Officials: Dan Murphy (R), Steve Richetello, Derek Zuckerman
NEW HAVEN – It’s that second-period magic.
Just like in its win over Brown last weekend, Dartmouth rode a dominant middle frame to a 5-2 win against the Yale Bulldogs Saturday night at the New Haven Coliseum. The Big Green outshot the Bulldogs, 14-5, and scored a couple of goals in the period to take a comfortable 4-2 lead into the final intermission.
Senior Chris Baldwin netted the game-winning goal on a power play at the 4:11 mark of the second, taking a feed from classmate Mike Maturo before blasting a shot from the point that deflected off netminder Dan Lombard.
Dartmouth’s win lifted it above the .500 mark (2-1-1, 2-1-1 ECAC) for the first time in this young season, while defending Ivy champion Yale fell to 1-3-0 (1-2-0 ECAC).
"I thought it was a really solid victory on the road," head coach Bob Gaudet said after the game. "We played our type of game, especially in the second period, and just played smart, fundamental hockey."
The Dartmouth win is an indication of how far the Big Green has come in just two weeks.
Two weeks ago, Dartmouth built a 2-0 lead early in the season opener at Harvard but faltered after the game slowed down and became a battle of special teams. Harvard won handily, 5-2.
On this night, Dartmouth had to fend off six Yale power plays - including a pair of 5-on-3 chances - in the third period alone, but the Big Green held strong and never relinquished its lead.
Dartmouth’s penalty-kill unit had a strong night, finishing 9 for 10.
"I don’t think it was a case of being undisciplined in the third period," Gaudet said. "I think it was just a 5-2 game and that’s the way it goes sometimes with the penalties. But a positive is that I thought our penalty kill looked very strong."
The Big Green continues to boast several weapons in its offensive arsenal.
Kent Gillings, Baldwin and Mike Maturo scored Dartmouth’s second, third and fourth goals of the night, respectively. Baldwin and Maturo both have at least a point in each game this season.
The other two goals came off the sticks of freshmen. Lee Stempniak scored his second of the season to knot the game at one in the first period, while blueliner John Ostapyk lit the lamp in the third for Dartmouth’s fifth of the night and his first of the season.
Although Lombard actually started the night looking strong, he was not able to handle the potency of the Dartmouth attack.
"We got some territorial play from all the lines," said Gaudet. "And having the production is great. I was pleased with the effort on offense, and also the toughness we showed on defense."
Yale opened the scoring early in the game with a goal from Nick Deschenes, but soon after, Stempniak won a battle along the boards before skating in and dumping one into the back of the net to tie it one.
Gillings gave the Big Green its first lead minutes later, accepting a pass from Trevor Byrne before firing in a power-play marker at the 15:19 mark.
Yale tied it at 2-2 early in the second when captain Luke Earl scored with two seconds left on a 5-on-3, but then the Big Green grabbed control.
After Baldwin’s game-winner, Maturo continued his hot hand by deflecting in a Pete Summerfelt shot with his back turned to the net. Maturo’s goal gave him seven points in four games this season.
Ostapyk closed the scoring with Dartmouth’s softest goal of the season, a floater that deflected off an unnerved Lombard’s glove and between the pipes.
The Big Green has barely 16 hours to relish this win. The team boarded its bus immediately after the game and set sail for New Jersey, where it will face Princeton Sunday at 3 p.m.
Statistics
| Scoring by Period | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Total |
| Dartmouth |
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| Yale |
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Dartmouth: 2 for 6
Yale: 1 for 10
| Goals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assists | Time |
| 1 | Y | Deschenes | Higgins, Callahan | 4:08 |
| 1 | D | Stempniak | unassisted | 11:57 |
| 1 | D | Gillings | Byrne, Summerfelt | 15:19 (PPG) |
| 2 | Y | Earl | Higgins, Deschenes | 1:27 (5x3, PPG) |
| 2 | D | Baldwin | Gillings, Maturo | 4:11 (PPG, DP, GWG) |
| 2 | D | Maturo | Summerfelt, Murray | 12:16 |
| 3 | D | Ostapyk | Herrington | 8:01 |
| Saves by Period | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player-Team | Min. | 1 | 2 | 3 | Total |
| Boucher (D) | 60:00 |
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| Lombard (Y) |
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Penalties
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time |
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Y
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Bauman | high-sticking | 7:24 |
| 1 | D | Martin | obstruction tripping | 12:17 |
| 1 | Y | Higgins | obstruction holding | 13:37 |
| 1 | Y | Steves | interference | 16:20 |
| 1 | D | Martin | hitting after whistle | 19:29 |
| 1 | D | Snizek | hitting after whistle | 19:29 |
| 2 | Y | Bauman | slashing | 3:12 |
| 2 | D | Costa | high-sticking | 12:25 |
| 2 | Y | Nam | cross-checking | 15:20 |
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Rodgers | tripping | 1:52 |
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Ostapyk | high-sticking | 4:47 |
| 3 | D | Casella | slashing | 5:58 |
| 3 | D | Taliercio | high-sticking | 11:06 |
| 3 | D | Casella | charging, roughing (4 min) | 14:48 |
| 3 | Y | Bauman | double roughing (4 min) | 14:48 |
| 3 | D | Taliercio | hooking | 15:18 |
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Costa | slashing | 16:21 |
| 3 | D | Baldwin | cross-checking | 18:22 |
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