The Big Green (12-6-3, 8-4-2 ECAC) generated several offensive opportunities against the Big Red in the first period, but Dartmouth could not find an answer to Cornell freshman goalie Andy Iles.
Although neither team was able to send the puck to the back of the net in the first period, the Big Green clearly held the momentum in what was a back-and-forth contest.
Dartmouth got on the board first when Rob Smith '10 picked up a loose puck at center ice and skated in on Iles. Although the Cornell goalie was initially able to save Smith's shot, he was able to reclaim the puck and power it past Iles to give the Big Green a one-goal advantage.
Smith has netted a number of important goals for the Big Green this season, including against Yale University and the University of New Hampshire.
"I got the puck off a turnover and put it on net and just slapped the rebound past him," Smith said. "I am not really a guy who does all the dangles, I just try to bang it past the goalies."
The Big Red responded quickly, getting a goal from junior Sean Collins less than a minute later, equalizing the game.
The score remained tied well into the third period, until Cornell broke the stalemate and capitalized on a rebound in front of the Dartmouth net.
The Big Green was able to respond five minutes later, however, when a shot from Connor Goggin '12 deflected off the chest of a Cornell defenseman and found its way to the back of the net.
Dartmouth almost pulled off a last-second win when assistant captain Adam Estoclet '11 missed just wide with less than two seconds remaining. The game headed into a five-minute, sudden-death overtime.
Although both teams had several scoring opportunities, Iles and Dartmouth goaltender James Mello '12 played exceptionally to keep the final score at 2-2.
"I thought it was a really great hockey game," head coach Bob Gaudet said. "It was old style hockey, grinding in the corners, very physical and a few big goals. I thought we battled very hard."
The Big Green was back in action against the Colgate Raiders on Saturday night. Dartmouth jumped out to an early lead as the offense came out firing on all cylinders.
Doug Jones '12 notched the first Dartmouth goal less than a minute into the contest, giving Dartmouth the advantage and the momentum it held for the rest of the game.
Although the Big Green controlled much of the first period, the Raiders were able to notch a goal and tie the score with 16 seconds remaining in the opening frame.
The Big Green bounced back quickly, however, scoring three consecutive goals in the first 12 minutes of the second period. Alex Goodship '13, assistant captain Evan Stephens '11 and assistant captain Joe Stejskal '11 each tallied goals to give Dartmouth a decisive lead.
The Raiders notched their second goal of the game with less than five minutes to play in the period, and the score remained 4-2 heading into the final frame.
The Raiders' hopes of making a comeback were crushed less than three minutes into the third period, as captain Scott Fleming '11 notched a short-handed goal and gave the Big Green a three-goal advantage.
"They missed a pass and I picked it up in our zone," Fleming said. "I looked back and realized I had time on the breakaway, took my time and made a move and went bar down blocker side."
Fleming leads the team with 28 career points. He is currently on track to become the first player since 2005 to pass the 100-point mark for the Big Green.
The Raiders scored once more before the Big Green capped off the game with a late goal by Kyle Reeds '11 and an empty-net goal by Jones.
Mello finished the contest with 30 saves to help secure the Dartmouth victory.
"I thought that we competed well and battled hard against a good team," Gaudet said. "We got some penalties at some really bad times, but I thought [Mello] did an awesome job and blocked a lot of quality shots."
Dartmouth finished with a convincing win, and came away with three weekend points in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference standings. The Big Green now sits tied for fourth place in the conference, with 18 points.
"I thought it was a good game. It was a lot of fun to play and it was good to get a little of that confidence back," Fleming said. "Now we have to put that one behind us and focus on Friday."
The Big Green will be back in action next weekend, traveling to Providence, R.I., to take on Brown University before heading to New Haven, Conn., to face top-ranked Yale (17-4-0, 11-3-0 ECAC) on Saturday.
