Hot Take: Men’s Hockey puts up at least 12 goals
Kyle Greason | Team: Men’s hockey | Event: Game against Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University | Date: Jan. 16 and 17
After defeating No. 20 Harvard University last weekend, Dartmouth men’s hockey is rolling. The squad has consistently found the back of the net in blowout wins and close losses, and they have yet to be shut out on the season. With back-to-back matchups this Friday and Saturday against unranked Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University, I predict the offense will continue to thrive and score a combined 12 or more goals en route to consecutive victories.
The Big Green faced the Clarkson Golden Knights earlier in the season and won 3-1, which, combined with the team’s current momentum, indicates the offense will have little trouble scoring on Friday. As for the St. Lawrence Saints, they currently hold a 2-18-2 season record and have conceded four goals to Brown University and eight to Yale University in recent losses, teams the Big Green have already defeated this season. The Dartmouth offense could have a field day. I am looking forward to a pair of blowout wins this weekend.
Hot Take: Women’s ice hockey will drop both games
Ava Politis | Team: Women’s ice hockey | Event: Game against Quinnipiac University and Princeton University | Date: Jan. 16 and 17
Women’s ice hockey concluded the past weekend losing to Yale University 3-0 and defeating Brown University in a shootout. The Big Green has struggled this season. They are ranked 10th out of 12 teams in the Eastern College Athletics Conference, and their season will continue to get harder this weekend. The Big Green will be facing Quinnipiac University and Princeton University that are currently ranked No. 6 and No. 9, respectively, in the nation. Moreover, the Tigers are the No. 1 team in the ECAC with the Bobcats right behind them in third. With speed skaters on both teams, the Big Green will face another tough weekend.
It has been hard for the Big Green to find the back of the net this season, as they have only scored 10 goals — the fewest in the ECAC. It will be even harder for them to score this weekend as Quinnipiac has allowed 15 goals this season, the fewest in the ECAC, and Princeton has allowed 19, the second fewest. With the Bobcats and Tigers’ strong defensive skills and the Big Green’s struggling offense, it will be hard for the Big Green to add to the win column this weekend.
Hot Take: Men’s basketball stays perfect in the Ivy League through the long weekend
Jack Zipper | Team: Men’s basketball | Event: Game against University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University | Date: Jan. 17 and 19
The Big Green hope to build off of the momentum from road wins against Harvard University and Cornell University as they return home to Leede Arena for two Ivy League games against the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton on Saturday and Monday, respectively. Dartmouth’s offense has been firing on all cylinders, hanging 102 points on Cornell en route to a blowout victory. It’s the first time the team has scored more than 100 points in an Ivy League game since 1989, when they defeated Harvard 103-90. Buckets have come from everywhere, and with Penn looking shaky on defense and Princeton the Ivy League’s worst offense at the moment, look for Dartmouth to overpower these teams with their offensive might and move to 4-0 in the Ivy League.
Hot Take: Women’s basketball struggles to find momentum in Ivy League play
Frances Kantrow | Team: Women’s basketball | Event: Games against Princeton and Harvard | Date: Jan. 17 and 19
Women’s basketball faces a tough stretch of games on the road against No. 22 Princeton, and Harvard this weekend. Princeton is 14-1 with five players averaging double digits this season. Dartmouth is coming off a tough loss to Cornell where they shot 3-18 on 3-pointers and allowed 12 points off of offensive rebounds in the first half. I think they will learn from that game, and rely on their post players more, including forward Olivia Austin ’28, and focus on rebounding on the defensive side. However, while Dartmouth’s strength lies in its defense, they will find it difficult to keep up with the Tigers this Saturday.
The Big Green already fell to Harvard 72-47 in their first Ivy League game of the season. They now face the Crimson on the road on Monday. Harvard’s Abigail Wright had a strong performance in the first matchup, and it will be a challenge for Dartmouth to limit her scoring and rebounding. I think Dartmouth will come out motivated to put up a stronger performance this time around, but they will fall short once again.
