Dartmouth dressed its most complete squad last weekend against third-ranked Minnesota. Led by freshman Cherie Piper and senior Correne Bredin, the Big Green convincingly upset the Gophers by a score of 6-3.
This weekend, Dartmouth will skate another near-complete lineup, with the exceptions of senior captain Lydia Wheatley and sophomores Cheryle Muranko and Meagan Walton, all of whom suffered severe injuries during this season.
Wheatley has not played since the second game of the season while Muranko suffered a season-ending injury on Nov. 8 against Brown.
Walton had a brutal collision into the wall last Friday in the win against Minnesota, breaking her ankle in two places. After having surgery this past Wednesday, she will also miss the rest of the season.
The team won't be at full strength without these key players, but with the return of athletes from their national camp obligations, the Big Green is aiming to make a strong dash for the post-season
"We're a dangerous team," commented coach Judy Oberting '91. "It has been frustrating to wait for our team to be complete."
The next unfortunate opponent of this dangerous Dartmouth team will be from the University of Connecticut. Coming into a two-game series with the Big Green, the Huskies hold a shaky 7-12-4 record, but the fourteen sophomores and five freshmen on the team could bring a lot of energy into this weekend's contests.
However, this potential energy has not transformed into offense for Connecticut. The Huskies were only able to score 1.13 goals per game this season, which stands in stark contrast to Dartmouth's impressive 4.50 goals-per-game average.
Despite statistical disparities, the Big Green cannot treat the Huskies lightly. With four solid lines to do the bulk of the work on offense, Dartmouth should focus on special teams after having given up three power play goals to Minnesota last week.
Having only twelve games left in the season, the Big Green needs to consider ways to advance deep into the postseason.
With the monumental victory over the Gophers last Friday, the Big Green not only improved its record to 12-5-0 overall, it also made an impressive statement to the USCHO, who will be handing out only four NCAA Tournament bids.
Dartmouth is securely ranked fourth in the nation in this week's USCHO poll, but if the Frozen Four would be selected today, UNH would earn the fourth spot over Dartmouth because of its 19-4-1 record despite the Wildcats' winless record against top six teams in the nation.
In order to makeup ground, the Big Green needs impressive victories in the next four games, all of which will take place in Thompson Arena. After the conclusion of the three-week homestand, the team will play its most important game of the season in Boston against number one ranked Harvard, who handed Dartmouth a 9-2 defeat earlier in the season.
The Big Green's quest for a spot in the Frozen Four continues this weekend, and the games against the Huskies will be 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
