With its playoff hopes fading and a brutal nine-game losing streak staring them in the face, the men's hockey team was not expected to put up a tough fight this weekend at Thompson Arena.
But someone forgot to tell the Big Green, who erupted with back-to-back wins, a 7-3 trashing of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a 6-5 decision over Union.
The wins were the team's first since Dec. 30.
Goalie Scott Baker '97 returned from an ankle injury and was spectacular between the pipes in both games.
Saturday night against the Union Skating Dutchmen team the Big Green had a 6-2 lead with less than five minutes left in the third, but had to hang on for the win after Union scored three late goals.
Dartmouth 6, Union 5
As the Big Green led 6-2 and tried to widen their lead on the powerplay with under five minutes to go, the game appeared to be over. But Cory Holbrough and Chris Albert stung Dartmouth with consecutive shorthanded goals 43 seconds apart to make it a 6-4 contest.
Union, already on a powerplay, pulled goalie Luigi Villa for a 6-on-4 advantage. With a two-man edge, John Sicinski scored off a loose puck in front to make it 6-5 Dartmouth.
Union again pulled Villa in favor of an extra skater, looking for the tying goal, but the Big Green defense tightened, and the squad held on for a hard-fought victory.
With the score tied 2-2, Dartmouth reeled off four straight goals. Goals by Dan Bloom '96 and Mike Stacchi '95 gave the Big Green a 4-2 edge. Trevor Dodman '95 made it 5-2 when he picked up a loose puck in front and put it into a virtually unprotected net, which had been cleared when Dion Del Monte '95 was pushed into the crease.
Not to be outdone, Del Monte made it 6-2 early in the third when he came down the right wing, beat his man, and shelved the puck into the top left corner of the net.
Coach Roger Demment was pleased with the win but admitted the team may have relaxed too early. "I think we took them lightly at the end there," he said. "We, of all teams, should know that games don't end with four minutes to go."
Dartmouth 7, RPI 3
Friday night, Dartmouth buried the RPI Engineers 7-3 in a game that was virtually over by the end of the second period. The seven goals were a season high for the Big Green offense.
Shaun Peet '98 opened the scoring with his first collegiate goal. Peet took a rip from the left slot that sailed into the net off a deflection.
After RPI answered with two goals for a 2-1 lead early in the first, Dartmouth's offense exploded, scoring the next six goals.
Three minutes after Patrick Turcotte '95 scored to tie the game at 2-2, Mike Stacchi '95 scored off a pretty pass from David Whitworth '98 to give the Big Green 3-2 lead.
Owen Hughes '97 scored early in the second a shot from the slot that hit an RPI skate in front and deflected through Masotta's legs into the net for a 4-2 Big Green lead.
At the end of the second period, the Big Green made it 5-2 on a 5-on-3 powerplay. Dodman took a pass at the point from Whitworth and appeared to wind up for a shot. Instead, he threaded a gorgeous pass down low to Turcotte, who easily beat Mike Tamburro.
Whitworth and Kelleher each had five points.
Demment said, "We've been so close to winning for so many weeks, it's great to have the monkey off our back."
The Big Green still sit in 12th place, but are now only two points behind St. Lawrence for the 10th and final ECAC playoff spot.
