Dartmouth's 12 goals and six-goal margin of victory were both season highs, as was the team's four man-up goals. Goalkeeper Fergus Campbell '12 starred in his final game for the Big Green, notching 12 saves in the win. Eight of the 12 Big Green goals were scored by seniors.
After the first quarter, the Big Green seemed to be in trouble, trailing 2-1 despite outshooting the Crusaders. Dartmouth stayed in the game, however, thanks to four man-up opportunities. The Big Green was demolished on face-offs and turned the ball over three times on the clear, which allowed Holy Cross to score the first two goals of the game. Dartmouth got on the board with a goal from Drew Tunney '12 with only 14 seconds left in the quarter.
"Holy Cross was beating us on ground balls and face-offs," Kip Dooley '12, who tallied an assist in the game, bringing his career total to 97 points, said. "We knew that we needed to outwork them. It was just executing at a higher pace and being willing to make the tough plays. Eventually, we started to break through."
Thomas Mattimore '12 maintained the momentum, scoring just 58 seconds into the second quarter. Brendan Rotanz '14 kept the run going with his 18th goal of the season and gave the Big Green its first lead of the game with just under nine minutes remaining in the half. The team could not hold the lead, however, as the Crusaders scored with just over three minutes left to tie the game. Despite a hotly contested final three minutes, with both teams ripping shots at the cage, no one could break through for the halftime lead, sending the teams to the locker room tied at three.
"We came out flat and were basically playing not to lose," Colin Heffernan '15 said. "We came out with much more fire and aggression in the second half."
The third quarter was a shootout. Seven goals were scored in the frame, and when all was said and done, the Big Green held a 7-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Holy Cross scored just 32 seconds into the third frame off of a fast break, but the Big Green responded just over a minute later off of a turnover when Anthony Fulham '13 found the back of the net. The Big Green took the lead shortly thereafter on a man-up goal from Nikki Dysenchuk '13 but was unable to hold it for long.
The Crusaders amped up the pressure, ripping shots at Campbell before finally breaking through on a man-up opportunity at the 6:59 mark to tie the game. The Big Green picked up its attack, as John DeChiaro '12 scored his first goal of the season on a fast break. Dartmouth won the subsequent face-off and held the ball in the Holy Cross zone for over a minute before the ball settled in the stick of Colin Delaney '12. Delaney attacked the cage, dodged and fired, finding the back of the net and pushing the Big Green lead to two. Holy Cross cut the lead back to one with just 14 seconds left in the quarter, but Dartmouth dominated in the fourth, outscoring the Crusaders, 5-0.
"We turned it on offensively, and our defense just kept doing what it had been doing," Heffernan said. "Fergus was tremendous between the pipes as always."
On the Big Green's first man-up opportunity of the fourth, Chris Costabile '13 found the back of the net for his 20th goal of the season and re-established the Big Green's two-goal lead. Just over a minute later, Delaney scored on a two-man advantage to put the Big Green up by three. Dartmouth never looked back, as Tunney brought the lead to four about three minutes later. With just over two minutes left in the game, Tim Root '12 scored, and Anjelo Austria '12 added another less than a minute later to make the final score 12-6 in favor of the Big Green. The goals were the first of Root and Austria's careers in Hanover.
"I think it was just our realization that we had 15 minutes left in our season, and we weren't going to let up at all," Robbie Hoffman '13 said. "We were going to put everything out there on the line. We really wanted to send the seniors out on the right note."
Tunney and Delaney were the top goal scorers in the game with two each, while Tunney also had three assists in the win. DeChiaro, Mattimore, Root and Patrick Resch '14 all pitched in two points in the win, while Austria, Costabile, Dooley, Dysenchuk, Fulham and Rotanz all had one point.
"I was excited to see Tim Root and Anjelo play so much and score their first goals," Heffernan said. "They've been battling injuries, so it was great to see."
The win was the last game of the careers of Austria, Campbell, DeChiaro, Delaney, Mattimore, Tunney and Ben Rossman '12. Classmate Alex Del Balso '12 was also honored but missed the contest due to an injury.
"It was almost the perfect way to go out for the seniors," Hoffman said. "With the way the season has gone, we couldn't make the playoffs. We just made the best of the situation. When Anjelo scored, that capped the moment. Kip Dooley was the only the senior who didn't score yesterday. It was awesome to send the seniors out like that."
Dooley said he was encouraged by the way Dartmouth ended its season.
"It shows that no one quits," Dooley said. "It would have been really easy for some or all of us to give up. Out of a 14-game season, losing eight in a row is tough psychologically. To bounce back from that says a lot about our team's character, and it showed that our program is about a lot more than winning or losing."
Dooley is a member of The Dartmouth Staff.
