Union visited Hanover in search of a win to guarantee the Dutchmen home ice advantage for the first round of the ECAC tournament. The squad played like it, too, dismantling the Big Green on both sides of the ice.
The Dutchmen came out firing in the first period to put up two goals within the first 5:30 of regulation.
Bad luck struck the Big Green on the second goal, as the puck deflected off of a Dartmouth player's leg and into the net. The Dutchmen took the two goal difference into the first intermission and tacked on a third early in the second period.
Brandon McNally '15 was one of the few highlights for Big Green hockey this weekend, as he scored two goals over the two games. Against Union, McNally was the recipient of a well-placed steal and pass from Alex Goodship '13 and fired it into the back of the next. McNally's fifth goal of the year narrowed Dartmouth's deficit to two goals.
Union responded quickly, however, as sophomore Matt Hatch put in a fourth goal for the Dutchmen less than two minutes later. The goal capped a disappointing second period for the Big Green, who had been outshot 19-9 in that stanza alone.
Dartmouth picked up the effort in the third period and managed to outshoot the Dutchmen 10-8. The effort, however, did not yield the desired results. A missed power play opportunity and Union's fifth goal from sophomore Mat Bodie took the Big Green out of the contest and assured the Dutchmen of a home game in the ECAC tournament in March.
Dartmouth forward Nick Walsh '12 said Union's strong team provided the Big Green with little opportunity to catch up.
"Union deserves the credit for the game," he said. "They are a strong team this year, and their record is all the proof you need to know that."
Union's victory helped maintain a one-point lead over Cornell University for first place in the conference and a three-point lead over third place Colgate University.
Dartmouth returned to Thompson Arena on Saturday night against the visiting Rensselaer Engineers. A lack of offense doomed the Big Green in a nail-biting defeat that featured an exciting finish.
Dartmouth came out with another sluggish start, as the Engineers' Joel Malchuk opened the scoring fewer than 10 minutes into the first period to take an early 1-0 lead. Dartmouth proceeded to go scoreless during its first power-play opportunity of the game later in the period.
Rensselaer took advantage of an early penalty by defender Rick Pinkston '15 in the second period when Engineer Jacob Laliberte notched his third goal of the season, proving to be the game-winner. The Big Green did not take long to hack away at the two-goal cushion, as McNally netted his sixth goal of the season and second of the weekend with a quick breakaway and a stylish finish.
"I was coming out of my own zone when Walsh flipped the puck out to me," McNally said.
After crossing up a defender by putting the puck through his legs, McNally fired a shot between goaltender Bryce Merriam's pads for the goal.
"We were resilient and just kept working to get back in the game," McNally said. "We almost pulled back into the game. The work ethic is definitely there."
The third period turned out to be much more action-packed than the second. The Big Green and the Engineers fired off a combined 25 shots in the period, though none found the back of the net. Both teams also managed to kill multiple power plays.
The Big Green made a final push in the final seconds of regulation by pulling goaltender James Mello '12 for a six-man advantage. The extra man did not prove to be enough, however, and the Big Green was defeated 2-1.
Dartmouth is currently winless in its last six games.
Mello managed 26 saves on 28 shots in the losing effort. RPI outshot the Big Green in each period and finished the game with a 28-20 advantage in shots on goal. The Big Green went a combined 0-for-5 on power play opportunities this weekend.
Walsh said the team will try to bounce back as it prepares for the postseason in March.
"We finished both games strong, but we need to make sure that we play consistently for the full 60 minutes," he said.
