Following three failed attempts to push the puck past the Crusaders' blue line during its late-game 5-on-4 advantage, Dartmouth saw an errant pass picked off by junior James Sixsmith 10 feet from the Big Green goal. Sixsmith deked out netminder Mike Devine '08 and potted the winning goal with 28.9 seconds remaining, silencing the previously rowdy home crowd and giving Holy Cross the 3-2 victory.
Before Sixsmith's heartbreaker, Dartmouth had come back from a two-goal deficit to tie the game with 12:13 left in the third period. After seeing his slapper hit the crossbar of the Holy Cross goal four minutes earlier, Eric Przepiorka '06 tipped a shot by Garret Overlock '06 by Crusader goalie Tony Quesada, knotting the game at 2-2.
Opportunities abounded for the Big Green in the final frame. Excluding Przepiorka's close call, Dartmouth found itself with three power plays, two drawn out scrambles in front of Quesada's net -- neither of which resulted in a score, and a David Jones '08 wide-open breakaway which ended in a fine defensive stop.
Dartmouth got on the board at 18:54 in the second. Connor Shields '09 one-timed the puck past Quesada, bringing his team within one. Kevin Swallow '09 set up the freshmen connection when he stole the puck at the Holy Cross blue line, eventually sending a gorgeous crossing pass to his streaking rookie teammate.
"We played our butts off tonight," said head coach Bob Gaudet. "I really felt there was 100 percent effort throughout the entire game. We had a very late power play, and that means playing on the worst ice of the game. The puck was bouncing around like crazy, and it just led to a bad mistake. That's all."
Gaudet, who has typically been the most optimistic member of the men's hockey team, remained as upbeat as one can be after suffering a traumatic defeat. During an uncharacteristically long post-game speech to his team, Gaudet told his players to put the game behind them and focus on next weekend, when the team begins the final stretch of in-league action.
"The guys know they can't think of tonight after tonight," said the coach. "They are a resilient group, and I can guarantee they will play hard next week."
While sitting in their locker room, the Big Green men were treated to a post-game theatrical performance by a Holy Cross team that very blatantly danced and sang "Ol, Ol, Ol" with their locker door open.
"The younger guys will remember that when we play them next year," said a visibly annoyed Gaudet. "Stuff like that definitely motivates us for upcoming games."
The Big Green, which had come within one game of .500 a night earlier with a 4-2 victory over Sacred Heart, stands at a crossroads in its season. The question remains of whether or not they will fulfill a potential which has been confirmed in wins against Cornell and Harvard or continue the inconsistent play that has led to losses against the likes of Brown, Princeton and, of course, Holy Cross.
Dartmouth showed its occasional aptitude for fire-power by jumping out to a 3-0 advantage early on versus Sacred Heart on Friday night. Half-way through the first period, Brandon Harrington '09 recorded his first collegiate goal, giving the Big Green a lead they would not relinquish. Dartmouth picked up its second goal on a 5-on-3 power play when Overlock sent a behind-the-back pass to Tanner Glass '07, who beat Pioneers goaltender Jason Smith. Overlock got a score of his own four minutes into the second period, inflating the lead to 3-0.
David Jones '08 would seal the victory on a power play in the final period with his team-leading ninth goal of the season. Devine, who has let up more than three goals only twice in the past 11 games, continued his solidly reliable play, picking up 23 saves on the night.
Przepiorka, after the Holy Cross game, agreed with his coach that such a weekend will not demoralize the team.
"Holy Cross just got some breaks and capitalized on them," said the senior. "We'll definitely move on and learn from our mistakes. There's no way you can forget a game like this one, but if we learn that we have to respect our opponents and play hard all the time, we'll be fine."
Przepiorka commented on another troubling trend, saying, "We've outshot almost everyone we've played. Hopefully the puck will start bouncing our way for our last games."
Gaudet, while conceding to the fact that Dartmouth has struggled so far and may not yet be the cohesive package featured throughout most of last season, maintained that this year's squad should still be considered a national contender.
"We don't have all the answers. We may not have all the pieces. But we are still a team that could win a championship," said the coach, confidently.
The Big Green resumes ECACHL competition next weekend when it plays host to Union (11-10-5) and RPI (11-11-3). Union is 4-9-1 on the road, putting Dartmouth in the immediate driver's seat for the teams' Friday night match-up. Both games are set to face-off at 7 p.m.
