Men’s hockey fell to Princeton University 7-3 this past Friday and to No. 2 Quinnipiac University 4-2 the following evening.
Jack Cameron ’23 expressed discontent with the final results, despite the exciting battles fought.
“Both games were really good hockey,” Cameron said. “Next time we just have to really work to finish the job.”
The beginning of the Princeton game was stagnant, with no goals until late into the first period. Princeton gained a 2-0 lead early in the second period with a power play goal. The Big Green responded five minutes later when Tanner Palocsik ’23 attempted a shot on goal. After the Princeton goalie had an initial save, Tyler Campbell ’23 responded by shooting in the rebound, improving Dartmouth’s score to 2-1. The game was interrupted by students throwing tennis balls onto the rink in an annual tradition that cost the Big Green a penalty.
Luke Haymes ’26 – one of the three scorers of the night – noted that the crowd threw more than just tennis balls after Campbell's goal.
“There were a couple hams, there were some hot dogs, there were COVID tests, which was hilarious. So, it was a great experience,” Haymes said. “It was a great turnout, obviously, and a really fun atmosphere to play in… we hoped for a better outcome, but had fun regardless.”
Cameron noted that the penalty caused by the chaos was not a setback.
“Obviously something we’re not too happy about, but at the end of the day, it’s a tradition that’s decades old and we’ll kill those penalties any day,” Cameron said.
Halfway into the second period, Haymes took a pass from Palocsik and tied the game 2-2.
Princeton regained its dominance in the third period with a successful maneuver, taking a 3-2 lead. Dartmouth quickly responded with a power play goal just fifteen seconds later after a Princeton penalty. Sean Chisholm ’25 tied the game 3-3 with his goal. The Tigers scored four goals in the last nine minutes, securing a 7-3 win. Goalie Cooper Black ’26 was pulled from the net in the game’s final minutes, resulting in two empty net goals.
Alex Krause ’26 noted a shift in energy going from the Princeton game to the Quinnipiac game.
“We showed up and it was just a different level of intensity and a different level of energy that we didn’t necessarily bring right off the get-go with Princeton, and it made a really big difference for us,” Krause said.
The Quinnipiac game was tied 0-0 for most of the first period until Dartmouth took the lead when Mark Gallant ’23 scored in the final seconds of the first period.
Cameron also noted an improvement in the team’s dynamic against Quinnipiac.
“A big improvement from Princeton to Quinnipiac was just how well we were managing the puck. In my opinion, there were a lot less turnovers,” Cameron said.
In the last two minutes of the second period, the Bobcats scored against Black, tying the game. Cooper Flinton ’26 had an early goal in the third period, regaining the lead for the Big Green. Quinnipiac, however, tied the game with a goal in the final three minutes of the third period. With under two minutes remaining, the Bobcats scored their third goal. In an attempt to enter overtime, Black was pulled from Dartmouth’s goal to increase the Big Green’s chances of scoring; however, the Bobcats scored on an empty net, ensuring their victory.
Despite these losses, Haymes expressed the team’s hopes for the remaining games of the season.
“I think the biggest thing is just have a good week of practice, make sure we’re focused all week, practicing hard and trying to make each other better and keep building internal competition,” Haymes said.
The Big Green faces off against Harvard University at next week’s home matchup on Feb. 10th and the following week against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Feb. 17th. Dartmouth fell to both teams earlier this season.
