In 2005, the Big Green's landmark season came to a disappointing end. En route to an 8-4 final record, Dartmouth defeated eventual ACC champion Maryland, and then knocked off Notre Dame, a team ranked No. 9 in the nation at the time. However, the Big Green's ultimate No. 13 national ranking was not enough to secure Dartmouth a spot in the NCAA tournament, forcing a premature ending to one of the best seasons in the program's history.
The Big Green's 2005 tournament aspirations were denied as a result of a numbers crunch. The Dartmouth men did not earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament with their second-place finish in the Ivy League. Although they did not win their conference, they expected to qualify for the tournament with an at-large bid.
In the final week of the season, a true underdog story spoiled Dartmouth's post-season plans. Penn State University rallied against all odds to win the ECAC conference, thus claiming the ECAC's automatic tournament bid. As a result, Georgetown, the powerhouse of the ECAC, did not receive the ECAC's automatic bid, but instead qualified with an at-large bid -- an at-large bid that would have otherwise belonged to the Big Green.
Jamie Coffin '06, the team's co-captain, said that the players are keeping last year's tournament snub in focus as they begin this year's schedule. "It was unfortunate and not what we were expecting," he said. "But you've got to figure, a few more wins and we would not have put ourselves in that situation in the first place."
Most of the team gets another shot at the NCAA tournament this year, as the squad returns six of 10 starting players. The seniors will anchor a veteran team.
Coffin, a two time All-American, is already in the Big Green record books for points, assists and goals scored. Alec Hufnagel '06, Ryan Danehy '06 and Brad Heritage '06 all scored 15 or more goals last season. Senior Ben Lovejoy '06 will take over the long-stick midfield position for the Big Green after he finishes his commitment to Dartmouth's hockey team.
This season will be a coming of age for the team's sophomores and juniors. Nick Bonacci '07 led all players with 20 assists last season, and Ryan O'Connor '07 will bolster the Dartmouth defense as its only returning starter on close defense. Tim Daniels '08, the 2005 Freshman MVP, made contributions in every game during his freshman year, and will return for his sophomore year as an impact player on the Big Green's second midfield line and at the face-off "X." Dartmouth's biggest losses to graduation are on the defensive end of the field. Defensive MVP Patrick Keely '05, All-Ivy defenseman Adam White '05 and All-American goalie Andrew Goldstein '05 leave large shoes to fill. In addition to the defensemen, the Big Green will have to replace a four time first team All-Ivy player and an All-American for two years with the departure of Ben Grinnell '05.
Coffin said the team will miss the contributions from the recent graduates, but downplayed the effects of graduation on the team. "I don't think it will affect us too much," he said. "We have a ton of kids who are stepping up."
The team will look for contributions from Sean Anthony '06, Ryan Orr '08 and Jimmy Mullen '09 on the midfield lines. Ryan Conger '06, Ned Hillenbrand '07 and Tim McVeigh '09 will act as O'Connor's supporting cast on defense. Andrew Mayer '06 and freshman standout Pat Marshall '09 will compete for the starting goalie vacancy. The team retains all three of its 2005 starting attackmen in Coffin, Heritage and Danehy.
The Big Green enters Saturday's action ranked No. 17 in national preseason polls. Providence has received less preseason media attention and is unranked.
Dartmouth is determined to take every opponent seriously, regardless of their reputation. "Last year we lost a few games that we should have won. We need to focus on every game and make sure we are making the most out of every game we can win...not taking any [opponent] lightly." Coffin said.
Saturday's match-up with the Friars in Providence, R.I. is certainly a winnable game for the Big Green. An opening-day victory would be the first step toward converting bitter memories of last year's untapped potential into present success. The game is scheduled to face-off at 1 p.m.
