PROVIDENCE, R.I., Feb.18 -- The men's hockey team had mixed results in its drive for a playoff berth this past weekend, winning at Harvard 2-1 on Friday night, but getting blanked by Brown 5-0 in Providence, R.I.. on Saturday night.
Despite the win at Harvard, the Big Green remain in last place in the ECAC, one point behind 11th-place Union and three points behind Yale and Cornell, who are tied for the 10th and final playoff spot in the conference.
Dartmouth 2, Harvard 1
Friday night the Big Green used great defense and played a highly disciplined game to defeat the Crimson in their own building for the first time since 1980.
Considering that second-place Harvard had the stingiest defense in the league coming in, and Dartmouth had allowed the most goals in the conference, a low-scoring defensive struggle would have appeared to benefit the Crimson.
But instead the Big Green turned the tables, and their strong forechecking and backchecking neutralized the Crimson's speed, giving Dartmouth perhaps its most important win of the season.
Scott Baker '97 set the tone of the game early, stopping Harvard's best forward, Steve Martins, on a one-timer only 30 seconds into the game.
Brent Retter '97 opened the scoring 1:36 into the game with a beautiful move. Retter came down the left side and faked a pass to the middle, fooling Harvard goalie Tripp Tracy. As Tracy fell to the ice, Retter moved to his right and slid the puck around the helpless goaltender into the net for a 1-0 Dartmouth lead.
The lead held until Jason Karmanos tied the game at one, 8:28 into the second period. With Harvard on the powerplay, Karmanos picked up a loose puck in front and flipped it over Baker, who was down on the ice.
With 2:47 left in the second, co-Captain Dion Del Monte '95 put the Big Green ahead to stay with a powerplay goal. Del Monte broke a check and came out in front all alone. He looked to pass, but instead snapped a wicked shot that found the lower-left corner of the net for his 99th career point.
The Dartmouth defense turned it up in the third, frustrating the Crimson forwards and allowing only a few quality shots.
Brown 5, Dartmouth 0
Saturday night the Brown Bears whitewashed Dartmouth 5-0 behind the play of Bears goalie Mike Parsons. Despite the tough 11-game winless streak the Big Green endured earlier in the season, this was the first time they have been blanked.
Despite the lopsided score, the game was close until the third period, when Brown scored three goals.
The Big Green played pretty good hockey for the first two periods, except for a short stretch in the first, when they were burned for two goals in 30 seconds.
At the 13:19 mark of the first, Brown's Ryan Mulhern took a feed in front from Eric Trach and flipped a shot at the net. Baker made a great diving save, but couldn't control the rebound, which Mulhern punched in for a 1-0 Bears lead.
Only 30 seconds later, Brown's Robert Merrill used great acceleration to blow by the Dartmouth defense and beat Baker on a breakaway goal, to make it 2-0 Brown.
After a scoreless second, Brown's Brian Jardine opened the third with another score. All alone in front, Jardine lifted a backhander over Baker for a 3-0 Brown lead.
Only a little while later, Brown effectively put the game away with a shorthanded goal by Mulhern, which made it 4-0. Tony Martino added a goal under four minutes later to make it 5-0.
Dartmouth pressed hard to score at least once, but could not seem to catch a break.
This weekend, the Big Green play their last two road games of the regular season at St. Lawrence and at division-leading Clarkson.
