No. 1 Dartmouth Advances to Championship Game with 4-1 Win vs. No. 4 Colgate

HANOVER, N.H. (3/3/07) - The No. 1 seeded Dartmouth Big Green defeated the No. 4 Colgate Raiders, 4-1 in the ECAC Hockey League semifinals on Saturday, March 3 at Thompson Arena. With the win, the Big Green advances to Sunday's championship final against St. Lawrence.

Dartmouth's power-play unit, ranked third in the nation, helped the Big Green take a 2-0 lead in the first period going 2-for-3 with two goals from Katie Weatherston. Colgate added one in the second before Dartmouth expanded the lead to 4-1 with back-to-back goals in the third.

The Big Green set up in power-play formation with three up top after a Raider penalty just one minute and 23 seconds into the contest. Shannon Bowman, Cherie Piper and Weatherston passed the puck around waiting for the perfect shot. With two defenders screening Wheeler, Weatherston rifled a shot from the top of the point that found the twine at 2:08.

Colgate received a bench minor for too many players on the ice at 14:32, and it was all the Big Green needed to take a 2-0 lead. Bowman took a shot from near the left boards and Gillian Apps was there to tip the puck. The tip was stopped by Colgate's Brook Wheeler but popped out onto the open ice on the right side where Weatherston had the clear chance to put the puck past the line at 15:09.

Wheeler stopped nine in the period, while Dartmouth's Carli Clemis turned away four.

Colgate's championship jitters subsided as the Raiders came out ready to play in the second.

Freshman Ali Edell brought the Raiders within one with a tally at 6:22, when she ripped a shot from just inside the blue line that found its way past the glove of Clemis. Sophomore Elin Brown was credited with the assist to Edell.

The Raiders had some great chances at the end of the second session. Freshman Katie Stewart nearly tied the game when she deked her defender in the offensive end and went one-on-one with Clemis but Stewart's shot hit the post. Right off the next face off, junior Kara Leene blasted a shot that hit the left post and skirted wide.

Wheeler made some monster saves, shutting down the Big Green with 16 stops. She stopped two right on the goal line to keep the large crowd of Colgate fans on their feet.

Wheeler squashed two breakaways in the first 10 minutes of the third period, one by Weatherson and the second by Apps.

Minutes later Dartmouth got a 2x1 break as Maggie Kennedy skated up the right side and sent the puck to the right side to a streaking Bowman. Bowman flipped the puck past the blocker of Wheeler at 9:26 for the eventual game winner.

The Big Green added another just under two minutes later, at 11:14, to make it 4-1. After a couple chances right on the doorstep the puck was sent out to the point to Caroline Ethier. Ethier rifled a shot that found its way through the traffic that was still out front and found its way to the right side of the net.

Colgate had a third shot hit the post with under two minutes remaining. Stewart came skating in and sent a high shot that clanked the cross bar.

Wheeler finished the game with 36 total saves, while Clemis made 12 stops.

Colgate finishes its season with a 17-15-2 record.