Grecu's clutch goal came in a frustrating third period in which the Big Green (8-9-2, 3-8-1 ECAC) outshot AIC (5-15-4, 5-11-2 Atlantic)16-4 but gave up two goals, as the Yellow Jackets crowded the goal in a desperate attempt to protect its lead.
Head coach Bob Gaudet was relieved that his team was able to avoid another loss.
"I was impressed that we could find a way to score when [the game] looked like it was done," Gaudet said.
While Grecu scored the game-winner, he was far from pleased with the team's performance.
"We had a lot of chances," Grecu said. "It was just a matter of time until one went in. We really needed a better effort tonight, because we had a lot of fans [at the Harvard game] and we felt we let them all down."
Gaudet shuffled his lineup in the contest, replacing co-captain Mike Devine '08 with backup goaltender Joe Grossman '10.
"It's another chance to evaluate our team," Gaudet explained. "We did some things to try to spark some offense."
With different lines on the ice, Dartmouth players struggled in the first period to adjust to the AIC team's fast pace.
The Yellow Jackets struck first when freshman Tom Mele scored off a rebound just one minute and 32 seconds into the period. Dartmouth responded less than two minutes later with a goal of its own off of a hard shot from Josh Gillam '10 that found the back of the net.
The Big Green ended the period by successfully defending a five-on-three power play, after a violation for having too many players on the ice and with an interference call on Joe Stejskal '11. Stejskal has racked up the most penalties on the team this season.
In the second period, Dartmouth's offense faced a stiffer AIC defense. J.T. Wyman '08 almost scored a shorthanded goal during a Yellow Jacket power play but was denied by freshman goalkeeper Dan Ramirez.
Grecu capitalized with less than three minutes left in the second period when he fired the puck past the goalie.
Dartmouth skated with more intensity in the third period as its lines appeared to develop chemistry but the team struggled to find open ice to set up its offense.
"You just felt like every time you touched the puck there was a guy on you," Grecu said.
Adam Estoclet '11 and Scott Fleming '11 began the third by pulling away from the defense in a fast break. Dartmouth was unable to capitalize, however, as Fleming's shot off Estoclet's pass hooked wide of the mark.
The shot was followed by a beautiful setup for Wyman from Estoclet. Estoclet drove in down the right side of the ice and, unable to find an opportunity for himself, knocked the puck to Wyman in front of the net. But goalie Ramirez was ready for the challenge, keeping the score at 2-1.
The Yellow Jackets leveled the game when sophomore Chris Campanale snuck the puck past Grossman with just over five minutes remaining.
It appeared that AIC stole a victory when senior Greg Genovese snagged the lead by shooting through Grossman's five-hole with less than two minutes remaining in the game.
Though Dartmouth controlled the puck toward the end of the third period, it struggled to find a way through the Yellow Jacket defense. Desperate for the equalizer, Gaudet pulled Grossman out of the net to create a one-man offensive advantage.
In an exciting scramble following a series of Dartmouth shots, co-captain Nick Johnson '08 flipped the puck to Grecu in the front of the net. Grecu, while being shoved into the ice, managed to catch the puck with his upturned blade and drove it into the the net for the game-saving goal with just one second left.
Neither team managed to score in the anticlimactic five-minute overtime. The Big Green settled for the tie managing to outshoot the their opponents 38-25, a feat the team has not accomplished in its last 10 games.
Gaudet believes that the game helped prepare the team for its upoming match against Yale (9-7-4, 5-4-4 ECAC), as well as for the remainder of conference play. Sunday's matchup was Dartmouth's last non-conference game this season.
"We've just got to continue to try to get better and realize that Yale's favored against us," he said.
The Big Green will return to the ice at Yale on Feb. 1. The team, which has lost seven of its last eight ECAC match-ups, is looking to turn its conference season around.
