The win ended a three-game skid and improved Dartmouth's record to 4-3. Although the Big Green started its season with three consecutive wins, the winning streak was followed by a string of three losses.
The losing streak began when Dartmouth lost an 11-10 heartbreaker to Penn State. Plagued by defensive miscues, the team then lost by more convincing margins to Air Force and No. 3 Maryland.
The defense, however, came through against Albany. The tandem of Ryan O'Connor '07, Ned Hillenbrand '07 and Mark Ayala '08 held the Great Danes to six shots over the entire second half and only a single shot in the fourth quarter.
According to captain Brad Heritage '06, the Big Green defense is just beginning to settle in. "Guys are starting to learn their roles on our team," he said. "Also, we've been switching between a man and zone defenses. We've got some really smart guys on [defense] so they can adjust quickly, and that's keeping offenses on their toes."
The defensive effort was facilitated by Dartmouth's tenacity on face-offs and ground balls. Tim Daniels '08 won 17 of 23 face-off draws, and Kyle Lagratta '09 won two more as the Big Green consistently controlled the ball from the face-off "X."
Additionally, the Big Green pocketed 27 more ground balls than Albany over the last three quarters of the game. As a result, Dartmouth controlled the ball on offense, creating breaks for the defense during the long Big Green possessions.
Much of the face-off success can be attributed to the play of long-stick midfielder Ben Lovejoy '07. A two-sport athlete, Lovejoy made his 2006 debut against Albany after finishing his contributions to Dartmouth's hockey campaign.
"He's a big boost on the field to the team in general," Heritage said. "He's an unbelievable athlete and his stick-work is great. He's great on the wing on face-offs, which helps us to control the ball more."
In addition to Lovejoy's eight ground balls and defensive leadership, the long-stick made a crucial offensive contribution. In the third quarter, the Great Danes controlled the momentum of the game as they led 8-5 after rattling off four unanswered goals.
In the early minutes of the third quarter, a successful ride by the Big Green created a fast break out of Albany's failed clear. Lovejoy stayed on the field and headed for the crease as the Dartmouth attackmen worked the ball behind the net. Nick Bonacci '07 fed a high pass into the crease that Lovejoy controlled and immediately slammed into the turf of Scully-Fahey field. The bounce-shot eluded Great Dane goalkeeper Brett Queener and tucked into the net, just under the crossbar.
Lovejoy's goal set the tone for the second half. The Big Green went on to outshoot Albany 21-6 in the half and to outscore the Great Danes 7-1 over the final two periods.
Dartmouth's efficient offensive showing was spearheaded by Bonacci, who assisted seven Big Green scores, an astounding total. Heritage scored four goals, and Jamie Coffin '06 tallied three goals and an assist.
Goalkeeper Patrick Marshall '09 only totaled four saves on the day but protected an empty net with an acrobatic diving save to preserve the Dartmouth rally in the third quarter, robbing Albany attackman Merrick Thomson of an all-but-certain goal.
The win comes as an important ego-boost for the Big Green. "[After three losses], we learned that we were not as good as we thought we were, but after yesterday we're feeling like we aren't as bad as we started to think we are," Heritage admitted.
The men in green will face another formidable opponent when they travel to South Bend, Ind., to play No. 11 Notre Dame. Dartmouth will look to validate last year's 10-9 upset of the Fighting Irish in front of a national audience. The game is scheduled to face-off Sunday at noon, and will be nationally televised on CSTV.
