"They're growing up real fast through all the experience and playing time that they're getting, and I'm confident they'll do a good job in the future," co-captain Ryan O'Connor '07 said.
Brian Koch '09 scored five goals for a season total of 31 and assisted on two others, and Ari Sussman '10 scored five goals of his own, adding to his team-high total of 33. With one game remaining, either player has a shot to win the team's scoring title, but both maintain that this is not a consideration while playing.
"We don't think about it at all," Koch said. "We just go out there and try to play well as a unit, and we just focus on winning."
Dartmouth (5-9, 1-4 Ivy) got ahead early and put the game out of reach before halftime. After Wilson Handler '07 scored the Big Green's first goal, Holy Cross (6-8, 1-5 Patriot) answered to tie the game at 1-1. Dartmouth then scored six unanswered goals to take a 7-1 lead with 9:18 remaining in the second quarter and would increase the margin to 10-3 by halftime.
The lead allowed the Big Green to filter through its bench and put its less-experienced players on the field.
"[Subbing in younger players] is a huge advantage for us, not necessarily for this season but for seasons to come," O'Connor said. "You can get only so much experience in practice, so any time that the freshmen and sophomores get is a huge plus for us."
Jimmy Mullen '09 helped Dartmouth keep the ball on its offensive end of the field, winning 10 of 17 face-offs and picking up seven ground balls. Dartmouth picked up 10 more ground balls in the game than its opponent, and the extra possessions were reflected in shot totals. The Big Green outshot the Crusaders 40-31, and 25-11 in the decisive first half.
Alongside a tight defense that limited the Crusaders' scoring opportunities, Mike Novosel '10 made five saves to limit the Crusaders to three goals in the first half before being relieved by Pat Marshall '09 and later James Pyo '10. While the team's defensive captain O'Connor is a senior, his supporting cast of Tim McVeigh '09 and Andy Gagel '10 are among the underclassmen who will likely anchor the program in the near future.
"We've got an incredibly young team, and I think that's important on defense, especially because it takes time to learn how to play as a unit," Koch said. "As these guys continue to get better it's going to be scary to see how good they're going to be."
Along with the scoring efforts of Koch and Sussman, Jon Livadas '09 and Kyle Lagratta '09 scored second-half goals to keep the game out of Holy Cross's reach.
Dartmouth wraps up its 2007 season on Saturday against Harvard. In last year's match-up with the Crimson, the Big Green weathered a 73-shot storm from Harvard and won the game on a sudden-death, triple-overtime goal from then-freshman Koch in front of 1,200 fans in Cambridge, Mass. This year, the Crimson travel to Hanover, and face-off is set for 6 p.m. at Scully-Fahey field.
