Offensive Outburst Helps Dartmouth to Win Over Brown
HANOVER, N.H. - Three goals in the first period proved too much
for Brown to overcome Friday night at Thompson Arena as the
Dartmouth men's hockey team overpowered the Bears in a 6-2
victory.
The win and two ECAC Hockey points moved the Big Green up from
ninth in the standings entering the night to a tie for sixth with
Clarkson as both have 13 points.
In all, a season-high six different Dartmouth (9-8-2, 6-5-2 ECAC
Hockey) players found the back of the net on this night.
Senior Doug Jones (Marietta, Ga.) moved two points closer to 100 in
his career with a goal and an assist on the night. His three-game
points streak (3g/4a) now leaves him with 98 in 113 games played in
a Big Green sweater.
Senior goalie James Mello (Rehoboth, Mass.) turned aside 20 shots
as Brown (8-9-3, 5-6-2 ECAC Hockey) was limited in scoring chances,
but played a physical game in front of the Big Green netminder,
making it difficult for him to see pucks for periods of time.
Nick Walsh (Shannonville, Ontario) jumped up on the first line with
fellow senior Jones and sophomore Eric Robinson (Foxboro, Ontario),
a move that paid dividends early for head coach Bob Gaudet's
squad.
Walsh scored his third of the season just 3:34 into the game,
finishing a rebound on a point shot from junior Mike Keenan (South
Weymouth, Mass.) that found its way on net through the traffic in
the high slot. Jones set up the play with a pass up the boards to
the captain for the blast.
Jones' helper was the 73rd of his career, moving him into a
three-way tie for 11th all-time at Dartmouth with Richard Rondeau
'44 and Tom Fleming '76
Jones got on the board 2:01 later with a goal of his own. The
senior, playing center for just the second time this season, coming
in on odd-man rush in the slot and fired a low shot on goal that
Brown's Marco De Filippo kicked back out. Collecting the rebound
between the circles, Jones moved back to his forehand where he
finished the play with his seventh of the year and third in as many
games.
Late in the period, freshman Brandon McNally (Saugus, Mass.)
redirected a shot from Robinson on the power play to make it 3-0
after one. With 2:26 showing on the clock, Robinson fired a shot
from the right circle that McNally was able to tip over the
shoulder of De Filippo, leading to the Bears' goalie's departure
from the game with senior Michael Clemete coming in off the
bench.
Freshman Jesse Beamish (Mississauga, Ontario) set up the play with
the cross-ice feed to Robinson for the initial shot.
Brown's Chris Zaires scored 2:06 into the second period to cut the
lead to two, but freshman Tyler Sikura (Aurora, Ontario) answered
back for the home team just 20 seconds later to regain the
three-goal lead, 4-1.
Sikura's eighth goal of the season ties him with Robinson for the
team lead through 19 games. The Big Green's fourth goal was the
prettiest of all the night's tallies with Sikura finishing a nice
passing play from reigning ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week Eric
Neiley (Warminster, Pa.) and junior Mark Goggin (Glen Ellyn, Ill.)
with a high, hard shot into the top left corner.
With a physical second period of play winding down, Bears' captain
Jack Maclellan scored his team's second goal in the midst of a
scrum in front of Mello with just 1:21 showing on the clock.
Two more Dartmouth goals in the third period wrapped up the 6-2
victory and helped push the home team over the .500 mark.
Senior Connor Goggin (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) made the play of the night
as he stopped a clearing attempt at the point with his hand while
on a 4-on-3 power play. He reached out and grabbed the puck with
his right hand, batted it over to Sikura at the point then waited
for the pass back that he finished with a hard one-timer to the
lower right corner.
A Jason Bourgea (South Burlington, Vt.) empty-net marker with nine
seconds left closed out the game that saw 25 penalty (98 minutes)
calls in all. Senior Paul Lee (Garden City, N.Y.) was credited with
an assist after an unselfish pass to Bourgea all alone in the
offensive zone allowed the junior winger to notch his first of
2011-12.
Brown finished the night 0-of-5 on the man-advantage, while
Dartmouth managed two goals in a game for just the second time this
season (Cornell, 1/21), going 2-for-5.
The Bears' tandem of De Filippo (7) and Clemente (26) combined for
33 saves opposite Mello Friday evening.
The Big Green host Yale on Saturday night at 7 p.m. A large crowd
is anticipated and standing-room only tickets are all that remain
for the tilt with the Bulldogs. For ticket information, please call
the Dartmouth Ticket Office at 603-646-2466.
NOTES: After both missed two games due to injury, juniors Alex
Goodship (Blackfalds,Alberta) and Bourgea were reinserted into the
Big Green lineup...The two goals 5:44 into the game marked the
fastest pair of tallies to start a game this year for the Big
Green... In all, 10 of the 12 forwards dressed recorded at least
one point in the game... Dartmouth had only scored three goals in a
period once prior to last weekend. The team did so in consecutive
regulation periods after three in the third against Colgate last
Saturday forced OT before scoring another three in the first period
against Brown on Friday night...Dartmouth is now 7-0-1 vs. Brown is
its last eight meetings, including 2-0 this season. In contrast,
tonight the Big Green will be looking for their first win over Yale
since Feb. 23, 2008; a stretch of eight-straight losses.
