The Dartmouth men's hockey team improved to 9-4 (5-2 ECAC) by winning the Thompson-hosted Ledyard National Bank Auld Lang Syne Classic and picking up its first road victory.
The team shook a monkey off its back down I-89 by coming from behind to beat the University of Vermont at Gutterson Field House 3-2 to pick up a key road victory.
Lee Stempniak '05 put Dartmouth on the board just 22 seconds into the matchup with the local rival Catamounts, tucking a Trevor Byrne '03 rebound past Shawn Conschafter.
The Cats came back the next period, however, dominating play and putting up two goals while shutting down the Dartmouth offense. Bryson Busniuk notched a power play goal and had an assist on Scott Mifsud's go-ahead score less than two minutes later.
The Big Green bounced back in the final frame, however, as Kent Gillings '03 kept his offensive flame burning with a game-tying goal at 3:33. After a slow start, Gillings now has seven goals and six assists and is averaging over a point per game.
Eric Przepiorka '06 put home the game-winning goal on a breakaway with less than five minutes to play in regulation. P.J. Martin '04 sent him past the defense with the assist, giving Przepiorka his fifth shot of the contest and the one that mattered most. Despite Conschafter's 40-save effort, Dartmouth left the Gut with a huge win.
"Vermont played well, I thought," head coach Bob Gaudet '81 said, "especially in the second period. But we had a great third period, and erased the 2-1 deficit. It was a good road victory for us."
Dartmouth had fallen in each of its first four road games: at Merrimack, Harvard, Brown and UMass-Amherst.
"The guys took care of themselves over break," Gaudet said. "They got some rest, but they stayed in really good shape."
It was once again a successful homecoming for the Big Green men after their winter break as they defeated Notre Dame 6-4 on Dec. 28 and mashed UMass-Lowell 10-2 in the championship game of the holiday tournament on Dec. 29.
Gillings and Nick Boucher '03 led the way against the Fighting Irish. Gillings found the back of the net twice, including the eventual game winner. Boucher, again clutch late in the game, stopped 38 shots in total.
The offensive onslaught against the Riverhawks was orchestrated in large part by Hugh Jessiman '06, Stempniak and Gillings, each of whom had five points. Jessiman emerged with four goals, thanks in part to Stempniak's five assists. Garrett Overlock '06 contributed his first collegiate goal.
"We were absolutely right on," Gaudet said of his team's performance against Lowell. "We moved the puck well; we were obviously very good offensively. It was nice to win our tournament. It's been a while since we've won the tournament here."
Led by goaltender Dan Yacey '05, the Big Green edged the US-Under 18 squad 2-1 in an exhibition match on Dec. 14.
"They were a really good defensive team," Gaudet said. "We had some different combinations and we played a little different style actually than we [usually] play."
Dartmouth is riding a three game winning streak, including a win over a CCHA squad (Notre Dame) and a Hockey East member (Lowell), representatives from arguably the two toughest hockey conferences in the country.
The Big Green brought even more pride to the ECAC by entering both the United States College Hockey poll and the Pair Wise Rankings. Dartmouth is currently No. 14 in the nation and is tied for 10th in the Pair Wise with defending national champion Minnesota and CCHA leader Ferris State.
But while Dartmouth is sitting pretty on the national scale, the team still has a long road ahead in both ECAC and Ivy competition.
Dartmouth travels this weekend to face Clarkson and St. Lawrence, hoping its first taste of success on the road stays with the team for the crucial upcoming ECAC competition.
