Dartmouth Loses in Shootout to Mercyhurst

5:00 - 5.0	1	2	3	OT	Final
Mercyhurst (7-9-2)	0	4	0	0	4
Dartmouth (6-4-2)	1	1	2	0	4

Scoring Summary
1st - 17:19	Reber, Matt (Dartmouth)
2nd - 08:33	Paul Chiasson (Mercyhurst)
2nd - 13:30	Jesse Echternach (Mercyhurst)
2nd - 15:13	PP - Paul Chiasson (Mercyhurst)
2nd - 18:05	Phil Ginand (Mercyhurst)
2nd - 19:30	Reber, Matt (Dartmouth)
3rd - 04:11	Estoclet, Adam (Dartmouth)
3rd - 10:51	Fleming, Scott (Dartmouth)

Mercyhurst	Dartmouth
G: Paul Chiasson - 2 A: 4 Players (#4, #14, #20, #26 - 1) Sh: Paul Chiasson - 4 Sv: Ryan Zapolski - 43	G: Matt Reber - 2 A: Scott Fleming - 3 Sh: Scott Fleming - 6 Sv: James Mello - 23

TEAM STATISTICS	Mercyhurst	Dartmouth
Power Plays	1 for 5	0 for 4
Shorthanded Goals	0	0
Penalties (min)	5 (10)	5 (10)
Shots on Goal	27	47
Face Offs Won	32	39

full stats

HANOVER, N.H. - For just the third time this season, the Dartmouth men's hockey team found itself trailing in a game as the Big Green went into the third period down, 4-2 to visiting Mercyhurst in the opening round of the Ledyard Classic on Thursday in Thompson Arena. The Big Green engineered a comeback in the final period to tie the game, 4-4 and force a shootout but Mercyhurst won the shootout to advance to the championship game against Boston College tomorrow at 7 p.m. Dartmouth and Colgate will square off in the consolation at 4 p.m.

The win gives the Lakers a 7-9-2 record while Dartmouth is now 6-4-2.

Linemates Adam Estoclet (Orono, Minn.), Matt Reber (Edina, Minn.) and Scott Fleming (Plainfield, Ont.) had a hand in all four of the Big Green's goals as it was Fleming and Reber that teamed up for the tying goal midway through the third period.

After coming from three goals down the Big Green put eight shots on net in the third and nine in the overtime frame but could not get the go-ahead goal it was so desperate for. As the game remained tied after the extra frame the two sides went to a shootout, the Big Green's first since the opening round of the Ledyard Classic in 2004-05 when Dartmouth defeated Bowling Green.

Mercyhurst's Scott Pitt took the first shot in the shootout, putting it past goalie James Mello (Rehoboth, Mass.). Fleming was up for Dartmouth but his shot was saved by Ryan Zapolski. Steve Cameron had the second shot for the Lakers as he skated in and deked around Mello for the second goal. Reber had a chance to give the Big Green a point but his shot was also saved by Zapolski as the Lakers advanced to play the defending national champions, BC.

Estoclet and Reber worked together to get the first goal of the game, giving the Big Green the opening lead late in the opening period. Estoclet took the initial shot that was saved out to a trailing Reber as the senior tallied his second goal of the season. Dartmouth had several chances with 14 shots on net to the Lakers, seven.

Mercyhurst came out in the second on fire as the Lakers tallied four goals to take a 4-1 lead over the home team. Mercyhurst tied the game at 11:27 of the second off an off-balance shot by Paul Chiasson. Brandon Coccimiglio took a shot that sent Mello sprawling as Chiasson was tripped up and started to fall but was able to get his stick out enough to put the puck past Mello.

The Lakers took the lead immediately after Jesse Echternach rang one off the post. 

Derek Elliott gathered the puck at the blue line and passed over to Echternach at the left circle as the senior one-timed the puck over Mello's left shoulder for the go-ahead. Mercyhurst went up 3-1 off a strike by Chiasson who roofed the puck over Mello's head for the only power play goal of the contest. Phil Ginand gave the visiting team it's largest lead of the contest when he shot hard on Mello, sailing the puck over the goalie's shoulder for Mercyhurst's fourth goal of period.

Reber made things interesting in the waning minutes of the frame when the two sides were skating four-on-four. He got the puck on the far right side of the net and put a shot on Ryan Zapolski that flew over the goalie's uplifted hand as the Big Green went into the break down, 4-2.

Estoclet gave his team some life midway through the final period as the senior went hard on Zapolski, putting it past the netminder for his second of the contest. 

Scott Fleming (Plainfield, Ont.) picked up his third assist as he and Reber got the helpers.

Great teamwork by Fleming and Reber at 9:09 had the senior duo combining for the game-tying goal as the Big Green was throwing everything it had at the Lakers net.

Zapolski finished with 43 saves while Mello had 23. Dartmouth outshot Mercyhurst, 47-27.

The opening game of the Ledyard Classic went to No. 4 Boston College as the Eagles held off a hard-charging Colgate team to win, 6-5.