Freshman Jason Wong Highlights Weekend with Win Over Colgate
by Matt Provence
The road trip started with a bang, as the Big Green upset the No. 8 Red Raiders of Colgate, 3-2, on Friday. Not only did Dartmouth comeback from a 2-0 deficit on Colgate's home ice, but it did so with a rookie goalie making his first collegiate start.
Freshman Jason Wong stopped 20 Red Raider shots, including a beauty with 19 seconds left in the game, to guide the Big Green to its first conference victory.
"I found out (Thursday) night that I was starting, and I was pretty nervous," said Wong, a native of Richmond, B.C. "I started off tense, but as the game went on, I was able to get more confidence."
The game-winning goal came at 12:47 of the third period. With the score tied, 2-2, sophomore Ryan Chaytors redirected a shot by freshman Ryan Poulton past goalie Dan Brenzavich to put the Big Green up for good. Senior Darren Wercinski keyed the Dartmouth comeback, getting the Big Green on the board with a goal at 9:38 of the second period and scoring short-handed six minutes later to erase a 2-0 Colgate lead.
"Against Colgate, we showed that we could play very focused and disciplined while on the road and come out with an important win," head coach Roger Demment said. "The emphasis was on defense, and we did a tremendous job holding Colgate to 22 shots."
On Saturday, Dartmouth could not overcome three, first period goals against Cornell. Although the Big Red remained undefeated with a 6-3 win, the game was closer than the final score indicated.
Chaytors, who already had two assists earlier in the game, scored to pull the Big Green within a goal, 4-3, with 18:14 remaining in the game.
But the breaks literally didn't roll Dartmouth's way, as Cornell got a fluke insurance goal seven minutes later when defender Jeff Burgoyne dumped the puck into the corner of the Dartmouth zone. The puck ricocheted oddly off the boards and deflecting off the back Wong's skate and into the net. Wong came into the game to replace senior Scott Baker after the first period.
Junior forward Charlie Retter finished the game with a pair of goals. For Cornell (4-0, 4-0), freshman goalie Jean-Marc Pelletier registered 19 saves to pick up his first collegiate win.
"Saturday, we were able to again play within our systems, but we were plagued by some soft goals and some strange bounces," Demment said. "But we were really encouraged with the play of the Chaytors-Wilgosh-Wercinski line and the second power play unit. Those two groups accounted for all six of our goals this weekend."
Return to Press Releases
Return to Dartmouth Hockey 1996-1997.
Return to Dartmouth Men's Hockey Home Page.