Following a 2-2 tie with Cornell University on Jan. 24, the women’s ice hockey team lost its Alumni Day home game against Colgate University on Saturday. The team fell 4-1 to the Raiders, who are ranked fifth in the nation.
Cornell and Colgate, ranked second and first in the ECAC, respectively, presented a competitive schedule for the 11th-ranked Big Green. Tying against Cornell, ranked sixth in the nation, gave the players confidence for their matchup against the Raiders, according to head coach Maura Crowell.
Despite its defeat, the team still competed well in its game against Colgate, Crowell added.
“The fact that we’re competing really well with those guys is pretty impressive,” Crowell said. “It talks about the progress we’ve made over the course of the year.”
With the Dartmouth Marching Band joining the women’s ice hockey team for the first time this season, the energy among the students, families and alumni in Thompson Arena was high, Crowell said. Judy Parish Oberting ’91, a former head coach and player on the women’s hockey team, performed the puck drop and was met with thunderous applause. Throughout the game, the alumni “were rocking” and created an exciting environment for players, Crowell said.
“It’s really nice to have their support and have their energy in the building,” forward Cally Dixon ’26 said.
The game got off to a quick start, with Colgate putting two pucks in the net early in the first period. Dartmouth responded aggressively, taking more shots on goal but failing to score.
“[Colgate scoring early] put us on our heels a little bit, but we responded okay,” Crowell said. “I think we were just trying to get our footing.”
The second period was a fierce battle, and neither team found the net until the end of the period. Colgate secured another point in the last two minutes, increasing its lead to 3-0. But the Big Green gave the Raiders no time to rest — one minute and three seconds later, Dixon put Dartmouth on the board just before it was time to leave the ice.
Dixon’s goal “was huge,” giving the team momentum going forward, goalie Michaela Hesová ’28 said.
“We got a little life off of that goal,” Crowell added.
Going into the final stretch of the game, the Dartmouth squad was revitalized. The third period was their “best,” with Dartmouth ramping up the pressure and playing more aggressively, according to Crowell. While there were many near-points for the Big Green, the game closed out with the Raiders scoring after Hesová was pulled from the net.
“Obviously it didn’t go the way we wanted to, but, like Coach says, there’s always something to learn,” Dixon said. “We can play with these guys, and I think we showed that in the third period. We’re working toward playing like third period all the time.”
According to Crowell, Dartmouth’s performance against both Cornell and Colgate showed that the team “can play with anybody in the country.” Dixon echoed this sentiment.
“We proved this weekend that we can really skate with anybody, especially the top teams,” Dixon said. “[The ECAC] is the best league in the country, and we’re playing great games and playing great hockey.”
In each of Dartmouth’s remaining six games, the Big Green will face off against teams that beat them earlier this season. Especially considering their performance this past weekend, the team is “excited to play them again” and secure as many ECAC points as it can, Crowell said. Her freshman goalie is also optimistic.
“Every week is a new opportunity, and we’re very excited about the upcoming weeks,” Hesová said. “Our game has been ramping up for the past few games, so it’s always exciting to get in the net. … I can’t wait to see what we’re going to do in the future.”
The team will play Princeton University and Quinnipiac University away next Friday and Saturday before looking toward its final four games.
