Behind a stellar performance by Gillian Apps '06, the Big Green women's hockey team finished its season sweep of the Catamounts with an 8-0 blow-out on Wednesday night at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
In two shutouts, Dartmouth out-shot Vermont 124-11 and registered a total of 15 goals. The win improves Dartmouth's record to 6-1-0 overall and 5-1-0 in ECAC North play.
Eleven different players recorded points in Wednesday's match-up. Carly Haggard '03 pushed her team-leading point total to 14 with two goals and an assist, but the night belonged to Apps, who registered five points by tallying a goal in each of the three periods while assisting on two other scores. The burst of scoring moves Apps up to second place on the team with nine points on the season.
Another freshman, Stephanie Cochran, also gave a solid performance in the game. She started her first game between the pipes, picking up the shutout by stopping the three shots she faced. Amy Ferguson '03 was given the night off, but will start this weekend.
"I was definitely excited to start my first game for Darmouth and it was even better that it ended up in a shutout," Cochran said of her debut. "The defense played very well so I didn't have to be nervous."
With the dominant victory in Burlington, Dartmouth returns home to prepare for a tough weekend against Providence and Niagara. The Big Green is still plagued with injuries, but the team will be ready for the weekend.
"Our lines have been getting switched around with people getting injured and then some people coming back," Haggard said. "But I think that we have adapted very well. This weekend is going to be a real test, but I think we are ready for the challenge and are really looking forward to it."
Dartmouth will open its weekend against the Friars from Providence, a team that has already lost to the Big Green earlier in the season. However, coming off of a pair of solid victories last weekend, the Friars (6-3-1) are currently No. 9 in the nation and look to avenge their earlier defeat in Thompson Arena this Saturday.
Jen Butsch, who led the Friars with 31 points last year, will anchor a talented core of forwards who lead the ECAC East in scoring last season. Butsch already has 13 points this season and looks to contribute to the Friars' 3.2 goals per game average on Saturday afternoon.
Freshman standout Jana Bugden, who recorded two consecutive shut-outs two weeks ago, will guard the net for the Friars. She made 25 saves on 28 shots on November 3rd against the Big Green but took the loss in a 3-2 Dartmouth victory.
Dartmouth also dominated the series in recent history. The Big Green won the only meeting between the two teams last year and holds a 5-1-0 record in the last six contests, including a win in the ECAC quarterfinals in 2000.
The Big Green will see another solid offensive team on Sunday in the Purple Eagles of Niagara. Senior Teresa Del Monte, who has 12 goals on the season, leads a potent offense that averages 3.7 goals a game. The defense is anchored by assistant captain Bradi Cochrane, who ranked second in the ECAC in scoring last season.
The goalie situation, however, is a bit problematic for the Purple Eagles. After the departure of All-American Tania Pinelli, junior Jen Moscaro is forced to take responsibility in goal. Her lack of experience should be an aspect that the Big Green can exploit in the game.
The two teams did not meet last season, but split the season series two years ago. The Eagles did lose, however, to the Big Green 3-1 in that year's ECAC quarterfinal match-up.
Game times are 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Look for Dartmouth to come out firing against both teams on an exciting weekend that will see both the men's and the women's teams in action at Thompson Arena.
