Ruta's Overtime Winner Lifts Dartmouth

Box score

HANOVER, N.H. - Senior captain Nicole Ruta (Pickering, Ont.) netted the shorthanded overtime gamewinner, 2:11 into the extra frame as Dartmouth erased a third period deficit to earn the 4-3 victory over Vermont in the season opener.

Vermont (4-3) struck first as Brittany Nelson fired a shot that Dartmouth junior netminder Carli Clemis (Taber, Alta.) saved, but the rebound came out to Chelsea Furlani and she found the back of the net to put the Catamounts up 1-0.

The Big Green (1-0) evened the score with four minutes remaining in the first period when sophomore Jenna Cunningham (Medicine Hat, Alta.) beat her defender infront and tucked the puck under the arm of Vermont goalie Kristen Olychuck for the score.

In the second period, Dartmouth took its first lead on a power play goal from junior Katie Gray(Calgary, Alta.). Junior Julia Bronson (Arlington, Va.) took a shot from the point that was blocked and Gray got the puck, drove it through traffic and into the net.

Vermont, however, would not go away. The Catamounts got a shorthanded goal from Karen Sentoff and Teddy Fortin added an even strength goal to close out the second period with Vermont up 3-2. The Big Green would score its second power play goal of the game, midway through the third as sophomore Sarah Parsons (Dover, Mass.) put home a rebound infront of the net to tie the game 3-3.

Going into overtime, Dartmouth was outshooting the Catamounts 43-14 and it finally paid off for the Big Green. Ruta received a pass from sophomore Sue Schmitz (Brookfield, Wis.) and took a shot from the corner as senior Carrie Thompson (Shorewood, Minn.) was crashing the net. The puck found its way past Olychuck and into the net as Dartmouth completed the comeback for the 4-3 win.

Olychuck was amazing in net for Vermont with 41 saves, while Clemis pushed aside 14 shots to earn her first victory of the season. Ruta lead Dartmouth with a goal and an assist and Furlani did the same for the Catamounts. The Big Green was efficient on the power play, going 2-for-7, and the Dartmouth penalty kill held Vermont to an 0-for-6 on the man advantage.

Dartmouth will be on the road this Sunday as the Big Green travels to face another Hockey East foe in Boston University with the face-off coming at 3 p.m. at Walter Brown Arena.