No. 18 Dartmouth (10-7-1, 7-4-0 ECAC Hockey) scored first in the non-conference match-up but allowed Holy Cross (8-11-5, 7-8-3 Atlantic Hockey) back into the game to force a tie in the third period.
Josh Gillam '10 scored Dartmouth's second goal off of an assist by Connor Shields '09 four minutes into the third period of play.
This 2-1 Big Green lead proved to be only temporary when sophomore Jordan Cyr of Holy Cross scored the Crusaders' second and last goal 7:00 into the third period to tie up the score 2-2.
"It was scored on the power play -- off a rebound in the slot, and the guy just buried it in the net," goaltender Jody O'Neill '12 said.
With 13 minutes remaining in the third period, the Big Green had several opportunities to score, all of which failed to materialize.
The game was pushed into overtime as Holy Cross also failed to put the puck into the net.
Dartmouth took three shots during the extra period, including two on a power play, while Holy Cross took two shots.
"We had chances," O'Neill said. "We were unlucky, and the goalie had a couple of good saves in overtime."
With the tie, Holy Cross extended its unbeaten streak to seven games
Defenseman John Gibson '09 said he was disappointed by the result.
"You never want to tie after how hard you work, and it was a game we should have won," Gibson said after the game. "If a game ends in a tie, it feels like you haven't accomplished anything."
During the first period, there were multiple wasted opportunities for both teams, as Holy Cross failed to score during its three power plays and Dartmouth was 0-1 with the man advantage.
"I think we need to work on power plays," Gibson said. "It is something we've been trying to work on all year. If we could get a power-play goal here or there or a penalty-kill goal -- those things are the difference in games."
After the scoreless first period, Doug Jones '12 notched Dartmouth's first goal 7:33 into the second period.
Andrew Owsiak '11, with help from Peter Boldt '10, came down the left lane and passed off to Jones, who drilled the puck into the top of the net, giving the Big Green the 1-0 lead it would hold through much of the second period.
Jones has been a prolific scorer for the Big Green, with six goals and 13 assists this season.
He is second on the team behind Adam Estoclet '11, who has 21 points.
Also a high scorer, Owsiak has seven goals and five assists so far this season. He has scored the most goals out of all the players on the Dartmouth squad.
Holy Cross remained scoreless until 2:49 remained in the second period, when Marty Dam's slapshot took a funny bounce and squeezed into the net, O'Neill said.
Captain Rob Pritchard '09 said that aggression was a factor in the momentum switches of the game.
"It was a really physical game, and there were big hits by both teams," he said.
Pritchard, sidelined with a shoulder injury, was not in the line-up for the game.
The Big Green squad committed seven penalties, and Holy Cross had eight. Dartmouth players Joe Gaudet '10, Evan Stephens '11 and Paul Lee '12 were repeat offenders with two penalties each.
Both O'Neill and Holy Cross goalie Adam Roy made 30 saves during the game, a statistic that indicates the even match-up of the two teams.
"The tie was frustrating, especially since this was a game we thought we could win," Pritchard said.
The next two weeks are filled with three conference games, and will help determine Dartmouth's playoff chances.
The Big Green is still tied with Quinnipiac for third in the ECAC Hockey standings, and will face Harvard, currently holding the sixth spot in the ECAC, at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25 in Hanover.
The game against the Crimson will be nationally televised on ESPNU.
Members of the Big Green squad said they are excited about the extra publicity and the crowd that this Ivy competition should draw to Thompson Arena.
"We're approaching it like any other game," Pritchard said. "But, it is still a big game for us since Harvard is a rival."
Dartmouth and Harvard will be meeting for the second time this season. The Crimson won the first contest between the two teams, 4-1, in October.
"We lost to them early in the season, so hopefully we can get some redemption," O'Neill said. "Also, it's always exciting to play another Ivy team at home."
Following the Harvard match-up, Dartmouth will face two important conference opponents, taking on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (5-16-2 4-6-1 ECAC Hockey), currently in eighth place in the ECAC standings, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30 and Union College (12-9-1, 5-5-0 ECAC Hockey), currently ranked seventh in the ECAC standings, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31.
Both games will be held at Thompson Arena.
