The team played in the Prudential Center, home of the New Jersey Devils.
“It’s always awesome to play in an NHL rink,” Pinkston said. “Anytime you’re there, you give everything you can every time. I’m grateful to the team and the league for being able to put on something like that.”
The Big Green will next face Union College at home on Friday.
