Just under six minutes into the first period of the men’s hockey game against Princeton University on Saturday, the sellout crowd at Thompson Arena erupted, raining down tennis balls and a lone fish onto the ice. The Big Green men, especially goal scorer Grant Opperman ’17, celebrated, batting the balls around the rink as the baseball team shuffled out onto the ice to collect the debris.
The crowd remained on the edge of their seats as the Big Green treated them to one of its best games this season, eventually beating the Tigers 5-3. The team played with an energy that fans had not seen much of so far this season.
Dartmouth (4-15-3, 3-11-1 ECAC) rebounded after suffering a gut-wrenching 8-1 loss at the hands of No. 3 Quinnipiac University on Friday with the emotional win over Princeton (4-17-0, 3-11-0 ECAC). The two points earned by the Big Green on Saturday propelled them above Princeton in the standings by one point.
The Big Green exploded in the first period, racing out to a 3-0 lead in the first 20 minutes on the back of goals from Opperman, Ryan Bullock ’16 and Jesse Beamish ’15. In the first six minutes, Dartmouth took numerous close shots, seemingly a different team than the one that had played Friday night.
Opperman netted a well-placed rebound shot over senior goalie Sean Bonar’s shoulder for the first goal of the game.
“It was a good play on the power play,” Opperman said. “There was a great screen. I was lucky enough to be the guy on the spot and pick up the puck and get it in the back of the net. It was awesome seeing all the tennis balls coming down.”
Opperman’s goal was the team’s first power play goal of the calendar year and first in its last 24 opportunities. The Big Green finished the first period with a major 22-5 shot advantage, and added another power play goal in each successive period.
Another highlight of the evening was that Eric Neiley ’15 returned to the ice from a two-game suspension, his first action since the 1-1 Cornell draw.
“It feels good,” Neiley said. “You never want to sit out. You just want to help the team in any way you can. It’s good to be back, and I’m glad I could help out. Tonight was a fun game to be back for.”
In the first period, the team suffered a momentary scare as Neiley was crosschecked from behind into the net. The goalpost struck his neck, sending him to the bench for the rest of the first period. He returned after the period break.
Just 45 seconds into the second period, Brandon McNally ’15 redirected a shot from the point by Neiley, netting Dartmouth’s second power play goal of the night. McNally’s goal would prove to be the game winner.
From there on, however, the second period proved to be Princeton’s, as the Tigers stormed back into the game, cutting the deficit to one before the horn sounded.
“Princeton took advantage of some of our turnovers in the second period,” head coach Bob Gaudet said. “We made a few of them in the offensive zone while trying to make a play.”
The Tigers battled back with three goals from senior Alec Rush, junior Tyler Maugeri and senior Andrew Calof before the second period ended.
“I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t nervous, because it’s funny how the game ebbs away a little bit, and it’s not from a lack of effort,” Gaudet said. “But to regroup going into the third period was really important. We just kept the play in front of us. I thought Princeton played a good game but they weren’t a threat in the third period.”
Beamish proved to be the night’s hero, netting his second goal on the power play during the final frame. Beamish’s shot from the left circle bounced off goalie Sean Bonar’s leg pads and rolled slowly into the net, sealing the win.
“That was just a huge play to get a puck into the net,” Gaudet said, adding that in such a tight game, any small bounce can make a large difference.
Princeton would pull Bonar from the net to add an extra skater with 2:22 left but never managed to score. Dartmouth successfully prevented Princeton from getting multiple shots with the extra skater.
The Big Green finished the third period with a 19-3 shot advantage, finishing with a 48-20 advantage for the game.
Dartmouth’s penalty kill also rebounded from the previous night’s game, thwarting all four of Princeton’s chances. The Big Green’s power play came back strong after a futile month, going three for four on the man advantage.
Goalie James Kruger ’16 allowed three goals in 20 shots but picked up his first career win with Dartmouth’s offensive outburst. Bonar matched his career high with 43 saves. Dartmouth’s 48 shots set a new season high.
Both sides played aggressively all night long, combining for 10 penalties and multiple fights.
Quinnipiac (19-4-5, 9-2-3 ECAC) took advantage of Dartmouth’s injury-depleted and young squad on Friday night. With the win, Quinnipiac swept Dartmouth for the second straight season and extended its winning streak against the Big Green to five. The Bobcats looked the part of a championship-caliber team.
“Quinnipiac is an excellent team,” Gaudet said. “I thought from the opening face off they were outstanding, and we didn’t have any answers, and that’s my job.”
Dartmouth made it easier for Quinnipiac with poor puck control and five penalties, two of which would lead to power play goals. Dartmouth was held scoreless on its three power plays. The Big Green entered the game needing to score during the power play to remain competitive, but it could not compete against Quinnipiac’s penalty kill.
The rout started eight seconds into the game when senior Connor Jones took the opening face-off, skated through Dartmouth’s entire first line and shot the puck past Charles Grant ’16. Jones’ goal was the fastest score in Quinnipiac history.
“We played a team that played at a really, really high pace, and my hope is that what we can gain from it is the thought that playing at that pace takes so much work and takes so much effort that that’s where we need to try to consistently be,” Gaudet said.
Quinnipiac reeled off another five goals by the end of the second period, including three scores in three minutes during the second. After the sixth goal, head coach Rand Pecknold took the foot off the gas pedal.
Once Quinnipiac extended its lead to five, Gaudet yanked Grant and inserted Kruger.
Dartmouth’s lone goal, a shot by Tim O’Brien ’16 in the slot, came long after the game’s outcome had been settled. The tally seemed only to antagonize Quinnipiac, which quickly responded with another two goals.
“We’re better than we showed, but they have an outstanding team,” Gaudet said. “They presented us a lot of problems in terms of their skill level and quickness.”
Sophomore goalie Michael Garteig picked up his NCAA-leading 19th win of the year, and freshman Sam Anas added two points to his NCAA-leading 34 points by a freshman.
Dartmouth travels to Harvard University on Friday for its only game of the week.
