Dartmouth (4-11, 2-7 ECAC Hockey) then fell to No. 6 Yale University, 4-2, Saturday as an empty-net goal by the Bulldogs deadened the Big Green's comeback effort with 1:10 left in the third period.
Mark Goggin '13, assisted by brother Connor Goggin '12, allowed Dartmouth to tighten Yale's lead to 3-2 with a power play goal 18:02 into the third period.
"All of a sudden it's a 3-2 game," head coach Bob Gaudet said. "You live by it, you die by it. I have to get the goalie out and they sneak one in."
Together, Yale (9-3-3, 5-1-2 ECAC Hockey) and Dartmouth were penalized 19 times including major scuffles midway through the final frame that resulted in two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, five roughing penalties and quite a bit of screaming by the Big Green coaching staff.
"Our guys played their hearts out," Gaudet said. "There are certain things that happen late in a game. We are not immune [to penalties], but we are not initiating at all."
The Big Green outshot the Bulldogs, 31-27, yet failed to capitalize on multiple breakaway scoring opportunities.
Scoring twice within 24 seconds in the last period, Yale established a 3-0 lead that was finally threatened when Estoclet potted Dartmouth's first goal off a strong pass from Joe Stejskal '11, 12:03 in the third period.
After a scoreless opening period, Yale was the first to climb onto the scoreboard with a shorthanded goal 3:08 into the second frame.
In Friday night's victory against Brown (5-10-1, 3-5-1 ECAC Hockey), six Dartmouth skaters combined for nine goals as the Big Green outshot the Bears, 40-26. Dartmouth has not scored this many goals since defeating Yale, 9-4, in November 2005.
"It was exciting to finally win," Estoclet said. "We try to stay positive, and tonight everyone really had fun."
Matt Reber '11, who contributed five points including one goal to Dartmouth's offensive outburst, is the first Big Green athlete to achieve this feat since 2005.
"There have been a lot of really good players to come through here, some much better than myself, and for them not to be able to do it I guess I kind of got lucky tonight," Reber said.
With less than six minutes remaining in the third period, defenseman Evan Stephens '11 notched Dartmouth's first shorthanded goal of the season to put the Big Green up, 8-3.
Nick Walsh '12 was also an offensive force, notching his first two collegiate goals in the game. Walsh slapped the puck into the net 13:45 into the first period and extended Dartmouth's lead to 4-0 when he followed it up with another goal 4:53 into the second period.
"It felt awesome and it was a long time coming," Walsh said. "It was good to get the monkey off the back. I feel a lot more relaxed out there. Once you start doing well, everything just builds from there."
Walsh has compiled five points in his seven appearances this year and has been in the shadow of the success of his younger brother, Dustin Walsh '13, for much of the season.
"Nick Walsh scored enough for him and his brother tonight," Gaudet said.
Brown's head coach Brendan Whittet served as an assistant coach under Gaudet at Dartmouth for the past 11 years before making the switch to the Big Green's Ivy League foe.
"It is bittersweet," Whittet said. "I love the guys on the [Dartmouth] bench they played tremendous hockey from the get-go. They outworked us in every facet tonight."
Switching from Mike Clemente to Dan Rosen and then back to Clemente in net, the Bears were ineffective at stopping the Big Green offense, despite a combined 31 saves.
Dartmouth netminder Jody O'Neill '12 posted 22 saves and now has a save percentage of .894 on the season.
The Big Green will face off against in-state rival University of New Hampshire in the annual Battle for the RiverStone Cup at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H., at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Last year, New Hampshire (9-7-4, 9-2-3 Hockey East) dealt Dartmouth a 6-4 loss.
Dartmouth will then meet Harvard (2-10-2, 2-5-2 ECAC Hockey) at 3 p.m. next Monday in Cambridge, Mass.
"We know the reality of what we are," Gaudet said. "You can't make excuses. We just need to stay on top of it and stay out there. It isn't far."
