The men’s hockey team picked up one point last weekend over the course of two ECAC home matchups, tying Clarkson 5-5 then losing in a shootout and dropping the game to St. Lawrence 3-1 in regulation.
On Friday against Clarkson, Dartmouth put up more goals in a single game than they had all season, and the wealth was spread equally with five different scorers. Tyler Campbell ’23 opened the scoring less than five minutes into the game with his first goal of the season, but Clarkson tied it up to end the period in a 1-1 deadlock. After a relatively tame first period, the game erupted in the second period as each team put up three goals and four penalties. Dartmouth struck first with a power-play goal from Braiden Dorfman ’25, but four minutes later, their own power play was caught napping as they gave up a shorthanded goal to even up the score again.
While Dartmouth goalie Justin Ferguson ’22 was peppered with shots, the Big Green got higher quality chances on odd-man rushes. They led 3-2 and then 4-3, but with only thirteen seconds left, Clarkson was able to sneak a quick snapshot past Ferguson to tie the game up heading into the locker room.
The third period was tense and Ferguson stood on his head, making a career-high 40 saves on the night. With six minutes remaining, Clarkson took its first lead of the game with a back-breaking redirect. Dartmouth’s resiliency shone through, however, as Jeff Losurdo ’22 tied the game at five and sent it to overtime. In the five-minute extra period, neither team could find the back of the net, and in the shootout that followed, a single Clarkson goal allowed the Golden Knights to pick up the extra in-conference point.
Despite the loss, captain Harrison Markell ’22 was excited for the team to get back into its weekend routine.
“It’s just good to play,” Markell said. “It’s been frustrating with the stoppages, so it’s just exciting to get back out there.”
The following night, St. Lawrence came to Hanover to face the Big Green. It did not take long for the Saints to get on the board: Less than two minutes into the game, a Dartmouth turnover led to a wide-open shot from the right hashmark. The goal was a wake-up call for Dartmouth to bear down, disrupting the Saints’ rushes and creating chances of their own. Thanks to strong defensive zone positioning from the Big Green, the score after the first period remained 1-0. As the Saints struggled to get into scoring areas, they began to crowd and heavily screen Ferguson.
“I had to play big and fight through the screens,” Ferguson said. “The guys also had some huge blocks.”
Unlike the high-scoring affair from the previous night, the second period was a dog fight. Both teams struggled to maintain possession in the offensive end, and tensions started to rise as the period wore on and scuffles broke out in front of the net after the whistle. After a 30-minute stalemate, St. Lawrence was finally able to find the back of the net, capitalizing on a two-on-one rush and a well-placed pass that got the Saints’ forward in alone with Ferguson. Emotions continued to rise following the goal, as a late poke at Ferguson led to coinciding roughing penalties.
“That’s huge to have a team rally around you and protect you, it’s something you can build off and get momentum,” Ferguson said.
Two minutes before the end of the period, though, tension bubbled over when Ian Pierce ’25 picked up a five-minute major and game misconduct for head contact. This meant that Dartmouth was short a man for the rest of the period and the first three minutes of the third period.
Head coach Reid Cashman said he spent the second intermission pushing his team to survive the extended penalty kill.
“[The message was] to regain composure, kill off two minutes and fifty seconds, and then make a push,” Cashman said.
In the final period, the Big Green did just that, allowing minimal shots through the first few minutes and then putting on pressure of their own. St. Lawrence was forced to stay tight in its defensive zone as Dartmouth began an onslaught, outshooting the Saints 14-3 in the period. Six minutes in, Dartmouth cut the deficit in half as Mark Gallant ’23 found Sean Chisholm ’25 cutting across the crease for a power-play goal. St. Lawrence weathered the Dartmouth storm, however, and with only three minutes left in the game, a bouncing puck led to a breakaway goal to extend the Saints’ lead to 3-1. Odd man rushes plagued the Big Green as momentary lapses became their downfall.
“The biggest issue tonight was transition,” Cashman said. “All three of their goals were on breakaways.”
Dartmouth made one final attempt at a comeback, pulling Ferguson after the goal and holding the puck in the offensive zone for the final minutes of play. The push was simply too little too late, however, and the final score was 3-1.
“We have to be more consistent,” Markell said. “We’ve shown that we can play with any team. It’s just a matter of having the maturity to do it for 60 minutes every night.”
With five weeks remaining in the regular season, Dartmouth is 2-7-1 in the ECAC and 3-11-2 overall. Next week, the Big Green will play three games against Union College, Cornell University and Colgate University.
“We just have to keep building our foundation,” Cashman said. “We have a great group of seniors that have been great to coach and have responded well to all adversity over the last two years. I fully expect them to do the same as we get ready for Union on Wednesday.”
