Clarkson 4 - Dartmouth 2

By Dave Sherzer

HANOVER, N.H. - You're never too old to learn a few things.

On Senior Night at Thompson Arena, one of Dartmouth's elder statesman gained a little perspective heading into the ECAC playoffs next weekend.

"I didn't think anyone could beat us here, but I guess Clarkson proved me wrong," senior tri-captain Michael Byrne said after his team's 4-2 loss to the Golden Knights Saturday night.

Still, the Big Green finishes the regular season in fifth place, good enough to give the team home ice in the first round of the playoffs next weekend.

Dartmouth (13-12-4, 10-8-4 ECAC) will host sixth-place Rensselaer at Thompson Arena in a rematch of last year's first-round series (RPI won that one in its home rink, 2 games to 0).

"I think good things are going to happen for us next weekend," Byrne said. "We're a confident team when we're at home. I think we're going to be a tough team to beat next week."

With the victory, Clarkson (20-9-3, 15-5-2 ECAC) clinched the ECAC regular season title, the Golden Knights' ninth all-time and second in the last three years.

They claimed first place for the first time Friday night when they beat Vermont, 4-1. On Saturday before 3,568 fans at Thompson Arena, Clarkson answered a pair of Dartmouth leads before finally taking the lead in the third when David Evans scored with just over five minutes remaining.

"This is a real accomplishment for us," Clarkson head coach Mark Morris said. "I don't think most people realize how many players we lost to pro hockey. We have a lot of youth, so it's very rewarding to see how much we've grown this year.

"We started out at the bottom of the pile and worked our way right up. We kept climbing rungs of the ladder, and now we've got another banner in the rafters."

The teams traded goals in each of the first two periods.

Five minutes into the game, Dartmouth got on the board first when sophomore Kent Gillings took a centering pass from linemate Mike Maturo and slid the puck between the legs of goaltender Mike Walsh (28 saves). Maturo's assist increased his career-high point total to 31.

Late in the period, Clarkson got even, as junior Matt Poapst took a feed from center Kevin O'Flaherty before roofing his 17th of the year. Rookie Rob McFeeters also earned an assist on the play.

Early in the middle frame, the Big Green claimed its second lead of the night when junior Chris Baldwin collected an odd bounce off the boards and rifled in a quick shot from five feet out. Baldwin's unassisted goal was his 11th of the season.

The Golden Knights again responded, however, using their fourth power play of the night to get even. Seconds after a 5-on-3 advantage ended, McFeeters scored for Clarkson on a 5-on-4, picking up his own rebound before netting his 13th goal of the season past goaltender Nick Boucher (26 saves).

Clarkson made good on two of its 14 shots in the third period. After Evans' game-winner, O'Flaherty ruffled the empty net to set the final margin, snapping Dartmouth's eight-game winning streak at home.

Now, both teams will prepare to defend their home rinks next weekend in the best-of-three playoff series.

"I'm very proud of the guys for putting ourselves in a position to play at home," said Dartmouth coach Bob Gaudet. "I think it's an excellent accomplishment for this team.

"On the other hand, I told them that that's not what we're after. That's a step along the way. What we're after is winning the ECAC championship."

Big Green Notes: Kent Gillings' goal gave him 10 for the season, and two points in as many games this weekend. ... Mike Maturo's assist on Gillings' goal gave him four points on the weekend. ... With his second-period goal, Chris Baldwin now has 12 points in the last 12 games. ... Dartmouth is hosting a first-round series for the first time since 1993. Tickets go on sale on Monday - $8 for adults and $4 for students and children. ... The Big Green went 1-1-0 against RPI this season, beating the Engineers, 2-1, at Thompson before losing, 4-2, in Troy.