The women's hockey team experienced triumph and defeat in what Coach George Crowe called the best and worst games of the season. The team tied Brown 1-1 and lost to Providence, 6-2.
Brown entered Saturday's game ranked number one in the country and carrying a record of 10-0-1. Its impressive record did not stop Dartmouth from putting the pressure on and playing its game.
Dartmouth 1, Brown 1
Dartmouth came out strong from the start. Seven minutes into the game, Captain Rachel Rochat '95 took Brown by surprise, scoring a short-handed goal off a pass from right-wing Sarah Devens '96.
The Big Green continued to shoot but were unable to get the puck past Brown goalie Libby Witchger. At the other end, Brown had as many shots as Dartmouth with goalie Sarah Tueting '98 saving them all.
With one minute left in the period, Brown's high-scorer Becky Kellar carried the puck down the ice in a one-on-one situation. But Tueting made the save, keeping Dartmouth ahead 1-0 for the beginning of the second period.
The Big Green exploded onto the ice for the second period. They fired shot after shot, never quite finding the net.
Passing was also a strength for the team. Dartmouth made smart passes, forcing Brown to hustle to stay with the puck.
Ten minutes and 25 seconds into the second period, Brown notched its only goal of the afternoon. Katie King scored the goal, assisted by Nan Gorton.
Dartmouth continued to take shots and had several opportunities to score. With three minutes left in the period, left-wing Phoebe Manchester '96 missed a beautiful shot and Devens was there for the rebound but could not quite redirect it enough to hit the net. Two minutes later Rochat missed a great shot but no one was in front for the follow-up.
In the third period, the two teams battled for a goal trying to pull into the lead. Tueting had some key saves, including one during a Brown power play with seven minutes left in the game.
Dartmouth had an opportunity at the very end when Brown's Kathy Hopkins was sent to the penalty box for two minutes for checking. Defenseman Amy Coelho '97 got a shot in but the Witchger was able to deflect it. At the close of the third period, the score was tied, 1-1.
The game headed into a five-minute sudden-death overtime. Both teams put the pressure on and took many shots. Tueting had one three-on-one save and then a one-on-one save.
Manchester took one last shot with 38 seconds left but Witchger managed to stop it. The game ended with a 1-1 tie.
"It was a great game, very exciting. It was up and down the whole way," Crowe said. "When you can play that way against the top team in the country, you are playing very well."
Providence 6, Dartmouth 2
Sunday's game was in stark contrast to Saturday. The team took on Providence College in Thompson Arena, losing 6-2.
Form the first face-off, Providence took control. They appeared to be outskating Dartmouth and were able to get to the puck more often.
Early in the first period, Dartmouth was called for having too many players on the ice and right-wing Malaika Little '97 went to the box to serve the penalty. With 20 seconds left on the power play, Providence's Stephanie O'Sullivan got the puck to Alison Wheeler who put it into the net.
One minute later Providence scored again. This time it was Kathleen Brophy who slipped it past Tueting.
Only two minutes after the second goal of the afternoon, O'Sullivan fed the puck to Jennifer Wagner who scored. With these three goals so close together, Dartmouth's spirits seemed to drop.
To top it off, Providence put in its fourth goal with about seven minutes left in the period. Amy Carlson scored this one.
Dartmouth did get its opportunity to score. The team's first goal came with four minutes left. Manchester passed to Coelho who put it away.
At the end of the first period the score was 4-1. It seemed that Providence was again beating Dartmouth to the puck.
The second period witnessed a series of penalties. It began with Providence's Wheeler who got two minutes for roughing. Three minutes later Providence's Emilie Turcotte served two for holding right-wing Emilie Schnitman '98. Dartmouth could not capitalize on either of these opportunities.
With almost eight minutes left in the period and only one minute after the last goal, Wheeler scored her second goal after a questionable offsides on Providence. This ended the period at 6-1.
Dartmouth found its second and final goal with six minutes left. Defenseman Sarah Vogler '96 scored on assists by Devens and Howald.
The team heads out on the road for its next game against Middlebury but will return on the weekend to take on McGill. Its record stands at 8-5-4 overall, 3-1-1 in the Ivy League.
