A meager one vote separates the top two women's hockey teams in the nation. Fortunately, the 142 votes that went to the Dartmouth were enough to keep it atop the polls for a third consecutive week.
Prior to last weekend, the Big Green had a stronger hold on the number one ranking, however the two-game split against second ranked Minnesota proved enough to narrow the margin between the two teams.
On Saturday afternoon, Dartmouth was able to claim a 3-2 victory to stretch its unbeaten streak to an impressive 12 games dating back to late November. Minneapolis area native Tiffany Hagge '06 enjoyed her homecoming with the winning goal halfway through the second period, and her linemates Gillian Apps '06 and Cherie Piper '06 accounted for the other two goals.
Sunday was a completely different story, as a vengeful Minnesota team dominated Dartmouth for much of the game. The Big Green was unable to score until it was down 6-0 late in the third period. Apps, Piper and Hagge found the Gopher net in quick succession to generate a semi-respectable 7-3 final score.
"We just came out flat," said Piper. "They were coming at us 100 percent all the time. They came prepared. We weren't."
The loss on Sunday was only the second of the season for the Big Green, who now boast a 17-2-2 overall record. Its only other defeat came at home against Minnesota-Duluth, the only other team from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association on Dartmouth's schedule.
Head coach Mark Hudak and two of the three tri-captains present at the game felt disappointed by the team's performance in the latter contest of the two-game series.
"The way in which we lost on Sunday was embarrassing," said co-captain Sarah Clark '04. "If we lost playing our game, that would have been one thing, but we played one of the worst games I've been apart of in my four years here at Dartmouth."
The Big Green will have little time to refocus and adjust as fifth-ranked St. Lawrence comes marching into Thompson Arena over Winter Carnival weekend. And after the two-game home series against the Saints, Dartmouth will face three top-ten opponents in its last six contests of the season.
The team will get some help as two of its top players return to the lineup this weekend. Katie Weatherston '06 and Meagan Walton '05 were away in Germany the past week competing for the Canadian U-22 team. Walton is one of the tri-captains of the team, and Weatherston led the team in scoring with 31 points before her departure for Europe.
"Meagan and Katie will be back this weekend and it has a very positive impact for us," said Hudak. "This will be the first time in three weeks that we have the whole team together again. I think we are all looking forward to their return."
In the two players' absence, Hagge took over the team's scoring lead. With two goals and an assist over the weekend, she has 33 points (16g, 17a) now on the season, overtaking Weatherston. Dartmouth has six players with over 20 points and boasts the most prolific offense in the nation with 4.76 goals per game.
On defense, the team has only given up 2.10 goals per contest. All three of Dartmouth's goalies have seen playing time, with freshman Christine Capuano boasting a nation-leading .875 winning percentage.
The Big Green will defend home-ice and its perfect conference record (9-0-1) against a surging St. Lawrence team that trails only by one point in the league standings. The Saints (18-5-1, 9-1-0 ECAC) come into Thompson Arena having recently swept Yale at home.
Led by Canadian national team member Gina Kingsbury (14g, 17a), the Saints average 3.50 goals per game while giving up only 1.96 a contest. Friday night's contest will be the first meeting between the two teams since last season's split up in New York.
A pair of wins at home could give the Big Green great position to capture the ECAC regular season title.
However, when asked about the security of Dartmouth's current ranking in the conference and the nation, Hudak took nothing for granted.
"As for anything being safe at this point -- no, nothing is safe," said Hudak. "There are still a lot of games to be played and a lot that can happen over the next six weeks. We have to continue to play well and take care of the things we can control."
If the Big Green does indeed win out, it will claim the ECAC regular season title before heading into the playoffs in search of its second consecutive ECAC championship and third consecutive ticket to the Frozen Four.
However, with number eight Princeton on the road and third-ranked Harvard at home coming up in the next three weeks, the road will be difficult for the top-ranked team in the nation.
