There's no place like home for the Big Green. After a tough four-game road trip which saw Dartmouth go 0-3-1, the Big Green (9-11-1 overall, 4-9-1 ECAC) return to Thompson Arena where they have earned three of their four ECAC wins.
Dartmouth faces off against Cornell tonight and Colgate tomorrow night as the puck drops at 7:30 both nights. Each opponent will prove to be a formidable challenge for the Big Green.
Big Red on a roll
The Big Red have been playing textbook hockey this season. They have an extremely balanced attack, exceptional goaltending and great team defense. All these factors have helped Cornell build their league- leading 9-3-2 record.
In their first meeting with Cornell, the Big Green jumped on the board first, but fell 6-3 in Ithaca. However, the Big Red won't have their home crowd behind them as they skate into Hanover on Carnival weekend.
"We need to play a territorial game," Coach Roger Demment said. "Where we attack the net at every opportunity and play very tight defense through center ice and on our end of the ice."
"When you've been playing on the road against teams ranked in the top ten in the country like Vermont and Clarkson, you feel the effects of being the underdog," Demment said. "Coming back into our rink on Carnival Weekend, we're looking forward to the home crowd working to our advantage. It's almost like having an extra skater on the ice."
Colgate solid on defense
As one of the pre-season ECAC favorites, the Red Raiders haven't quite lived up to their billing as they sit in the middle of the pack in the ECAC at 7-6-1.
Colgate is the only ECAC team the Big Green have defeated on the road as they go for the season sweep on Saturday night.
"The key to beating Colgate the first time was playing very solid team defense," Demment said. "We've got to have a similar effort on Saturday and take advantage of our opportunities on offense."
"It's the month of February, we're going down the stretch, and everyone is fighting for a position for the playoffs," concluded Coach Demment. "From here on out, I think you're going to see very tight, hard fought games."
Hopefully, for the Big Green, they can back on track this weekend and gain some ground in the conference.
