The Big Green men (9-12-4, 6-9-3 ECAC) will first head down to New Haven, Conn. on Friday night to face off with the Bulldogs (10-13-2, 7-10-1 ECAC). Dartmouth's current six game winless streak started three weeks ago after a tough 5-4 home loss to Yale that saw the Big Green fail to hold on to an early 4-1 lead. Yale has been victorious in each of its last nine meetings with Dartmouth.
"That was a disappointing game, so we kind of owe them one after that," captain Mike Keenan '13 said.
The game is important since both squads are currently tied for eighth in the ECAC standings with 15 points. The top four teams at the end of the season earn a first-round bye in the conference tournament, while teams five through eight receive home-ice advantage in the best-of-three opening round series.
"We still have an outside chance at a bye, but [these games] are even more important to get home-ice in the first round," Keenan said.
Doug Jones '12 will enter the game still searching for his 100th career assist for the Big Green. Jones' last point was on Jan. 28 against Yale.
After taking on the Bulldogs, Dartmouth will head to Providence to face Brown (8-14-3, 5-11-2 ECAC) on Saturday. Brown is currently at the bottom of the ECAC standings with 12 points. The last meeting between the two teams was a resounding 6-2 victory for the Big Green in a very physical and heated contest.
The Big Green will look to rekindle an offense that has stuttered in recent games. In the last matchups against Yale and Brown, the Big Green scored seven goals in the first period alone. Last weekend, against Union College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Dartmouth managed just two goals, total, both off the stick of Brandon McNally '15.
The Big Green women (16-8-2, 12-6-2 ECAC) find themselves in fifth place (26 points) in the ECAC standings entering this weekend's games. Like the men's team, the women's team is trying to position itself well as the tournament approaches.
Dartmouth welcomes Yale (1-25-1, 1-18-1 ECAC) to Hanover on Friday. The last meeting between the two teams met ended with a dominating 6-0 win for the Big Green, who will look to continue that dominance and improve on a 65-4-2 all-time record against the Bulldogs.
"We have been struggling a bit lately to win games that we know we should win," captain Kelly Foley '12 said. Foley cited home-ice advantage in the ECAC tournament as motivation for the Big Green in the games this weekend. A loss from St. Lawrence University and two wins against Brown and Yale would secure home-ice advantage for the Big Green.
Dartmouth will play its final game before the ECAC tournament against Brown (8-12-7, 5-11-4 ECAC) on Saturday. Dartmouth claimed a 3-1 victory in the teams' last meeting.
Big Green goaltender Lindsay Holdcroft '14 will stay hot in net as she currently boasts a .927 save percentage in 22 games. Foley enters her final regular season game with 28 points, which ranks second on the team this season.
The contests mark the final regular-season home games for Dartmouth's six seniors. Captains Foley, Reagan Fischer 12 and Jenna Hobeika '12 have all been strong and consistent for the team. Each has tallied double-digit points Fischer has 24 points, while Hobeika has six goals and seven assists as a defenseman.
"We're excited for our last game," Foley said. "Everyone is playing for each other. The seniors definitely want to keep winning so that senior weekend is not our last weekend playing at home."
Erica Dobos '12 has been another strong senior for the team with 24 points this season. Moira Scanlon '12 has scored 16 points in over 100 games in her Big Green career, while Brittany Mills '12 netted her first goal this year.
The women's ECAC tournament is set to begin next weekend, with the finals being played at the site of the highest remaining seed March 2-3. The men's tournament gets underway March 2-3 and culminates with the finals at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. on March 16 and 17.
