Saturday's opener pitted No. 17 Dartmouth against underdog Providence College in a back-and-forth game. The Big Green ultimately prevailed 15-12, largely as a result of a seven-goal, three-assist performance by Jamie Coffin '06. On Tuesday, the University of Vermont silenced Coffin, but Dartmouth showed its depth in a 13-6 blowout of the Catamounts. Five different Big Green players scored two or more goals apiece, and two Dartmouth attackmen who did not score added a combined eight assists.
While wins early on in a season are always a sigh of relief, it was especially difficult for the Big Green squad to escape the first games of 2006 without a loss. The team has only played one scrimmage in the fall and spring pre-seasons combined.
While happy to come away with two wins, co-captain Alec Hufnagel '06 stressed that the team needs to improve before it can outmatch stiffer competition.
"I don't think we can be satisfied with how we played over our first two games," he said. "We're looking ahead to the tests that lie in the weeks ahead: Fairfield, Penn State and Maryland. As a team, we are constantly striving to get better. Of course, getting a win is great, but we can't be satisfied with this."
Saturday's struggle in Providence was a test of wills. The Friars came out strong against an untested Dartmouth team, playing the first quarter to a 4-4 tie and scoring a go-ahead goal four minutes and eleven seconds into the second quarter to claim their first lead of the game.
However, Providence's one goal lead would prove to be its last, as Dartmouth retaliated with six unanswered goals over the rest of the second quarter and into the third period of play. Over the six-goal stretch, Coffin scored three goals and assisted teammates on two more, and the Big Green held the Friars scoreless for more than 20 minutes of play.
When the Friars finally snapped Dartmouth's rally with three minutes and twelve seconds remaining in the third period, the Big Green had amassed an 11-6 lead.
Providence rallied, outscoring Dartmouth 6-4 for the remainder of the game. However, the Big Green men had distanced themselves too far from their hosts for the rally to impact the outcome of the game.
In addition to Coffin, attackman Nick Bonacci '07 and midfielder Tim Daniels '08 anchored the Dartmouth offense. Bonacci scored four goals and had two assists, while Daniels won 16 of 22 face-offs and picked up a game-high 13 ground balls for his team.
The defense of Ned Hillenbrand '07, Ryan O'Connor '07 and Tim McVeigh '09 bent but did not break, as the team helped first-year goalie Pat Marshall '09 gain his footing. With sufficient defense and a strong performance from offensive stars, the Big Green was able to come away with a gritty win in Providence.
Co-captain Brad Heritage '06 was pleased that his team was able to put together enough elements to come away with a win. "At this point we'll take a win any way we can get it," he said. "We hardly scrimmaged at all during the off-season, so we're not used to playing against teams in different colored jerseys. We came out slow, we're young on the defensive side of the ball, but things are starting to settle in. We're on the right track."
On Tuesday against Vermont, the men in green realized their potential. While the 13-6 rout of the Catamounts highlighted some of the Big Green's weaknesses, these shortcomings were drowned out by a strong team effort and intensity that Vermont could not match. The teams traded goals throughout the first half, finishing the half with the score 5-4 in favor of Dartmouth.
The second half was a different story. Impressive play by the Big Green defense and goalkeeper stifled the Catamount attack, only conceding two goals on 18 shots. Marshall finished the game with 18 saves -- 10 in the second half alone -- and was named the most valuable player of the game by the coaching staff.
Marshall attributes all of his success in goal to the stingy play of his defense. "The majority of my saves were a product of the defense's hard work and intensity which made my job so much easier," he said.
On offense, Dartmouth outmatched the Vermont defense with a balanced attack. Daniels, Heritage and Brian Koch '09 netted two goals apiece, and Hufnagel and Luke Antal '07 each tallied hat tricks.
Bonnacci assisted five goals and Ryan Danehy '06 assisted three more, as the Catamount defenders' focus on shutting down Coffin allowed other players to shine.
The 17th-ranked Big Green faces its first true test against a nationally ranked opponent on Saturday, as the team travels to Connecticut to face-off against No. 20 Fairfield. The contest is scheduled for 2 p.m.
