After the weekend split, Dartmouth (8-5-2, 6-3-1 ECAC) is lagging in third place of the Eastern College Athletic Conference standings with 13 points, as Princeton University stole the second place spot i with 13 points. Yale (14-1, 8-0 ECAC) has risen to the top, sitting in first place with 16 points.
Against Yale, the Dartmouth offense jumped off to a quick start. The offense bombarded Bulldogs senior goaltender Ryan Rondeau with shot after shot, but was consistently turned away by bad bounces and near-misses.
The Bulldogs' highly-touted offense regrouped and began to pressure Dartmouth's James Mello '12 and the Big Green defense late in the period. Both teams finished the period unscathed, however, and the score remained even at 0-0.
Yale drew first blood after the first intermission when sophomore Antoine Laganiere was able to pick up a loose puck in front of the net and sneak it past Mello, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 advantage. Dartmouth regained momentum late in the second period, and Rob Smith '11 netted a wrap-around shot from behind the net to give his team the equalizer.
Yale struck again late in the period to take a 2-1 lead, putting another rebound past Mello in traffic.
Dartmouth had to overcome a two-man disadvantage at the end of the second period after two consecutive penalties, but kept the deficit at one going into the second intermission.
The Big Green continued to pressure the Yale goalie in the final period. Rondeau continued his excellent play, so the Bulldogs were able to hold off a late Dartmouth surge and their top ranking.
Despite the loss, head coach Bob Gaudet remained positive about his team's performance.
"It was a great game and we had some great chances that did not go our way," Gaudet said. "We fought tooth and nail from the start. Our guys worked hard, sacrificed their bodies and played really well."
The Big Green played again on Saturday night against the visiting Brown Bears (5-6-4, 3-4-1 ECAC), another important opponent for Dartmouth.
"It was an emotional game [against Yale], and for our guys, it was gut check time," Gaudet said. "[The Bears] are a very physical team and had a big win over Harvard last night and [Boston University] last week."
The opening period against the Bears was much like the opening frame against Yale both teams exchanged offensive blows, but neither was able to crack the scoreboard.
That all changed early in the second period, when Dartmouth assistant captain Adam Estoclet '11 scored on a penalty kill. The short-handed goal gave Dartmouth a 1-0 advantage and some much-needed momentum after a physical first period.
"At the end of the first period we took some really hard hits," Estoclet, who received three stitches for a hit to his chin early in the game, said.
Estoclet finished the game with one goal and one assist.
The Bears evened the score seven minutes later, when junior Jeff Buvinow slipped a shot past Mello and netted Brown's only goal. The game stayed physical and Mello was hit multiple times, twice drawing a penalty for charging the goalie.
Dartmouth was able to capitalize on one of these opportunities, when captain Scott Fleming '11 gave Dartmouth a 2-1 advantage with a power play tally. Dustin Walsh '13 extended the Dartmouth lead late in the third period, rifling a shot past Brown's freshman goalie Marco De Filippo.
The Big Green managed to hold the charging Bears with a superb effort by Mello. On the defensive side of the puck, players blocked shots and came up with big hits throughout the game. Gaudet credited the 3-1 victory to hard work and discipline.
"We talked in the morning skate about discipline because Brown is a very physical team and there were going to be a lot of opportunities for tempers to flair," Gaudet said.
The Big Green will be back in action tomorrow, hosting the University of Connecticut Huskies at Thompson Arena at 7 p.m.
