In a quest to avenge a 4-2 loss to Cornell the night prior and a 2-1 defeat to Colgate two weeks ago, Dartmouth came up just short, skating to a 3-3 tie with the Raiders at Thompson Arena on Saturday.
The Big Green controlled much of the play throughout the night, out-shooting their opponent 50-30. Strong goaltending by Raider netminder Steve Silverthorn and missed opportunities by Dartmouth kept them from breaking away from Colgate, however.
In fact, it was Colgate (15-8-5, 10-4-2 ECAC) who jumped out to a big early lead in front of a stunned crowd in Hanover, New Hampshire. Raider Dave Thomas found a rebound and lifted it high past a diving Dartmouth goalie Dan Yacey for a power play tally.
The Big Green (9-7-7, 7-4-5) responded with a power-play goal of their own. Hugh Jessiman launched a rocket of a one-timer tight under the crossbar to tie the score at 1-1 after one. The goal proved to be the first of three scored with the man advantage by Dartmouth.
The Raiders pounced early in the second period in an effort to pull away from their hosts. Dave Thomas notched his second of the game when his long shot through traffic trickled through Yacey’s legs. Kyle Wilson doubled Colgate’s lead to 3-1 when he roofed a power play goal of his own over the right shoulder of the Big Green netminder.
Yacey struggled throughout the early stages of the game, allowing three goals on only 12 shots. Following Wilson’s tally, Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet opted for backup goalie Sean Samuel for the rest of the night. The freshman would not disappoint, refusing to surrender another goal to the Raiders.
Meanwhile, the Big Green comeback commenced. Lee Stempniak kicked things off midway through the second period with a rebound goal to slice the Colgate lead to 3-2. In the waning minutes of the middle frame, Nathan Szymanski found a loose puck lying in front of a prone Silverthorn and buried the chance.
The game remained tied at 3-3 throughout the third period, but it was Dartmouth who dictated play. The Big Green fired 20 shots on the Colgate net while only allowing eight on their own. The home team carried their strong play into overtime, testing Silverthorn four more times in the extra stanza. The Raider goaltender would not fold, however, and earned his team a point at the end of the night.
With the tie, Colgate extended its undefeated streak to eight games with a record of 6-0-2 in that time. The second place Raiders host four of their final six league games, and begin next Friday night when Yale travels to Hamilton.
Meanwhile, Dartmouth is now winless in its last three games, and it’s 3-3 push with Colgate marked their ECAC-leading fifth league tie of the season. The Big Green still stand poised in third place, however, and look to pick up ground on the leaders when they travel to St. Lawrence and Clarkson next weekend.
