Dartmouth was consistently outplayed on special teams, which captain Rob Pritchard '09 said was the difference in the game.
"We were skating with them the whole time," Pritchard said. "It was just power plays and penalty kills that hurt us."
Forward Brandon Harrington '09 scored Dartmouth's only goal in the second period off an assist from Doug Jones '12.
The pass came from the corner and Harrington took a low blocker shot -- the puck was directed towards the lower left section of the net.
Harrington played in 12 games for the Big Green last season, with one goal and one assist.
Yale scored the first goal of the game against goalie Dan Goulding '09 in the middle of the first period during a power play. Both teams were playing down a man due to penalties, but Yale returned first to full force.
The Bulldogs took advantage of this one-man differential, as a Yale forward slipped behind the defense for a goal, after a shuffle in front of the net.
The second goal for the Bulldogs came in the last minute of the first period, as the puck deflected off a Big Green player into the net.
In the second period, the Bulldogs notched their third goal on a penalty-kill situation against Jody O'Neill '12, who replaced Goulding in net.
The Big Green currently has three goalies on the roster, and each of them played one period during the scrimmage. The starting spot in net is still very much up for grabs.
Despite being up one man, Dartmouth was still taken by surprise as the Bulldogs capitalized on a two-versus-one rush towards the net.
The Bulldogs then put the nail in the coffin with their fourth goal, scoring in the third period against goalkeeper James Mello '12.
Yale was picked to finish seventh out of 12 teams in the ECAC by preseason polls, while the Big Green was ranked 11th. Yale finished last season with an overall record of 16-14-4, and was defeated by Princeton University in the quarterfinals of the ECAC championship.
Despite the final result of the scrimmage, the Big Green players do not think that the defeat spells disappointment in the upcoming season.
"It was just a scrimmage, not a 9-1-1 call," O'Neill said. "We worked hard and that's what we want our identity to be ... we can't rely on skill alone."
Dartmouth continued its strategy from Saturday's 2-1 exhibition victory against the University of Quebec, giving all the freshmen an opportunity to play.
"It was a chance for us to get everyone in the lineup -- a chance for us to mix up combinations," Pritchard said.
Pritchard anticipates that the freshmen will continue to play once the season starts since they exhibited talent and effort during the weekend's matches.
The constant switching of lines gave everyone an opportunity to get into the game but also restricted the ice time of some of Dartmouth's best players. In a normal season game, these players would have more playing time.
Top scorers from the 2007-08 season include Evan Stephens '11 with five goals and 17 assists, Kyle Reeds '11 with eight goals and 11 assists, and Pritchard with eight goals and eight assists.
Joe Gaudet '10 and Josh Gillam '10 are also expected to play a large role in the Big Green offense this year, as both had 15 points last season.
With the season around corner, the starting goalie still remains undecided. While Pritchard acknowledges that one person will play in goal the whole game on Friday, head coach Gaudet is waiting to make his decision based upon this week's practices.
The Big Green now must rebound from this defeat and prepare for the season opener against the Harvard Crimson.
"We'll be watching some videos," Pritchard said. "We know it's a winnable game . . . we just need to go out and execute."
Harvard, currently ranked No. 20 in the national poll, lost eight seniors to graduation last year. The team had an overall record of 17-13-4 last season, compared to Dartmouth's overall record of 12-16-4.
The Harvard Crimson defeated Quebec, 3-1, on Friday, Oct. 24 in an exhibition game. All three of Harvard's goals were scored by freshmen.
It will be interesting to see how the match-up between the two underclassmen-dominated teams will play out, as Dartmouth skates against Harvard at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31 in Boston, Mass.
The Big Green's home opener will take place in Hanover at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2, against the University of Vermont.
