The two games could not have been more different.
The women's hockey team went 1-0-1 this weekend when it faced Harvard (5-4) and Northeastern. The Big Green took a 5-4 win against Harvard and a 2-2 tie to Northeastern.
Dartmouth had not lost a game since Dec. 30 when it lost to Northeastern at the Dartmouth Round Robin Tournament.
"[Sunday] was a big improvement on [Saturday]," co-Captain Sarah Howald '96 said. "We were two different teams."
Howald called Sunday's game against Northeastern "a great team effort," while Saturday's game showed "a lot of selfishness."
However, despite playing at a lower level than normally, the Dartmouth women pulled off an important win against Harvard, one which goes toward both the team's ECAC and Ivy League record. After the weekend, these records stand at 8-1-1 and 5-0-1, respectively.
Sara Vogler '96 put Dartmouth on the scoreboard on Saturday's game versus Harvard. With Harvard goalie Jen Bowdoin screened, Vogler let a slapshot rip from in front of the cage at 17:40 in the first.
Harvard's high scorer A.J. Mleczko, who, incidentally, was involved in each of Harvard's four goals, came back for the Crimson early in the second (2:39) to even out the score, 1-1.
Instead of lowering Dartmouth's spirits, Mleczko's netter spurred the Big Green to take off. Within eight seconds, Michelyne Pinard '98 assisted both Phoebe Manchester '96 and co-Captain Michelle Erickson '96 on goals to take the score up to 3-1.
For each ensuing Harvard goal, Dartmouth responded with one of its own, keeping the Big Green in the lead for the remainder of the game. A Stacy Kellogg-Mleczko combination was answered by an unassisted Jessica Clark '98 goal. Similarly, Mleczko assisted one for Christa Calagione while Howald assisted one for Sarah Hood '98. Mleczko took the final goal of the game off a pass from Holly Leitzes, leaving the final score at 5-4.
"It was a win but not a great game," Coach George Crowe said. "We didn't play well at all. If we had played the way we played [on Sunday] it wouldn't have even been close."
On Sunday, Dartmouth came back with new fervor. The team was 1-1 with Northeastern heading into the game. The two teams' match-up seemed perfect, especially in looking back at Sunday's tie.
"We should have won today," Howald said after the game. "We played well enough to win."
The Big Green showed what they are made of, both in skill and power. To the anger of many fans, but to the delight of Crowe, the refs called only two penalties throughout the entire game, letting the women, as Crowe said, "play. Hockey can't be played like basketball. It's a contact sport."
The result? A very physical game.
The Huskies came up with the first goal of the game as Northeastern's Courtney King skated around Dartmouth's Ginger Kreitler '98 and decked goalie Sarah Tueting '98, sliding the puck into the lower left corner.
At 1:37 into the second period, Dartmouth's Kathleen O'Keefe '99 got even, taking advantage of Northeastern goalie Shannon Meyers's left side. Sarah Halsell '99 and Jessica Clark '98 had the assists.
Four minutes later, Howald gave Dartmouth a one-point advantage, taking a pass from Amy Coelho '97 and skating from behind the goal to pop the puck into the cage.
With five minutes left in the second, Hood took a shot that appeared to many to cross the goal line. Officials discounted the shot, however, saying it never did cross the line.
King came back for her second goal of the afternoon with just over three minutes left in the second. Using her own rebound, King flipped the puck past Tueting to even out the score once again, 2-2.
Neither team could find the net in the third, despite several worthy attempts. Dartmouth had several shots off the posts but could not connect with the net.
The tie remained at the end of the third period, sending the game into a five-minute overtime. Again, neither team could capitalize on the extra time and the clock ran out without a goal.
Tueting had several key saves during the overtime to keep Dartmouth in the game.
"We played three solid periods," Crowe said. "We got stronger each period. It was a great game, up and down and fast."
According to Crowe, one key to Dartmouth's game was the movement of the puck. "When we play well, our defense moves the puck a lot," he said. "The defense played super. Straight through, from the goal-tender out, was good."
