A two-game sweep over Princeton (9-7-2) and Yale (4-12-2) would be sweet for the Big Green this weekend.
It's certainly something the players all want -- but more importantly, a sweep is something this team absolutely needs if it wants any chance of playing in the post-season.
The Big Green are currently 10th in the ECAC, five slots south of the Tigers and one notch above the Bulldogs.
"The implications of this weekend's games are enormous," said Head Coach Roger Demment. "If we sweep and Yale loses on Saturday, then we're all set for the playoff picture."
The bad news is that the Big Green fell victim to a Tiger-Bulldog sweep on the road earlier this season.
The good news is that the task of winning this weekend shouldn't require a miracle on ice -- especially since Dartmouth's got the home-ice advantage in this second round of battle.
While both Princeton and Yale have shown flashes of brilliance during their seasons, neither team seems to be carrying momentum at this point in the season. The Tigers have gone winless in their last three games while the Bulldogs have been winless in their last five.
"Princeton's been in a slump recently," Demment said. "They've fallen short in a few games but they've also been playing some solid hockey."
In their earlier match-up against Princeton, the Big Green squandered a 2-1 third period lead to fall 4-2. In the Yale game, the Bulldogs jumped to a 5-1 second-half lead before Dartmouth knocked in three goals to end the game down 5-4.
"We've been playing snake-bitten recently in the sense that if we make a serious mistake, we end up paying for it in the form of a goal," Demment said.
"Princeton's got a very good transition game so we really need to play solid neutral-zone defense against them," Demment explained. "They've also got four really strong line shifts who just keep coming at you."
Rest assured, the Bulldogs won't fall too easily either.
"Yale's been a very opportunistic team this season," Demment said. "They can convert on the long stretch pass, but I think if we come out of the gates fast and if we play our game, we can beat them."
"We lost to both Princeton and Yale earlier this year, so I think there's a bit of a revenge factor involved," said forward Jon Sturgis '98.
Then there's the whole tradition behind the Princeton game. Yeah, that whole deal with Big Green fans beaning the Princeton goalie with tennis balls the first time he lets the puck slip by.
"It's lots of fun for us and the fans," Sturgis said. "It gives us even more motivation to score as many goals as we can. Since this is our last home weekend, we're hoping for a big fan turnout to help us sweep the weekend."
"We're coming off a weekend where we played some pretty good hockey yet unfortunately came away with nothing to show for it," said sophomore forward Dave Whitworth. "We're confident though, that if we play the same hockey this weekend as we did last weekend, we'll be rewarded with a pair of Ivy wins."
"This is definitely the most important weekend of the season," forward Bob Cancelli '98 said. "We can clinch a playoff spot."
"Every game here on in is a playoff game for us," explained juniorforward Charlie Retter. "We've lost a lot of close games this year, which has hurt our confidence a little. But we plan to get that winning attitude back in the next four games, and be rolling by the time the playoffs come around."
The puck drops at 7:30 against the Tigers tonight and at 5:00 tomorrow versus the Bulldogs.
The seniors on the squad will be honored in pre-game ceremonies on Saturday at 4:45.
