Team Notes: Dartmouth Begins Playoffs with First-Round Matchup Against RPI
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The following article appeared March 5 on the Dartmouth Web site.
HANOVER, N.H. -- The Dartmouth men's hockey team begins the
2008-09 playoff season with a First-Round matchup against
Rensselaer. The Big Green defeated the Engineers twice this season
by the same 5-2 score. Dartmouth has been in the ECAC Playoffs
every year since 1999-2000. The Big Green and the Engineers will
meet Friday and Saturday at 7:00 pm with a game on Sunday if
necessary. All games will be broadcast live by B2 Networks as well
as the DartmouthSportsNetwork.
SCOUTING RENSSELAER
Rensselaer, which is led by third-year head coach Seth Appert, is
a team that relies heavily on its young players. In fact, of the
Engineers’ top seven point producers, six of them are either
freshmen or sophomores. RPI does not have any senior defensemen and
their goalies, one senior and a freshman, have split each of the
last eight games. Forward Chase Polacek, a sophomore, has led RPI
in scoring throughout the course of the season and continues to do
so. In 33 games this year, he has tallied 10 goals and 20 assists
for 30 points - all team-bests - in 34 games. Forwards Patrick
Cullen and Tyler Helfrich are tied for second on the team with 22
points apiece. Cullen, a freshman, has nine goals and 13 assists in
31 games while sophomore Helfrich, a sophomore, has five goals and
17 assists in 28 games. Bryan Brutlag (3 goals, 10 assists) leads
the team’s defensemen with 13 points. In goal, senior Mathias
Lange has played 69% of the games, posting a 3.25 goals against
average with an .895 save percentage. He is 5-17-2. Freshman Allen
York, who has seen increased playing time over the past month, is
2-7-0 with a 3.41 average and an .887 save percentage. The
Engineers enter the post-season having lost their last five games
and nine of their last 10 contests. However, three of those defeats
have come in overtime and four of those games have been against
opponents who were ranked nationally at the time.
Complete article can be accessed via the Dartmouth Web site by clicking here.
