The '79 and '80 Teams: Back to the NCAAs

Roscoe and Murph: Ross Brownridge and Dennis Murphy,
scoring leaders of the Big Green from 1978-80.

Dartmouth’s journey -- and third-place finishes -- in the NCAA tournaments in 1979 and 1980 began with the arrival of Coach George Crowe in 1975, the year that Thompson Arena opened.

Crowe introduced a five-man, forechecking system that he adapted from the style favored by European teams and developed during seven seasons at Phillips Exeter. At Dartmouth, “George who?” built on team chemistry to fashion records of 19-9-2 in 1978-79 and 19-11-1 a year later, the most wins since the Big Green’s NCAA team in 1948 was 21-3.

 “When we recruited Ross Brownridge (an All-America and third among Dartmouth’s all-time scoring leaders), other coaches said he wasn’t a Division One skater,” said Crowe. As a sophomore and a senior, Brownridge was the scoring leader. In 1978-79, Brownridge’s classmate and linemate, Dennis Murphy (now coaching in France), was the leader.

But the key for the Big Green: It was a team of equals. In 1978-79, 13 players had 12 or more points. In 1979-80, 16 had at least 10 points.

“We had good players, not stars,” said Crowe. “(Throughout the season) we would move a fourth or fifth line up and down from varsity to jayvee. That’s why we used Velcro for the names on the jerseys.”

The 1978-79 Season

Dartmouth had reached the ECAC tourney in 1975-76 but was a middle-of-the-pack team for the next two years as freshmen and sophomores adapted to Crowe’s system. There were only two seniors on the 1977-78 team: By 1978-79, Dartmouth had maturing depth as it turned the corner.

“We re-evaluated our priorities as the season progressed,” said Crowe. “We wanted to make the (ECAC) top eight, then the top four. Then we wanted to get to (Boston) Garden and then we decided, ‘What the heck, let’s go to Detroit.’”

After winning its first Ivy League title since 1964, Murphy’s overtime goal beat Clarkson, 2-1, in the ECAC opener at Thompson Arena — Dartmouth’s first-ever ECAC tourney win. 

At the Garden, the Big Green ousted top-seeded Boston University, 5-3, as goals by Chip Bettencourt and Steve Higgins broke a 3-3 tie.

In the ECAC final against New Hampshire, Higgins made it 2-2. After Brownridge’s breakaway for the lead was thwarted, the Wildcats won it with a shot that went off goalie Bob Gaudet’s shoulder.

It was a Cinderella season. “The only thing missing was the chance to play in the NCAA finals,” said Crowe, after the Big Green fell to North Dakota, 4-2, in the NCAA semis at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit. Dartmouth rebounded to beat UNH, 7-3, for third place (after trailing the ECAC champs, 3-1, in the second period).

“We could have laid down and died,” said Captain Mark Culhane after the comeback against UNH at Detroit. “Finishing third is better than finishing fourth.”

The 1979-80 Season

Dartmouth had a 3-6 record through December of the 1979-80 season. The Big Green then went on a 13-3-1 tear through January and February. The momentum produced another Ivy title and continued with an 8-0 romp over RPI in the ECAC quarterfinal game at Thompson, and Rich Ryerson had the go-ahead goal as the Big Green rallied from three goals down to beat Clarkson, 6-4, in the semis at Boston Garden.

During the January-February surge, Dartmouth beat Cornell, 4-3 (the Big Green’s first win at Ithaca since 1965), and 8-3 in the Thompson rematch. Cornell, a 6-5 winner over Providence in the other ECAC semifinal game, was dominant in the ECAC title game, beating the Big Green, 5-1. A week later, Dartmouth got even.

In the NCAA semifinals at the Providence Civic Center, Northern Michigan clipped Cornell, 5-4, while Dartmouth was pitted against North Dakota, its nemesis in the 1979 tourney.

Mark Bedard’s goal put Dartmouth in a 1-1 standoff that stood for two periods before North Dakota’s power proved decisive, 4-1.

Dartmouth was sluggish in the third-place game with Cornell, trailing 2-1 before sophomore defenseman Joe Jangro’s two goals were among five Green second-period scores that triggered an 8-4 win. Again, “third is better than fourth.”

“Last year (1979), it was nice just to be there,” said Gaudet, now the Dartmouth men’s coach. “This year (1980), we wanted to come home with something that shows we were really here.”

That they did. “There isn’t anyone who shouldn’t be proud of this team,” said Crowe.

With David Shribman ’76, Jack DeGange is co-author of Dartmouth College Hockey: Northern Ice.