This weekend represents an opportunity for the Big Green to prove itself by making a statement against two lesser teams in the conference Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University.
After the Big Green dropped a winnable game on the road against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute before picking up a much-needed victory against a last-place Union College team last weekend, Dartmouth currently sits fifth in the conference standings with 12 points. This weekend, the Big Green will take on Clarkson (6-12-3, 3-5-1 ECAC) and St. Lawrence (9-10-2, 4-5-0 ECAC) both of whom lie behind Dartmouth in the standings in a two-game home series.
If Dartmouth were to sweep the set, the Big Green could potentially jump all the way to second place in the conference. Doing so would cement the team's place as one of the toughest challengers to Cornell University, which is currently in first place with a perfect 10-0 conference record.
"Both games should be really good games," head coach Mark Hudak said. "St. Lawrence is struggling a little bit right now, but they have played well against us in the past couple of years."
St. Lawrence presents a difficult challenge for the Big Green, which has only defeated St. Lawrence in one of the previous six meetings between the two teams. They have also met twice in the playoffs in the past three seasons, with each side winning once.
Dartmouth has fared better against Clarkson, going 2-1-3 over six matchups in the last three seasons.
"They are both big games," goaltender Whitney Woodcox '13 said. "Every game from now on is a must-win for us."
At the beginning of the season, Dartmouth played like an unstoppable force in its conference. It won six of its first seven games, including two thrilling overtime victories on the road against Princeton University and Quinnipiac University. However, the team subsequently lost its next four games by two goals or less.
After regrouping over winter break, the Big Green has found its rhythm once again. The team won three of its last four games, outscoring its opponents by 15 goals in its three victories.
"Last year, we missed the playoffs by one point, so every point is important for us," Woodcox said.
The top eight teams in the conference qualify for the ECAC playoffs, and the top four seeds play the first round at home.
In order for Dartmouth to make a serious run at the conference championship, it must improve its defensive play. In this season's conference games, the Big Green has allowed 2.7 goals per game and is currently tied for ninth worst in the 12-team league.
"Our defense needs to play better," Hudak said. "We've done well in scoring goals and on power plays, but we have to play better team defense from our goalie to our defensemen to our forwards."
Offense has not been a problem for Dartmouth this season. The Big Green averages 2.9 goals per game in conference play, which is second only to Cornell (15-1-0, 10-0-0 ECAC)
Seven Dartmouth players have accumulated 10 or more points this season, including Amanda Trunzo '11, Kelly Foley '12 and Camille Dumais '13, who have each scored 15 points this season. Defenseman Sasha Nanji '13 leads the team with 10 goals and 18 overall points.
Dartmouth has outshot its conference opponents 315-198 this season. It has also tallied 13 goals on the power play, allowing five power play goals from opposing teams.
The Big Green employs a two-goalie rotation, playing both Woodcox and Lindsay Holdcroft '14. Woodcox has been riding a hot streak in recent games, but both goalies are expected to start this weekend.
Jenna Hobeika '12 has also dominated the rink in recent games, recording four goals, three assists and a plus/minus rating of plus-six in the four games the team has played since winter break.
"Hobeika has been playing a very solid game and has worked really hard," Hudak said.
In this season's crucial matchups, the Big Green women hope to attract many spectators with their high-energy play.
"These are two big games at home," captain Katie Horner '11 said. "We hope that the fans will come out and cheer us on this weekend."
The first game against Clarkson will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, before Dartmouth faces St. Lawrence at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will be played at Thompson Arena.
