The Big Green (13-7-3, 9-5-2 ECAC) started quickly against Brown (7-11-4, 5-9-1 ECAC) as Nick Walsh '12 put his own rebound into the back of the net less than a minute into the game, giving Dartmouth a one-goal advantage. The early score was important for the team's morale, according to assistant captain Evan Stephens '11.
"It was a really good quick goal and a great start to the game for us," Stephens said. "We really set the tone for the rest of the game."
Although the rest of the period remained scoreless, the game was a showcase of offensive talent and stellar goaltending. Both teams had a number of scoring opportunities, but were consistently turned away.
The Big Green struck again midway through the second period. After a Brown penalty, a shot by Connor Goggin '12 was turned away by Bears junior goaltender Mike Clemente. Matthew Lindblad '14 converted on the rebound, giving the Big Green a two-goal advantage.
Lindblad was selected as the male Cross High Performance Athlete of the Week, which he said was unexpected.
"To win the Athlete of the Week was a huge surprise to me," Lindblad said. "I was really shocked and honored that I got it because there are so many great athletes in this school."
The Big Green maintained its lead heading into the third period through an exceptional performance by goaltender James Mello '12, who held the Brown offense scoreless.
The third period was an extension of the first two, as both teams attempted several shots but were turned away by exceptional goaltending.
The Big Green scored on Clemente once more. Doug Jones '12 scored with less than two minutes left in the game and Taylor Boldt '14 picked up his second assist of the season.
Mello, who turned away 39 shots, picked up his second career shutout in the win.
"We smothered them throughout the game," Stephens said. "We did a great job and things just worked really well for us."
When the buzzer rang to signify the end of the game, it also marked Gaudet's 200th Dartmouth win in his 14 years as head coach at the College. Gaudet remains the second winningest coach in Dartmouth history behind Eddie Jeremiah '30, who logged 300 wins over a 30-year career that spanned from 1937-67.
Although the team celebrated the win, Stephens said its thoughts immediately turned to the game against Yale (19-4-0, 13-3-0 ECAC).
"We usually give out a game puck to the guy who worked the hardest in the game, and Mello got the puck and we all gave a congratulations to [Gaudet]," Stephens said. "It was a small celebration because we had to turn our focus to face a tough Yale team."
Yale is ranked third in the nation, and it was ranked first before Boston College and the University of Denver eclipsed it on Jan. 31.
"It was a really fun environment, quite a change of pace from Brown," Boldt said. "It was a sell-out crowd, they had a great band and there was a lot of energy. We were also really excited to play against a top-notch team. We knew we were in for a tough game."
The game initially appeared promising for Dartmouth, as Matt Reber '11 was able to score past Yale senior goaltender Ryan Rondeau to give the Big Green a one-goal advantage. Captain Scott Fleming '11 and assistant captain Adam Estoclet '11 picked up assists on the play. Fleming now has 99 career points for the Big Green.
The Bulldogs were able to put an equalizer past Mello approximately four minutes later, however, leveling the score at one. Mello continued to frustrate Yale's high-powered offense, holding the Bulldogs to only one goal and recording 18 saves in the first period alone.
Yale took the lead early in the second period as sophomore forward Andrew Miller found the back of the net, giving the Bulldogs a one-goal advantage.
The Yale offense was not finished, however, and capitalized on a Dartmouth penalty midway through the second period to take the lead 3-1.
Mello prevented what could have been Yale's fourth goal, denying Bulldogs freshman forward Kenny Agostino on a breakaway late in the second period.
"Mello played an awesome game for us, we just weren't able to do some of the things to stop them," Boldt said. "Yale is a good team with a lot of talent."
The Big Green attempted to mount a comeback late in the second period, bringing the game to within one as Lindblad won a face-off, sending the puck to senior Andrew Owsiak '11. Owsiak fed the puck to Goggin, who shot past Rondeau and closed the gap to 3-2.
Dartmouth continued to control the game's momentum heading into the third period, but Rondeau remained solid. The Big Green's fate was sealed with less than two minutes remaining, as Yale junior forward Kevin Limbert scored and put the game out of reach.
Mello recorded 38 saves in the losing effort.
The Big Green now sits in fourth place in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference with 20 points. Dartmouth is still six points behind the Bulldogs, who are atop both the ECAC and the Ivy League.
Dartmouth will be back in action at Thompson Arena this weekend, hosting Quinnipiac University on Friday night and Princeton University on Saturday.
