It's been a year of pleasant surprises for the Big Green men's hockey team.
Picked to finish near the bottom of the ECAC, Dartmouth has amassed an 8-5 overall record, already one better than last year's win total of seven, and find themselves in the thick of things in the conference standings.
Team chemistry, experienced players, increased offense production and sound play in net have boosted Dartmouth from a ECAC cellar-dweller to a team to be reckoned with.
The Big Green have capitalized on these team strengths throughout the season.
Coach Demment can't help but smile when talking about his close-knit team: "Only having lost three guys from last year, I feel we've adapted well to the style of play that will normally result in successful hockey. We're scoring goals at a higher rate than we did a year ago, and we've had some somewhat unexpected great play from our young goal-tenders."
The most unlikely source of that increased offensive output has come from the red line, composed of Jeremiah Buckley '98, Ryan Chaytors '99, and Darren Wercinski '97. Formed primarily as a defensive, checking group, the three have molded into Dartmouth's number one scoring threat.
"We put together that group of smart, conscientious hockey players to fulfill the role of a checking line, but they have kept the puck on the offensive end so much that they haven't really needed to concentrate on defense," added Demment. "All three of them are on the same page. They talk a lot in practice, they talk a lot in games, and they really work well together as a three man unit."
Freshmen Jason Wong and Eric Almon have proved instrumental in the Big Green's success as well. Wong holds a stellar 6-1 record between the posts, with a solid 3 goals against average. Almon has been a "joy" to watch as he has stopped better than forty shots twice this season. Not even Coach Demment envisioned that these two `00's would be the regulars at this point in the season, but they made the transition to Division I hockey quickly, and have earned their positions.
Looking ahead to this weekend, the Big Green hit the road to face Yale tonight and Princeton tomorrow night. Yale stands at a lack-luster 4-8-2, while Princeton has turned a lot of heads with their 12-4-2 record. However, neither team's standing on paper tells the whole story.
Beating the Bulldogs
While the Bulldogs have only recorded four victories up to now, they have shown an uncanny ability to keep games close and opposing teams very nervous. They have beaten Clarkson on the road, tied Boston University and dropped hard fought overtime games to Denver and Colgate.
With one of the strongest freshmen classes in the ECAC, they are a team on the rise. Freshmen forward Jeff Hamilton, for example, leads the team in scoring with 17 points through 14 games. Dartmouth knows this team can't be taken for granted.
"Yale is a much improved team, with a great transition game," Demment said. "We've got to switch quickly from offense to defense, and from defense to offense to keep them in check. If this game stays close, the key to winning it is playing good team defense."
Taming the Tigers
The streaking Tigers have been perhaps the biggest surprise in the ECAC this season. Standing at the top of the division, this much improved squad is very similar to the Big Green. They have relied on experience, great goaltending from Nick Rankin (.905 save percentage), and some freshmen stepping up quickly, like defenseman Dominique Auger who has provided some offensive firepower with 12 points through 17 games.
However, the Tigers have also relied on a somewhat soft schedule to boost their standing a bit higher than their abilities. The Big Green would like nothing more to show they are not similar to the Tigers, but better.
"We've got to keep their team speed through center ice in check by keeping bodies on them," said Demment. "They do have some younger defensemen and we need to take advantage of that."
On the whole, the Big Green need to rebound from last weekend's slip-up, and "get back to playing sixty solid minutes of hockey," as Coach Demment puts it. If the Big Green can forecheck as well as they did against UVM, slow up the Bulldog and Tiger attacks at center ice, and establish an offensive rhythm, it could prove to be a very rewarding road trip.
