Dartmouth (15-4-2) did not wait long to get on the scoreboard. Less than a minute into the game, a racing Shannon Bowman '09 scored on a one-timer, receiving a crossing pass from Katie Weatherston '06. The score came on the Big Green's first offensive rush of the game.
At 2:13 into the game, a goal that would have tied the game for New Hampshire (17-3-3) was overturned by a high stick call. With Dartmouth's lead intact, the team maintained its initial momentum and never looked back.
Captain Gillian Apps '06 extended the lead to 2-0 at 7:16 in the first period with her team-high 21st goal of the season. Getting an accurate feed from Cherie Piper '06 right outside of New Hampshire's zone, Apps cut between the two Wildcat defenders and outraced them for the breakaway goal. On the shot, the Big Green captain faked to the right and then crossed back to backhand the puck upstairs.
The second period started inauspiciously for the Big Green, when they were called for two penalties in the first five minutes, including a short span when the team played 3-on-5. However, the team's high-pressure penalty killing unit prevailed, preventing any significant scoring chances and even getting a few of its own. While killing the second penalty, Weatherston, in a heads-up play, stole the puck in the neutral zone, which set up a one-on-one with the Wildcat goalkeeper. Weatherston found the net with her first shorthanded goal of the season, building the lead to 3-0.
Jenna Cunningham '10 finished up the scoring for Dartmouth. Following a wrist shot, Cunningham raced to get her own rebound and then flung the puck through a crowd of UNH players in front of the net. The keeper could do little as the puck bounced in, and Dartmouth's lead was extended to four goals.
The third period was forgettable for the Big Green, as it was marred with penalties that stunted Dartmouth's attack. Facing eighteen shots in the period, goalie Carli Clemis '09 came up with key saves down the stretch, never letting the Wildcats back into the game. Though the lead was cut to two goals, a New Hampshire penalty for interference with 2:35 left assured victory.
"The team came out with a lot of energy, a lot of focus. We did the little things right," head coach Mark Hudak said of team's success in the first two periods.
The little things added up to a big victory, one with ranking implications and the right to be called the state's best hockey team. Apps also noted the importance of the team's quick start, calling the goal in the first minute to be the pivotal play of the game.
"The goal was key to getting them [New Hampshire] back on their heels," Apps said.
Though the Big Green won the game, they were outshot 32-25 and committed more penalties than the Wildcats. For most of the game, however, the Dartmouth defense confined the New Hampshire offense to committing low percentage shots. Clemis stepped up with a thirty-save night and a 93.8 save percentage.
Dartmouth kept its loss total at four for the year, with two of those losses coming on the road against the number-one ranked team in the nation, Mercyhurst. The win also settles the season series between the Big Green and the Wildcats, as the two teams met earlier in the season at UNH and played to a 3-3 tie.
Both teams entered the game ranked first in their respective conferences, though New Hampshire fell to second place with the loss and a Boston College win on Saturday.
The win was the first for Dartmouth since January 6th, though the team played only two other games over that stretch. Before their loss to the University of Connecticut last week, the Big Green had gone undefeated for eleven games, going 9-0-2 during that run.
Dartmouth returns to conference play next weekend, when it hosts Clarkson at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26th and St. Lawrence, ranked sixth in the nation, at 4 p.m. on the 27th.
