After 27 games and more than four months of hockey, the fate of the 1995-96 Dartmouth men's hockey team will come down to this weekend's final two games of the regular season, when the Big Green host Harvard and Brown.
Dartmouth will host the Harvard Crimson tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Thompson Arena and face off against the Brown Bears tomorrow in a 5:00 p.m. matinee.
The Big Green (4-14-2 ECAC, 5-19-3 overall) currently sit in 10th place in the ECAC, and are locked in a dogfight with Princeton, RPI, Union and Yale for the final two playoff spots in the ECAC.
For Dartmouth, it's "do or die" time, and the team has its fate in its own hands -- if the Big Green win both games, they make the playoffs but if they lose twice, they miss the playoffs.
If the squad picks up three points over the weekend they are all but guaranteed a playoff berth, and if the Big Green accumulate one or two points, they can still make the playoffs, depending on the outcomes of other league games tonight and tomorrow.
The Big Green are in dramatically better standing heading into this weekend than they could have been -- the squad salvaged a 3-3 tie with Yale last weekend when Jon Sturgis '98 scored in dramatic fashion with just two seconds left in the third period.
Coach Roger Demment recognized the importance of last Saturday's tie with Yale: "It gives us the momentum we needed going into this weekend."
Demment said the team knows what it has to do -- win twice this weekend -- and said both Harvard and Brown are teams "we are capable of beating."
"It's going to take a tremendous effort on everyone's part," he said. "We're going to have to play good, sound hockey in both of these games."
Demment said the team is excited to have the chance to control its own fate.
"I know our guys will give 100 percent to come out with two victories this weekend," he said.
The players also said they were confident of a strong showing this weekend, and many said they would not be satisfied unless they get into the playoffs on their own merits -- with two wins.
"Brown and Harvard are two very beatable teams and I think that anything less than two wins from us this weekend is unacceptable," David Whitworth '98 said.
Dave Risk '99 agreed, saying, the team "isn't going to settle for less than four points this weekend."
Alex Dumas '97 was confident the Big Green would "rise up to the occasion and step up our game to do what we need to do to get in the playoffs."
The team's attitude was best summed up by Scott Peach '99, who said, "We control our own destiny, and we must take responsibility for these games. The coach is not going to win the game, and the other teams are not going to win games for us. It's us, the Big Green, who must win these games."
When they face off against Harvard (9-10-1 ECAC, 10-16-1 overall) tonight, the Big Green will be playing a team that has been slumping badly -- the Crimson have lost seven straight games and 13 out of their last 18, and have not won an ECAC contest since Feb. 3.
But Demment said he did not put "too much weight" in Harvard's recent losing streak, since many of the losses were hard-fought one-goal games.
The Big Green do have the luxury of knowing they beat Harvard 2-1 in Cambridge, Mass., earlier this season.
Before Saturday night's game against Brown (5-9-6 ECAC, 8-11-8 overall), the Big Green will honor the upcoming graduates on the team -- who might be playing their final college game in front of the home crowd -- with Senior Night ceremonies.
Dan Bloom '96, Dax Burkhart '96 and Scott Dolesh '96 will all be recognized for their four years of service to Dartmouth hockey.
Bill Kelleher '96 has been at the College for four years but red-shirted his sophomore year after breaking his arm early in the 1993-94 season, so he will return to the team next year
Demment said the Big Green would be going primarily with the same lineup as the last few weeks, with one exception -- Ryan Chaytors '99, who returned last weekend from a long absence because of a hand injury, will sit this weekend out because Demment said he is not 100 percent.
In Chaytors' place, Bob Cancelli '98, who Demment said played a "great game" against Yale last weekend, will center the first line, between Whitworth and Kelleher.
