A 3-3 tie with Brown two weekends ago proved crucial this weekend when the women's hockey team went head to head with Ivy opponents Yale and Princeton.
Despite wins over both Yale (2-0) and Princeton (2-1), the team ended regular season play just one point behind Cornell, leaving the Big Red, rather than the Big Green, Ivy League Champions.
Dartmouth closed the season with a 19-8-3 record overall, 7-1-2 in the Ivy League.
The team will have to put the disappointment of falling just short of the Ivy League championship behind them quickly, for the Big Green on Saturday afternoon host Northeastern in the quarterfinals of the ECAC Postseason Tournament.
The third-seeded Big Green will face off with sixth-seeded Northeastern at Thompson Arena at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
This past Saturday against Yale, Dartmouth took immediate control of the game. With Melissa Siegfried '96 between the posts for the Big Green, Dartmouth shut out Bulldogs, 2-0. Siegfried tallied 16 saves.
But despite the apparent easy win -- Dartmouth fired 42 shots to Yale's 16 -- the Big Green were out of synch on Saturday.
"We were a totally different team than we normally are," co-Captain Michelle Erickson '96 said. "We didn't look like we should have."
Amy Coelho '97 and Jessica Clark '98 scored Dartmouth's two goals, both unassisted. Coelho's netter came at 16:39 into the first period, while Clark slipped the puck past Yale goalie Laurie Belliveau at 8:15 of the second.
Belliveau provided consistency for her team, keeping Yale's head above water. Belliveau allowed only two goals, denying 40 Dartmouth shots.
Finishing off Yale, Dartmouth headed south to Princeton for a Sunday match-up.
Hopes for a win at Princeton were not too high considering the team's record playing there -- in the three past years that the seniors have been on the team, Dartmouth has been unable to pull off a win in New Jersey.
However, knowing that without a win the Ivies could be kissed goodbye no matter what Princeton did on Sunday, Dartmouth did what it had to do, winning 2-1.
"It was really nice to win in Princeton's arena," Erickson said. "It's something that I've never done."
When the Tigers went up 1-0 just 3:23 into the first period with a Mandy Pfeiffer-Karen Chernisky combination, it looked like Dartmouth could have another long afternoon at Princeton.
However, Dartmouth's Sarah Hood '98 connected at 16:13 into the first on a power play. She received help from Coelho and Phoebe Manchester '96.
And Michelyne Pinard '98 put away the game-winner at 7:08 of the third. Erickson and Manchester picked up the assists.
Sarah Tueting '98 stopped 25 Princeton shots, while Princeton's Liz Hill had 27 saves.
