Hudak noted that the team needs to use its three games this week as a way to "build momentum for the rest of the season." The remainder of Dartmouth's schedule is against ECAC and Ivy League opponents, and the Big Green (9-5-2, 5-3-2 ECAC) won't want to slip up this weekend with a tough matchup against Cornell University, who reached the NCAA Frozen Four last season, on Jan. 21.
Dartmouth's strong performance so far this year has vaulted the team back onto the bubble in the United States College Hockey Online Poll, as the Big Green sits just outside of the Top 10 and is currently tied with St. Lawrence University and Boston University in the "Others Receiving Votes" category.
Dartmouth ends the regular season with a string of games against struggling opponents, but still has to play a good Princeton University squad and No. 3 Cornell University at home. The team needed a late goal to tie Princeton last weekend, but was able to upset Cornell in Ithaca on Nov. 11. Despite this success, Dartmouth is not taking anything for granted.
"You can never go in assuming anything," Hudak said. He added that RPI (5-13-4, 2-6-2 ECAC) and Union (3-16-3, 1-8-1 ECAC) "can be very dangerous if we're not at our best."
Because of its grueling schedule six games in 12 days the team has not had much opportunity to look ahead, according to Reagan Fischer '12.
"We're taking it one game, one practice at a time and it's given us an advantage," she said. "[Coach Hudak] constantly emphasizes staying in the moment."
The team is also dealing with the aftermath of an emotional 3-2 win over Providence College at Fenway Park on Tuesday.
"It's something we talked about when we got back to campus Tuesday night and at practice on Wednesday," Hudak said.
The coach said he wants the team to put that win behind it and come ready to play on Friday.
"I think that being back in school and going to class definitely helps them come back to the reality of being a student-athlete," he said.
RPI and Union have not lived up to their potential, Fischer and Hudak said. Both contend that their records are not indicative of the Engineers' and Dutchwomen's performances against good teams.
"They've given a lot of teams a lot of trouble," Fischer said. "They're fighters. They'll throw everything at us and give us as good of a game as any team in the league."
Hudak lauded the teams' "stingy defense," which tends to clog up the middle of the ice, especially in the defensive zone and said that the Big Green needs to take advantage of transitions in both games.
"If we play our game, we have a very good opportunity to come out of the weekend with a couple of wins," Hudak said.
Fischer added that the women really look to support each other against such aggressive opponents, feeding off of each other's emotion and energy in an effort to come out on top. Dartmouth returns home Friday for the first time in over a week, and the team is thrilled to be back in Thompson Arena, Fischer said.
The puck drops on Friday at 7 p.m. for the game against RPI, while Saturday's contest against Union is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start.
