Dartmouth (6-15, 4-10 ECAC Hockey) earned a 9-4 victory over the Bears (7-12-2, 5-7-2 ECAC Hockey) earlier in the season, with Matt Reber '11 posting five points and Adam Estoclet '11 potting a hat trick.
"We have had success against [Brown] earlier this year," captain Peter Boldt '10 said. "We know that if we play well, we should beat them."
When the Big Green faced the Bulldogs (12-6-3, 8-4-2 ECAC Hockey) earlier this season, the rivals combined for 19 penalties as Dartmouth suffered a 4-2 loss at home.
In a preseason scrimmage, the Big Green also fell to Yale by the same 4-2 margin.
"We are playing Yale at their rink, which is fun since there is always a lot of energy," Boldt said. "They have a lot of team speed. We need to be disciplined and come out with a lot of energy and not get distracted by their home crowd."
Dartmouth stole an upset win on Jan. 23 from a No. 20 Union College squad and earned a victory against Quinnipiac University, 4-3, last Friday. Despite these recent improvements, however, the Big Green remains in second to last place in the ECAC with only eight points.
"The confidence is actually quite good with our team," head coach Bob Gaudet said. "We need to minimize the outnumbered rushes against us the subtle lulls in focus that cost you. We play good hockey, but we just haven't got the results to show for our efforts, which disappoints me."
Dartmouth comes into this weekend off Saturday's tough 5-3 loss to Princeton University, during which 3,730 fans watched the Big Green's third-period comeback effort fall short.
"I want to let the student body know how much we appreciate their support, especially during the Princeton game," Gaudet said. "The atmosphere on the rink was electric."
Jody O'Neill '12 and James Mello '12 split time in net last weekend, with each earning one start. Gaudet has not yet decided who will be starting between the pipes this weekend, he said.
Mello currently has a save percentage of .936 in his seven appearances while O'Neill's save percentage is .890 in his 18 showings so far this season.
Dartmouth now takes to the road to face off against the Bulldogs at 7 p.m. on Friday in New Haven, Conn., and the Bears at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Providence, R.I.
The Big Green's women's hockey team is switching things up this weekend for its last pair of home games this season and will be playing with adjusted lines against Yale and Brown.
Head coach Mark Hudak said the personnel changes which include switching up all three centers will force the players to tinker with their plays in order to produce more offensive opportunities.
"We're trying to get some different people to work together in order to get them to think a little more creatively," he said.
Hudak added that Dartmouth will need to use all of its resources against the Bulldogs and the Bears as both teams often retreat to the middle, clogging up the defensive zone and thwarting any clear shots on the net.
"It's one of those games where it might be a little frustrating," he said. "You can get a lot of opportunities to shoot, but you're shooting into pads or you're shooting into people."
With its overtime shutout over Brown last weekend, Yale (9-11-3, 7-8-1 ECAC Hockey) gained a four-point lead over the Big Green for the eighth spot in the conference standings.
Yale's goaltender, junior Jackee Snikeris, stopped 30 shots against Brown on Saturday to set a school record with her 13th career shutout. The netminder currently holds a .927 save percentage.
In their last meeting, Dartmouth routed Yale, 6-2, late in November. While the Big Green has a 59-4-2 advantage over the Bulldogs in the series history, Yale is currently on a hot streak after winning six out of its last seven conference games.
ECAC bottom-feeder Brown (2-16-4, 0-13-3 ECAC Hockey) finds itself in a very different situation, without a win in league play.
The Bears' freshman goaltender Katie Jamieson, however, stands sixth in the conference rankings with a .917 save percentage.
Yet even the budding defensive anchor cannot compensate for the Bears' struggling offensive efforts. After being blanked nine times already this season, the team is second-to-last in the nation in goals scored per game.
In conference action alone, Brown's 11 goals pale in comparison to Dartmouth's 47.
Capitalizing on the Bears' lackluster firepower, Hudak said that the Big Green will pressure Brown to a defensive stance in order to open up the ice for Dartmouth's top offensive contributors.
"We're keeping it simple but still very high tempo," he said.
A strong start is crucial to frustrating both Brown and Yale's momentum, and Hudak added that the team will need to maintain that fast pace by having each line concentrate on its own execution.
"We're trying to really get them to focus on their shift, focus on their line and focus on their responsibilities," Hudak said.
In partnership with Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth will host "Pink at the Rink" for the third straight year during Friday's game against Yale in order to support breast cancer awareness.
The Big Green will host Brown the following day and both games will be held at 7 p.m. at Thompson Arena.
