Two goals down, not a problem, but three-goal deficits broke the camel's back. Dartmouth has come from being down two-goals to win several games this season, but the Big Green could not overcome 3-0 leads by Harvard and Brown on the last weekend of the regular season.
On Friday night, Harvard (20-6-3, 17-1-2 ECAC) out-shot Dartmouth (23-5, 16-4 ECAC) 20 to three in the first period and staked itself to a 3-0 lead.
Despite the surging efforts of the Big Green to make a miraculous comeback bid, the Crimson held on for a 4-3 final score and another conference title " its third in as many years.
The Big Green dug itself into a deficit just 3:38 into the game. Being overly aggressive, Dartmouth gave up a two-on-one break for the opening score.
Three minutes later, Harvard freshman Laura Brady beat Kate Lane '06 five-hole when she tipped in a pass from linemate Jennifer Sifers.
"We were trying to be way too offensive," said Dartmouth coach Mark Hudak. "Instead of clearing the puck, we were trying to poke the puck through and do something with it. Instead of taking the puck deep, we're like, 'Maybe I can make an extra move.' Instead of taking the puck wide, it's 'Maybe I'll drive to the middle and see if I can beat three people.'"
Harvard made it 3-0 late in the first on a 5-3 powerplay and could have stretched the lead further if Sarah Vaillancourt's shot didn't hit solid pipe.
More composed in the second period, the Big Green began its comeback. Co-Captain Meagan Walton '05 broke Ali Boe's shutout with a power-play tally at the 11:48 mark, and Katie Weatherston '06 added a power-play goal of her own five minutes later to cut the deficit to one.
Harvard defenseman Lindsay Weaver, whose penalty resulted in the Weatherston goal, made up for her mistake with the eventual game-winner and a huge momentum-shifter at the 18:56 mark.
A 4-2 lead for the Crimson going into the second intermission stymied the Big Green's rallying efforts.
Cherie Piper '06, Dartmouth's leading scorer, accounted for the final score at the 4:37 mark of the third. The Big Green could not manage the game-tying goal, despite good scoring chances.
"We had no delusions that they weren't going to score goals tonight, for sure," said Harvard coach Katey Stone to USCHO. "It was just a matter of getting one more goal than they did."
That one goal meant the difference between a conference title and finishing in second place for the Big Green. The loss to Harvard also trivialized the Big Green's game on Saturday against Brown, as the outcome had no bearing on its playoff seeding.
Hudak took the opportunity to rest the injured Piper, but as a result, the Big Green suffered its second consecutive defeat--the fourth in the past seven games--against a resurgent Bears squad.
Similar to Friday's game, Brown (14-13-2, 11-8-1 ECAC) out-shot Dartmouth 15-7 in the first frame and raced out to a 2-0 lead. It became 3-0 early in the second period, and Brown goalie O'Hara Shipe made 28 saves in the game to preserve a 3-1 final score.
Unfortunately for the Big Green, forward Caroline Ethier '07 suffered a knee injury in the game and did not return. Dartmouth has been plagued with the injury bug in the past month, a detriment to an already short bench.
Piper played in the Harvard game despite healing from a separated shoulder. Walton played both games this weekend with a broken finger. Forward Gillian Apps '06 is bothered by a back injury. Several others are playing through injuries, as well.
Despite being swept on the road, the Big Green earned home-ice advantage in the first round of the ECAC playoffs with its second seed. Dartmouth will host seventh-seed Colgate next weekend in a best-of-three series in Thompson Arena.
In two games this season against the Raiders, the Big Green won 4-3 in New York and 3-2 at home. Colgate enters the playoffs with a seven-game unbeaten streak and will prove to be a tough match for Dartmouth.
"Colgate is a solid team, as they've demonstrated in our two meetings thus far," said co-captain Alana BreMiller '05. "This week is going to be important in terms of refocusing and getting back to some basics."
The first game of the quarterfinals will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon, preceding the men's ECAC playoff match against Yale.
Game two will be on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m., and, if necessary, game three will be held on Sunday.
