Dartmouth Skates to Tie with Yale

Photo by Mark Washburn

Box Score

HANOVER, NH -- The Dartmouth women's hockey team took a 3-1 lead into the third period, but Yale answered with two goals in a span of 25 seconds to earn the 3-3 tie with the Big Green in Ivy League hockey action on Friday night at Thompson Arena.

Yale go the first great opportunity of the game with a 5-on-3 advantage seven minutes into the game. The Bulldogs were able to get six shots on net, but junior goaltender Carli Clemis (Taber, Alta.) was up for the challenge and made all six saves.

With 10:57 left in the opening period, sophomore Sarah Parsons (Dover, Mass.) capitalized on a mistake by Yale goaltender Jackee Snikeris and put Dartmouth ontop 1-0. Snikeris played the puck infront of her net, but misplayed it and Parsons connected on the dribbling puck for Dartmouth's first lead of the game.

The Big Green would increase its lead to 2-0, just 54 seconds later as senior Amy Cobb (Edina, Minn.) potted her fifth goal of the season. Cobb received a pass off the face-off from junior Shannon Bowman and blasted a shot from the point that beat Snikeris for the two-goal lead.

The Bulldogs inched closer with 4:07 left in the first when Maggie Westfall chipped a pass off the boards at the blueline over to Mandi Schwartz and she skated in all alone on Clemis and beat Clemis glove side to cut the lead to 2-1. Yale had an opportunity to tie the score with 42 seconds remaining as Crysti Howser connected on a deflection at the top of the crease, but the fluttering shot hit crossbar and fell into Clemis to keep Dartmouth ahead 2-1.

Dartmouth put itself in another hole at the end of the period as the Bulldogs were able to get their second 5-on-3 advantage in the game. Once again Clemis kept Yale off the board with a couple of saves.

Junior Julia Bronson (Arlington, Va.) took advantage of Dartmouth's thrid power play opportunity with her second power play goal of the season. Parsons slid a pass over to Bronson at the center point, fired shot that got past the glove of Snikeris and into the top right corner of the net for the score.

In the third period, Howser made up for the missed shot earlier in the first period with her sixth goal of the season at the 14:38 mark of the period. Howser skated into the Dartmouth zone, beat the defense and found the top shelf on Clemis' glove side to shrink the Big Green's lead to 3-2.

The Bulldogs would not waste any time evening the score as Maggie Westfal netted her sixth of the year, just 25 seconds after Yale cut the lead to 3-2. Westfal found the puck during a scrum infront and beat Clemis to the near post to tie the game.

With 6:18 remaining in the game, Westfal had another chance to give Yale the lead, but Clemis came out and won the challenge to keep it a tie game. Westfal received a pass from the right boards and was open infront, but Clemis slid over, stacked the pads, shutdown the angle and made the stop.

Dartmouth could not get out of the penalty box all night and with 3:58 left, the Bulldogs got their thrid 5-on-3 advantage of the contest. For the third time in the game, the Big Green stood tall on the defensive end by blocking shots and deflecting passes and killed off the advantage.

The Big Green had its final chance in regulation when freshman Amanda Trunzo skated along the boards and behind the net and found Parsons at the crease, but she couldn't jam it home as Snikeris made the save.

In the extra stanza, Dartmouth was able to earn a power play chance with 3:15 left, but only managed three shots on net. Yale would end the game on the power play with no shots on net as the teams skated to a 3-3 tie.

Clemis made many gamesaving stops in net for the Big Green and totaled 28 on the night, including 12 in the final period. Snikeris was equally as good with 31 saves, with 11 coming in the second period. Dartmouth outshot the Bulldogs, 34-31, and Yale was a amazing 0-9 on the man advantage, while the Big Green netted the lone power play goal in its six chances with the extra skater.

Dartmouth will be back at Thompson Arena tomorrow afternoon as the Big Green face the Brown Bears in a Saturday matinee, beginning at 4 p.m.