In its first game of 2011, the Big Green offense came out rolling. Sophomore forward Sally Komarek '13 put Dartmouth on the board with a powerplay goal nine minutes into the first period.
"My line really worked hard to support each other and create scoring chances," Komarek said. "We tried to keep the momentum going for the other lines."
After UConn (7-12-1, 4-4-1 Hockey East) right-winger Brittany Murphy tied the game at one apiece, the Big Green scored five consecutive goals in seven minutes to put the game away.
Defenseman Sasha Nanji '13 received a pass from behind the UConn net and fired a quick shot that gave Dartmouth a 2-1 lead.
Forward Camille Dumais '13 and defenseman Margaux Sharp '13 added two powerplay goals later in the period, and Reagan Fischer '12 and Ali Winkel '14 each registered a goal of their own to cap off the five-goal outburst. The goals scored by Sharp and Winkel were the first in their collegiate careers.
In the third period, Nanji netted her team-leading tenth goal of the season. Amanda Trunzo '11 added two goals and two assists to give her 14 points of the season.
Dartmouth dominated the Huskies in all areas of play. The Big Green outshot Connecticut 37-19 in the contest while converting three out of four powerplay opportunities, and the nine goals scored by the Big Green was its highest single-game scoring total since a 9-1 victory at Brown University in 2009.
The second game in the series began as a defensive battle. Dartmouth forward Kelly Foley '12 broke through in the second period to put the Big Green on the board before Dartmouth pulled away with four goals in the third period.
Forward Jenna Hobeika '12 tallied two goals and two assists in the game, and Alyssa Boehm '11 and Fischer each registered a goal of their own.
The third-period offensive explosion was fueled by Dartmouth's top line trio of Foley, Fischer and Hobeika, who together led to four goals, seven assists and a plus-four rating, combined.
Freshman goaltender Lindsay Holdcroft '14, who now holds a 5-3 season record, made 16 saves and claimed her first career shutout.
"[Holdcroft] kept us in the game in the first two periods," Komarek said. "Sometimes it's difficult when a goalie doesn't face a lot of shots in a game, but Lindsay did a great job."
The Big Green worked extensively on its defensive zone play over break, which paid off in the shutout, Holdcroft said.
"The defense did a good job of keeping the shots to the outside, so when the shots did come through, they were easy saves," she said. "This was really a team shutout."
The two victories over the Huskies gave Dartmouth who had not won a game since the Nov. 16 game against Providence College a much-needed four points. After starting the season with six victories in its first seven games, the team lost four consecutive close games against conference opponents.
"We definitely wanted to turn that around and get the momentum back," Holdcroft said. "These two wins are huge for us to start off the second half of the season."
With ten total points, Dartmouth is currently tied with Harvard University for the number three spot in the ECAC standings. Cornell University and Quinnipiac University are in first and second place, respectively.
The Big Green will return to action Friday on the road against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at 3 p.m. Dartmouth's game at the University of Vermont, which was originally scheduled for Dec. 29, has been rescheduled for Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. due to the December snow storm.
