It's the game fanatical UVM fans have had marked on their calendars since the schedules came off the printing presses. Unable to get tickets for home games in Burlington, Vt., Catamount backers annually flood Hanover in packs for the chance to see their team in action.
Traditionally, the game is sold out weeks in advance, and students who wait to the last minute for tickets are left out in the cold. However, this year, student tickets are being kept blocked off right up until game time. It will be first come first serve though, and this is one game no one on campus wants to miss.
Dartmouth and UVM are coming off identical performances from last weekend, as each squad went 1-1, losing to Cornell and pulling off dramatic victories over Colgate.
Entering the season ranked number one in the nation, the Catamounts are currently 6-2, having also dropped a game to RPI when the Engineer's goaltender decided to suffocate the back of the net.
Dartmouth goes into tonight's matchup with a 2-3 overall mark, 1-3 in the ECAC.
The Big Green enter tonight's matchup with the confidence of knowing they can play with the powerhouses in college hockey. Coming off their victory over the nation's 10th ranked team, Coach Roger Demment was especially pleased with the sudden offensive explosion of his unchanging red line, manned by Ryan Chaytors '99 at center and winged by Darren Wercinski '97 and Jeremiah Buckley '98. This line had a hand in all six of Dartmouth's goals last weekend.
"For the red line, it's a combination of being disciplined, working hard and using their heads at the right moments to make things happen," Demment said. "They executed very well last weekend and it resulted in the barrage of goals they scored."
The other highlight for the Big Green was the play of freshmen Jason Wong in net. Getting his first varsity start against Colgate, he fended off 20 of the 22 Red Raider shots, keeping in check a high powered offense. His efforts earned him ECAC Rookie of the Week.
Wong's success doesn't make Demment's job any easier, as he will search for a careful balance between the upstart freshmen and the experienced senior, Scott Baker.
"Right now, we'll make the decision on a week to week basis," Demment said. "Jason has gotten stronger and stronger from the start of the season. He worked hard and deserved a start last Friday night."
There has not been a decision made as to who the Big Green will put in goal tonight. The first line will remain the same as last weekend, with Bill Kelleher '96 centering Jon Sturgis '98 and David Whitworth '98.
Bobby Cancelli '98 returns to the ice after being sidelined by a minor injury last weekend. He will center for the Retter brothers, Captain Brent '97 and Charlie '98.
The red-hot third line will remain unchanged and for primarily defensive purposes, a fourth line of Brian Fleming '98, Matt Giedt '99 and Zac Hafer '99 has been created.
The French-Canadian connection of seniors Martin St. Louis and Eric Perrin have always drawn attention from the Big Green since the two signed with UVM. These electric forwards have been skating together before they even knew where Vermont was and have gotten off to a quick start, having amassed 28 points between themselves.
The Big Green gained valuable experience playing against some of the country's top players last weekend and hope to carry that over to keep St. Louis and Perin in check.
"Having played successfully against [Colgate's] Harder and Debrussere last weekend definitely gives us an edge," Demment said. "Harder is very similar in his style of play to St. Louis and Perin, so we should be prepared for tonight. We will be paying special attention to them when they are on the ice."
The roadblock on the Big Green's path to the goal will be Tim Thomas. The senior tender has only given up 2.63 goals per game and is regarded as one of the better goalies in the league.
No matter what the odds against the Big Green, however, they have found a way to keep things very interesting the past two seasons at Thompson. Two years ago, they edged out a 6-5 overtime thriller, and almost repeated that performance last January, but a shot by Alex Dumas '98 wasn't released in time and the game ended in a 3-3 tie.
Demment emphasized the importance of gaining and controlling the momentum of the game.
"We've got to keep it close," Demment said. "The last thing in the world we want is to turn it into a shootout. We've got to get solid goal-tending and take advantage of all our opportunities at their end of the ice. If we can do these things, I'm very optimistic about our chances Friday."
The action begins when the puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
