The women's team concentrated on technical hockey in preparation for its weekend pairing, head coach Mark Hudak said.
"The focus in practice has just been on hockey," he said. "We have been working on the individual plays as well as the team-system set-ups."
The Big Green (6-8-2, 4-6-1 ECAC Hockey) has yet to notch a victory in 2010, and the team is under .500 for the first time since the 2005-2006 campaign. To help Dartmouth find its stride, Hudak said that he hopes the team will concentrate on the aspects of hockey it can control.
"We are just trying to get the team to focus on something tangible to get their hands around," he said.
Colgate (6-13-3, 2-5-3 ECAC Hockey) and Cornell (8-7-2, 7-1-2 ECAC Hockey) have also hit rough patches during the second half of the season. The Raiders have split their last six games, while the Big Red is currently on a three-game losing streak.
Because each opponent plays a different style of hockey, Dartmouth will need to make quick transitions in order to see success this weekend, Hudak said. Quick changeovers would allow the Big Green to catch the Raiders out of position in their run-and-gun game.
Dartmouth holds a 25-4-2 advantage in the all-time series against Colgate, but the rivalry between the two squads has heated up in the past few years. Most recently, the two teams battled to a 5-5 tie in October.
Cornell is stronger than its three-game losing streak suggests, as the Big Red has been playing without three of its regulars, including top-scorer Catherine White and rookies Laura Fortino and Lauriane Rougeau. After representing Canada at the MLP Cup, the trio returns to collegiate play this weekend in time to face the Big Green.
"We have to be aware of those key players and try to make sure we do not get mismatches," Hudak said.
Cornell bested the Big Green, 3-0, in October, marking the Big Red's first victory over Dartmouth in 10 years.
Following her season-high 37 saves against Princeton University last weekend, goalkeeper Mariel Lacina '10 will be a key factor in stopping the aggressive Big Red squad. Lacina sports a .903 save percentage on the season.
The men's team (4-11, 2-7 ECAC Hockey) is also looking to have a successful weekend, taking on the UNH Wildcats in a battle for the RiverStone Cup at Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H, on Saturday.
During last year's Cup, security removed a group of disruptive Dartmouth students from the arena.
"Hopefully there will be some more people in the crowd who are being rowdy," ECAC Hockey's Player of the Week Adam Estoclet '11 said. "It is always a pretty physical game."
After losing to Yale University last weekend, the Big Green is eager to play the Wildcats (9-7-4, 9-2-3 Hockey East), captain Peter Boldt '10 said.
"We felt like we had a very good effort on Friday and Saturday, and we are frustrated since we feel we outplayed Yale," he said. "We are really excited to play against a good New Hampshire team in a game that is always well-attended and it is easy to get energized."
Scott Fleming '11 and Estoclet lead Dartmouth in scoring, with 15 and 14 points, respectively.
In Friday's victory over Brown University, Estoclet notched a hat trick, while Matt Reber '11 posted five points.
"Our power play is still a work in progress although we did have a power-play goal against Yale," Boldt said. "Our penalty kill has gotten a lot better we shut down Yale's power play which has statistically been really strong this season."
Following the game against the Wildcats, the Big Green is back in action against Harvard (3-10-2, 3-5-2 ECAC Hockey) on Monday.
Earlier in the year, Dartmouth won a non-conference game against the Crimson in Cambridge, Mass. It was the first time in over a decade the Big Green has defeated Harvard on the road.
"We are expecting [Harvard] to come out hard," Estoclet said. "I am sure they will remember that and be frustrated about last time."
The Dartmouth women face off against Colgate this Friday at 7 p.m. in Thompson Arena. The men's team will take on its in-state rival New Hampshire at 7 p.m. on Saturday before heading to Massachusetts to play the Crimson in Cambridge on Monday.
