If the Dartmouth men's hockey team makes the ECAC playoffs this season, the number one reason will be the dramatic game-tying goal by Jon Sturgis '98 with just two seconds left in Saturday night's game against Yale in New Haven, Conn that allowed the Big Green to escape with a 3-3 tie.
Sturgis' goal salvaged what was shaping up to be a disastrous weekend for the squad -- the team had already lost 5-3 to Princeton on Friday night -- and kept the Big Green alive in the race for a postseason berth. A loss would have dropped Dartmouth into a tie for last place in the conference.
But with the one point from Saturday night's tie, the Big Green (4-14-2 ECAC, 5-19-3 overall), are clinging to the 10th and final playoff spot in the ECAC.
Sturgis' sensational goal against Yale was simply a case of being in the right place at the right time.
With just 10 seconds left in the third period, and Dartmouth trailing 3-2, the situation looked bleak for the Big Green -- there was a faceoff in the Dartmouth side of the neutral zone, and the squad needed to get the puck all the way up the ice and past Yale goalie Alex Westlund, with hardly any time to do it.
With goalie Scott Baker '97 on the bench, the Dartmouth net vacant and six Big Green attackers on the ice, Dartmouth won the draw and dumped the puck into the Yale zone, as the forwards desperately charged past the Yale blue line to try to gain possession of it.
But Westlund stopped it as it rolled around the boards behind the net and passed it to a Yale defender. All the defender had to do was dump it down the ice, but Bill Kelleher '96 quickly attacked, getting his stick on the puck and blocking the clearing attempt.
What followed was pure pandemonium. Kelleher shuffled the puck to his left into the slot to Owen Hughes '97, who desperately tried to shoot it on net. But Hughes' shot was blocked by a diving Yale defender.
Somehow, the puck bounced out to Sturgis, who, standing alone in front, calmly drilled it top-shelf over the left shoulder of a lunging Westlund with just two ticks remaining.
The goal prompted a raucous celebration on the Dartmouth bench -- and silenced the Yale bench and most of the crowd at Ingalls Rink.
Princeton 5, Dartmouth 3
PRINCETON, N.J. -- For the Big Green, there was decidedly less to celebrate on Friday night at Hobey Baker Memorial Rink, as Dartmouth squandered a 2-0 first period lead and were outscored 5-1 in the final two periods to fall to the Princeton Tigers, with whom the Big Green are competing for a playoff spot.
Princeton's Jason Given scored the game-winner 3:05 into the third period off a turnover by Shane Ness '98. Ness' pass near the front of the Dartmouth goal deflected off a Princeton skate in front, and spun out to Given, who beat Baker to the far side, giving Princeton a 4-3 lead.
Scott Bertoli added an insurance goal at 18:15 to close out the scoring.
Dartmouth jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first on a point-shot goal by captain Dax Burkhart '96 at 10:38 and a pretty end-to-end-to-end rush goal by David Whitworth '98 on the powerplay at 18:09.
But Princeton evened the score in the early second on two powerplay goals -- by Matt Brush and Robbie Sinclair -- before taking a 3-2 lead at 9:46 of the second on a fluke goal.
The puck got dumped around the boards and as Baker went behind the net to play it, it took a wicked carom and bounced right out in front. With Baker caught behind the net, Syl Apps picked up the loose puck and chipped it into the empty net.
Hughes tied it up at 3-3 at 12:51 of the second on a powerplay goal, faking several shots from the point to draw Princeton defenders to the ice before wheeling to his right and beating Princeton goalie James Konte five-hole.
Dartmouth 3, Yale 3
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Sturgis' goal at 19:58 of the third -- the only goal of the third period -- capped a Dartmouth comeback from a 3-1 deficit and sent the game into overtime.
Both teams had good chances to win it in the extra frame, but Baker and Westlund each made some solid stops, and the squads settled for the 3-3 tie.
For Yale, who by all accounts should have left the ice with a win, the result had to be a bitter disappointment, while for Dartmouth the tie was much welcomed.
Bob Cancelli '98, inserted into the lineup for the Yale game, brought Dartmouth within 3-2 at 14:20 of the second with a gorgeous coast-to-coast goal on a Dartmouth powerplay, almost a mirror image of Whitworth's goal on Friday night.
Cancelli came down the right side, lowered his shoulder and leaned in, sweeping from right to left before tucking the puck past Westlund.
Yale scored the only goal of the first period, a powerplay score by Brendan Doyle at 18:26, to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
After Darren Wercinski '97 tied it up with a powerplay goal 7:45 into the second, Yale scored two straight goals to jump to a 3-1 lead.
