The Big Green men's hockey players tightened up their skates and returned to the ice this Saturday with a 2-1 victory over the University of Quebec in the Big Green's first exhibition game of the season. The team will depend on the performance of key returning players and new freshmen this season to offset the loss of last year's seniors.
Kyle Reeds '11 and Josh Gillam '10 both scored during the first period to establish an early lead for Dartmouth. Reeds's goal came only 1:37 into the game with an assist from Andrew Owsiak '11.
"When you score the first goal, it's a good confidence booster and puts you on the right foot," Reeds said after the game.
Peter Boldt '10 took a shot that rebounded out to Owsiak, who, faking a shot, passed the puck to Reeds for the scoring opportunity.
Reeds finished fifth in scoring last season, leading all centers on the team. He played in all 32 games and had four multiple-goal games.
Gillam scored Dartmouth's second goal with just over two minutes left in the first period. Doug Jones '12, set up by Joe Gaudet '10, passed the puck to Connor Goggin '12. Goggin earned the assist as his shot ricocheted off Gillam's stick and into the net.
Gillam earned the title of Dartmouth' most improved player last season with seven goals and eight assists.
The Big Green out-shot Quebec, 13-10, in the first period and 27-25 overall. Three of those shots were taken by Dartmouth during power plays but the Big Green was not able to convert those extra-man opportunities into goals.
Though both of Dartmouth's goals were scored in the first period, the Big Green started playing more physically during the third period. Quebec had three penalties, and Dartmouth had one during the third period.
"I thought in the third period we started to play with a level of understanding of the game," head coach Bob Gaudet said on Saturday.
Throughout the game, there was a visible contrast between the two team's benches as the Big Green players stood and the Quebec players remained seated.
"We were really excited," captain Rob Pritchard '09 said after the game on Saturday. "For a lot of guys, it was their first game, and everyone else was excited to be back."
Frequent substitutions defined the game for the Big Green as lines were switched around every 1:30. The starting line at the beginning of each period was also changed.
"It was one of those games where we were trying to get a feel for different combinations," Gaudet said. "Just until we find out the make-up of our team and the chemistry of different lines ... it's typical early in the season to switch things up."
Last season, the Big Green had an overall 12-16-4 record. The team tied for 10th place in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League (6-13-3) and sixth in the Ivy League (1-9-0).
In the ECAC playoffs last season, the 12th-seeded Dartmouth hockey team lost in the first round to Cornell University. The Big Green came back after an initial 3-2 loss to win the second game of the series, 5-3, but then fell in the third and final game, 6-0.
The team was picked to finish 11th out of 12 this season in the ECAC in both coaching and media preseason polls. Dartmouth has not been ranked that low in the polls since the 1998-99 season.
Pritchard is captaining the Big Green this season. He played in 30 games last season and was ranked seventh on the team in scoring with eight goals and eight assists.
"We got voted 11 out of 12 because we lost a lot of guys to professional hockey," Pritchard said. "They think we lost too much talent to be competitive."
There are still high expectations for the season that the underclassmen will step up and fill those vacant spots. Eight freshmen had the opportunity to play during Saturday's exhibition game.
"We picked some of them up from junior hockey," Pritchard said. "We have some 20- and 21-year olds coming in, which should help us a lot".
Nick Johnson '08 and J. T. Wyman '08 were both high scorers for the Big Green in the past seasons who were lost to graduation and then joined the National Hockey League. Johnson now plays in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization while Wyman plays for the Montreal Canadiens.
The early loss of David Jones '08 to the NHL last year also left a gaping hole in the Big Green's offense. He now plays for the Colorado Avalanche.
These upperclassmen will be replaced by underclassmen Doug Jones '12, Troy Mattila '12, Nick Walsh '12 and Paul Lee '12 on offense.
Jones was a participant in the 2008 United States Hockey League All-Star Game. He was ranked fifth in assists in the USHL and 11th in overall scoring.
Dartmouth's defense will be led by Evan Stephens '11, the ECAC's top-scoring defenseman last season and the recipient of the 2007-08 Booma Award for the top rookie in the league. The other freshmen taking over defensive spots include Connor Goggin '12, Jim Gaudet '12, and Kyle Schussler '12.
The loss of goalie Mike Devine '08, Dartmouth's 2007-08 most valuable player, will also be a challenge for the team to face this season. The position of starting goalie is still up in the air.
The Big Green had a different man in the net each period on Saturday. Jody O'Neill '12 started in goal and made 10 saves during the first period.
O'Neill played for two years in the Central Junior Hockey League in Canada before coming to Dartmouth. He was named second team All-League in 2008 and won 39 games last season.
With eight minutes and 15 seconds left in the second period, Mathieu Gravel scored the only goal for Quebec against senior netminder Dan Goulding '09. Goulding, who played the second period, and James Mello '12, who played in the net during the third period, both had seven saves.
Goulding only played in two games last year and had his first career victory against Bentley University, 5-1. This was Goulding's first start; he made 24 saves.
After high school, Mello played two seasons in the Eastern Junior Hockey League with the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs. He was named the 2008 EJHL Goalie of the Year and the EJHL Playoff MVP.
Gaudet says that the rotation of the goalies will continue during Sunday's scrimmage against Yale. One person will eventually settle into the position as the season progresses.
This year, there are no longer defined second and third lines because there is a greater mix of talent among the players, according to Gaudet. This presents some uncertainty in terms of playing time and contributed to the switching of lines on Saturday.
The team feels confident entering into the first stretch of the season. Wins against non-conference teams such as third-ranked Boston College and fourth-ranked University of New Hampshire could help pull Dartmouth into the national rankings.
The seniors on the team have specific objectives for the season, including winning the ECAC championship and making it to the NCAA tournament.
"We have enough talent this year for that to be a realistic expectation," Pritchard said during an interview on Tuesday.
These goals stem from a sense of pressure to continue the legacy of the hockey alumni who have established a winning tradition for over 100 years.
"We want to keep it going and do the best we can to show those guys that we are representing the program well," Pritchard said on Tuesday.
Also coming up this season is a 10-day trip to Sweden and Denmark during which the Big Green players will compete against professional European teams. This should provide additional experience and development opportunities for the younger Big Green players.
On Sunday, Oct. 19, the squad hosted "Skate with the Big Green," which allowed Upper Valley community members to interact with the team. In past years, this event has occurred closer to winter break.
"The community is invited to watch our practice and it is fun because you get a chance to meet people who come to the games," Pritchard said this Tuesday. "It's nice to get it done early so we can get to know everyone as soon as possible."
The Big Green took on Yale University in a scrimmage Sunday in New Haven, Conn. Results were not available as of press time.
The team plays its first game of the season against Harvard University at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31 in Cambridge, Mass. The Big Green will then host the University of Vermont in the home opener at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2 in Hanover.
