The Big Green women's hockey swept Colgate in the first round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference's postseason hockey tournament with a 4-3 victory on Friday, followed by a 4-2 win on Saturday.
Dartmouth (18-7-6, 15-4-5 ECAC), ranked third in the ECAC, came into the series undefeated for the month of February.
Fresh off of a 4-1 victory over Colgate (12-17-5, 9-11-4 ECAC) in the regular season finale, the Big Green was primed to ride this momentum through the first round of playoffs.
On Friday, Larissa Roche '11 scored the first goal of the night early into the first period.
The Raiders quickly responded, beginning an intense fight for the lead that persisted until the game's final minute.
Dartmouth scored again before the end of the first period on a goal by Sarah Parsons '10 but was answered by a Colgate goal a minute into the second.
Both teams increased the level of competition in the second period, recognizing that a win would not be easy for either squad.
"It's playoff time, so there is always a struggle to stay ahead," Sarah Newnam '09 said. "At this point in the season, everyone is fighting to keep their season alive."
Amanda Trunzo '11 struck next for the Big Green, deflecting a missed shot into the net, giving Dartmouth a 3-2 lead going into the final period.
Multiple penalties were committed in the third, resulting in a 2-man advantage for Colgate.
After several missed attempts, the Raiders were able to convert on the power play and tied the score for the third time in the contest.
The remainder of the third period was a physical struggle as both sides fought to sink the winning goal.
The nets remained safe until the game's final minute, when three Big Green players broke away on an offensive surge.
Shannon Bowman '09 slid a long pass to Maggie Kennedy '09 who fired the puck to Parsons.
In an exciting finale, Parsons then slammed in a high shot, giving Dartmouth the lead with 24 seconds remaining.
Colgate pulled its goaltender and made a desperate but futile effort to tie the game until time expired.
"That last goal felt unbelievable," Marley McMillan '09 said.
"Although the last 24 seconds were still terrifying because you never know what's going to happen and that is a lot of time at the end of a game, it was awesome to take the lead and stay strong in order to get the win."
Big Green goaltender Carli Clemis '09 made 30 saves to earn her 12th win of the year while Bowman and Kennedy each contributed two assists to the team effort.
On Saturday, the Big Green came out with more intensity than the Raiders could handle, riding high after Friday's finish.
Bowman quickly put Dartmouth ahead with a goal just three minutes into the game, quickly followed by Parsons' third score of the series, giving the Big Green a 2-0 lead.
"I think we came out with a lot of fire in Saturday's game," Newnam said. "We were able to capitalize on our opportunities early, which put us in a great position for the rest of the game."
In the second period, Trunzo hammered in a deflected shot for her second of the series.
Carrie Thompson '08 soon added to the lead with a score of her own.
Both second period goals were assisted by captain Nicole Ruta '08. Newnam also contributed two assists on the night.
In the final period, the Raiders mounted an impressive last stand but were unable to climb out of the 4-0 hole.
Colgate forward Sam Hunt scored twice to bring the score to 4-2, but the outcome was never in doubt.
The Big Green defense withstood the final Raider barrage as Clemis made 34 saves in her 13th win of the season.
"We played a better first period on Saturday than we did Friday," McMillan said. "In the third period I really felt Colgate was pressuring us hard, trying to win their season back, but otherwise they really didn't exhibit the desire they would have needed to win."
Dartmouth will now advances to the ECAC tournament semifinals in Boston, where the Big Green will face St. Lawrence, the second-place team, on March 8.
In the teams' two meetings this season, the Saints (27-8-1, 18-3-1 ECAC) emerged with 4-3 and 5-2 victories.
The Saints advanced over Yale this weekend with two overtime victories.
In the 2007 postseason tournament, Dartmouth met St. Lawrence in the tournament championship game and earned a 7-3 victory.
"The game against the Saints will be different because the Saints are a much better team," McMillan said.
"Although we played well this past weekend, we still faltered at times and are not going to be able to do so this coming weekend. We will all have to play our best and give it everything we have in order to win. That's what it is going to be like from here on out, and I think we are prepared to do that."
