Dartmouth women's hockey's top offensive threats highlighted their prowess against McGill University this weekend, as No. 6 Dartmouth handed the Marlets a 4-2 loss in a preseason tune-up on Friday afternoon.
After the teams traded goals for the first two periods, Amanda Trunzo '11 converted a pass from co-captain Sarah Parsons '10 into the game-winning goal five minutes into the second period. The junior added an insurance empty-netter in the final frame, bringing the score to 4-2 in Dartmouth's favor.
A returning starter and the team's top scorer, Trunzo is coming off last year's career-high 42-point season. Alongside Parsons and co-captain Jenna Cunningham '10, she will likely be a top contributor to the team's offensive output in the upcoming season.
Against McGill, Cunningham broke open the scoring on a power play 2:35 into the first period, displaying Dartmouth's prowess in man-advantage situations.
Last season, the Big Green converted on 50 of 192 power-play chances for a 26-percent success rate, ranking Dartmouth top in the ECAC and second nationally behind the University of Wisconsin in that statistic.
"I think the best part is that we are dynamic," Cunningham said. "We emphasize being creative and keeping the other team constantly guessing. We know how to move the puck, and we also have the right players to change it up, too. And if we maintain our power play strategies, we can remain nationally ranked."
Other offensive threats include Kelly Foley '12, Larissa Roche '11, Alyssa Boehm '11 and Jenna Hobeika '12. Hobeika was sidelined for the final part of last season with an injury.
On the defensive side, three newcomers Lisa Berreman '13, Sasha Nanji '13 and Margaux Sharp '13 will join the ranks of the Big Green blueliners, adding youth to the defensive unit.
Despite the defense's relative inexperience, Cunningham said that the team expects the freshmen to have a smooth transition from high school to collegiate play.
"I think our expectations are high for both the offense and defense," she said. "We definitely have more experience in the offensive end, but even though we have a young crew on the defense, I think they can quickly gain experience."
All seven freshmen laced up their skates for the exhibition game against McGill, Cunningham said.
"Everyone got the chance to get on the ice and get some playing time," she said. "The freshmen played really well in the first game, so now everyone is very excited for the season to start."
Another obstacle for Dartmouth's defensive side is the loss of three-year starting netminder Carli Clemis '09 to graduation.
The Big Green will be looking to both a veteran and a newcomer to fill her void between the pipes. Mariel Lacina '10 started against McGill, but Whitney Woodcox '13 also saw action in the crease.
"In terms of goaltending, it's always a competition throughout the whole season," Cunningham said. "Both are strong goaltenders, and they will give each other a run for their money."
Dartmouth posted a record of 20-10-4 (13-5-4 ECAC Hockey) last year and took the ECAC tournament title. The Big Green secured a spot in the NCAA tournament, where the team fell to top-seeded University of Wisconsin in a 7-0 shutout in the first round.
Dartmouth has little time to find a balance between the experience of its offensive with the youth of its defense, as the Big Green will take on both Cornell and Colgate University on the road next weekend.
"This will be a regular weekend for us, so the expectations are high," Cunningham said. "We met Colgate in the playoffs, so we have a strong rivalry with them, and all Ivy games are important."
The usual suspects will make an appearance in Dartmouth's conference schedule, including perennial power No. 7 St. Lawrence University.
"The ECAC has a lot of strong teams that are nationally ranked," Cunningham said. "Now with our first official game, we are going to have to start getting in the swing of things pretty quickly."
Dartmouth will open the season with nine games against top ECAC opponents. The streak also includes a tough matchup against stand-out No. 9 Harvard on Nov. 25.
Four ECAC teams, including Dartmouth, are in the national rankings, with two more teams receiving votes.
The Big Green breaks open its 2009-2010 campaign this weekend when the squad will face Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y., at 3 p.m. on Friday, followed by an afternoon date with Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y., at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
