For a program that has been in the upper echelon of women's college hockey for the last decade, entering the postseason in the lower stratum of the rankings is unfamiliar territory for the Big Green. Still, head coach Mark Hudak is confident that the pressure will not faze his team.
"I think the challenge is to get out there and have a consistent weekend," he said. "The kids are excited about it, so I don't think it will be a big deal. If you play really well and quiet the other team down and get them worried, it's a big lift for you."
"We've had a good second half of the season," Hudak said, alluding to Dartmouth performance in the latter part of the regular season despite having the second-hardest schedule in the NCAA.
Since the ECAC moved to an eight-team playoff format for the 1992-93 season, only one sixth seed has moved past the first round. Ironically, that occurred when the then sixth-seeded Big Green defeated third-seeded Brown 3-0 in Providence in 1999.
Dartmouth (12-11-4, 9-8-3 ECAC) holds the slight edge in the all-time series with a 27-26-8 record, but Brown has been the winner in five of the eight postseason meetings between the two Ivy League squads. Brown won the first meeting 2-0 in November, but the Bears had to claw their way to a 3-3 draw in the second game after scoring all three goals in the final period.
Brown (12-12-5, 10-6-4 ECAC) clinched the third seed with a 3-3 tie against Quinnipiac in the last game of the season. The Bears received the seed over fourth-seeded No. 8 Harvard and fifth-seeded Clarkson, a team that also finished the season with 24 points, due to tiebreakers.
St. Lawrence earned the top seed and will play eighth-seeded Yale, while No. 5 Princeton enters the playoffs with the second seed and will take on seventh-seeded Colgate.
The Bears boast five All-Ivy performers, including forwards Haley Moore -- a First Team All-Ivy selection who finished third in the ECAC in scoring with 37 points in 29 games -- and All-Ivy second teamer Keaton Zucker.
Leading the Bears on defense are seniors Myria Heinhuis and Ashlee Drover, who earned First Team and Second Team honors, respectively.
Honorable Mention All-Ivy goalkeeper O'Hara Shipe has been steady in net, posting a .924 save percentage and 2.14 goals against average to go with an 8-7-4 record.
Hudak stressed the importance of getting pressure on the Bears and crashing the net to create opportunities off rebounds.
"They're a pretty well-balanced team that works really hard," he said. "They've got a couple of strong goalies, and they know how to play a strong team defensive game. For us, it's how we're going to figure out how we're going to penetrate their defense and that's going got come off transition."
Hudak also said that one of the big keys will be Dartmouth's play on special teams against Brown, which was the second most penalized team in the league with 14.2 penalty minutes per game.
Playing outside the friendly confines of Thompson Arena may add an extra challenge for Dartmouth. Brown has accumulated a 5-3-1 home record against conference opponents and upset three top ten teams at Meehan Auditorium in the regular season.
Dartmouth finished the regular season with a road split. The Big Green upset No. 10 Clarkson 6-2 on Feb. 24, with assistant captain Caroline Ethier '07 leading the team with two goals and two assists. Dartmouth women's team could not duplicate this success in their final game the following evening, losing 5-1 to No. 2 St. Lawrence.
With a shortened bench due to Olympic hiatuses and injuries, the Big Green has relied heavily on its youth and versatility throughout the season.
The roster includes eight freshmen, led by leading scorers Shannon Bowman '09 and Maggie Kennedy '09, each with 23 points. Bowman was the only member of the team to receive Ivy League accolades, earning a spot on the All-Ivy Second Team.
However, Hudak expressed little concern about the composure of his experienced group of first-years.
"I don't think its going to be a big a deal for our freshmen because they've had to play such a significant role. They're going to be as seasoned as any freshmen going into the playoffs."
In addition, Dartmouth plays with only 13 skaters available, six of which are defensemen who have had to adjust their play to factor into the offensive game.
"That's OK as long as no one gets hurt," Hudak said of playing short-staffed. "We've got to be careful with how we expend our energy."
As of Thursday afternoon Hudak was still undecided about who would be the Big Green's starting goalkeeper in the first game. Kate Lane '06 and Carli Clemis '09 split time in the last games of the regular season and Hudak said that it may be possible that both goalies see action between the pipes in the series.
Dartmouth will take the ice in Providence at 7 p.m. on Friday and return to action Saturday at 4 p.m. in the second game of the series. If necessary, the Big Green will play the third and deciding game on Sunday at 4 p.m.
