The Dartmouth men's hockey team came tantalizingly close to a two-game sweep this past weekend, which would have put the squad in prime playoff position -- but instead the Big Green had to settle for a split, which in the end left them no better off than they were before the games were played.
On Friday night at Thompson Arena, Dartmouth notched a convincing 3-1 victory over the RPI Engineers, and on Saturday night it looked as if the Big Green were well on their way to at least a tie with the Union Skating Dutchmen, before a late goal propelled Union to a 3-2 victory.
A win for the Big Green on Saturday night would have given them 11 points and left the squad all alone in ninth place, just one point behind RPI for eighth in the ECAC -- with the chance for a home game in the opening round of the playoffs.
But instead, the split leaves the Big Green (4-13-1 ECAC, 5-18-2 overall) in a three-way tie with Union and Princeton for ninth place in the ECAC, all three teams with nine points.
Yale sits in the ECAC cellar, though the Bulldogs are just one point behind the pack, with eight points. Only two teams among Dartmouth, Princeton, Union and Yale will make the ten-team ECAC post-season tournament.
Coach Roger Demment, commenting after Saturday night's tough loss to Union, said it was unfortunate "we created a little bit of breathing room for ourselves last night [by beating RPI] and gave it right back tonight."
With just four regular season games remaining and the race for the post-season apparently heading down to the wire, Demment said the rest of the schedule will be "like playoff hockey."
Dartmouth 3, RPI 1
Friday night, in one of the Big Green's better offensive showings of the season -- though the final total of just three goals might not indicate it -- Dartmouth beat RPI 3-1 in front of a small crowd at Thompson.
Curtis Wilgosh '99 broke a 1-1 tie at 15:50 of the second period to put the Big Green on top for good. Wilgosh's goal was huge because it regained the lead for Dartmouth after the Engineers had tied the score at 1-1 just 1:11 earlier, and it shifted the momentum back to the Big Green.
Defenseman Dave Risk '99 pushed the puck to Wilgosh in the left slot, and Wilgosh, using Charlie Retter '98 on his right as a decoy, found daylight between RPI goalie Mike Tamburro's right pad and the shortside post.
The Big Green extended their lead to 3-1 at 4:48 of the third, when Tom Ruzzo '97 deflected a shot from Jon Sturgis '98 past Tamburro.
After the first period, the score was tied 0-0 despite the fact the Big Green had played perhaps their best offensive period of the season -- outshooting RPI 16-9 in the period, including 6 Dartmouth shots in the first 1:12 of play.
But finally, following several solid stops by Tamburro and a relentless Big Green attack, Dartmouth broke through.
At 5:10 of the second, Dartmouth got on the board when Brent Retter '97 cleaned up a rebound in front.
With a delayed penalty call giving the Big Green an extra attacker, Darren Wercinski '97 rifled a shot on goal that Tamburro stopped but did not control. Retter picked up the loose puck in front and shelfed it over Tamburro to give Dartmouth a 1-0 lead.
RPI tied the game at 1-1 with a powerplay score at 14:39 of the second on a nice passing play. The goal was a product of the hard work of RPI's Patrick Rochon, who made a diving stab at the puck near the left point to hold it in the Dartmouth zone.
As he dove, Rochon tipped it down the left boards to Tim Regan, who one-touched it Doug Battaglia in front. Battaglia blasted the puck through the legs of Dartmouth goalie Scott Baker '97 to tie the score at 1-1.
Baker stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced in one of his best outings of the season.
Union 3, Dartmouth 2
The Big Green looked to be en route to at least a tie -- and maybe a win -- against Union on Saturday night, but Reid Simonton, the Skating Dutchmen's captain, had other plans.
Simonton's shot from the right point with just 1:12 left deflected off the near post and into the net past a heavily screened Baker to break a 2-2 tie and put Union up for good.
The game-winning goal was ironic, in that Dartmouth upset Harvard in Cambridge, Mass. earlier this year on a similar goal by Owen Hughes '97 late in that game.
Demment said Simonton's goal was a result of a defensive breakdown by the Big Green.
"We got a little screwed up on our defensive coverage down low," Demment said. "We had nobody on [the right point] and [Simonton] should never have gotten the shot off."
Dartmouth pulled Baker in favor of an extra attacker with less than a minute to go, but did not have any decent chances to score a game-tying goal.
Twice in the game, Dartmouth came back from one-goal deficits to even the score with Union.
After a scoreless first period, Jamie Antoine got put Union on top 1-0 at 6:40 of the second, as he jammed in the puck, which was sitting in the right side of the goal crease. Baker had his glove on the ground, frantically trying to cover the puck, but Antoine was able to push it into the net.
At 10:55 of the second, Dartmouth answered with a powerplay goal of its own, coming on a five-on-three man advantage. Captain Dax Burkhart '96 scored his first goal of the season when his low, hard shot beat Union goalie Trevor Koenig, who was screened on the play.
A defensive breakdown by David Whitworth '98 led to Union's second goal, a breakaway score by Simonton. As a Big Green powerplay expired, Whitworth tried to turn up ice with puck near the red line, but Simonton stole it from him and raced in on Baker unmolested.
Simonton faked a backhand before beating Baker high to the glove side.
But near the end of the period, Dartmouth again tied the score at 2-2 on a pretty goal by Wilgosh, his second in as many nights.
Wilgosh came down the left side, and using his superior size and long reach, swooped in on goal with a man trying to push him to the side, before pushing the puck past Koenig at 18:30 of the second.
The Big Green hit the road for the final time during the regular season this weekend to face Yale and Princeton.
"We certainly have our backs to the wall," Demment said, but "the good thing is we still have our destiny in our own hands."
