There's no place like home for the Big Green. After a tough four game road trip where that saw Dartmouth go 0-3-1, the Big Green (9-11-1 overall, 4-9-1 ECAC) return to Thompson Arena where they have earned three of their four ECAC wins.

Dartmouth faces off against Cornell tonight, and Colgate tomorrow night as the puck drops at 7:30 both nights. Each opponent will prove to be a formidable challenge for the Big Green.

In their first meeting with Cornell, the Big Green jumped on the board first, but fell 6-3 in Ithaca. However, the Big Red won't have their home crowd behind them as they skate into Hanover on Carnival weekend.

"We need to play a territorial game," said Coach Roger Demment, "where we attack the net at every opportunity, and play very tight defense through center ice, and on our end of the ice."

Dartmouth has had a focused and intense week of practice, and the Big Green would love to get the Carnival crowd into the game early.

"When you've been playing on the road against teams ranked in the top ten in the country like Vermont and Clarkson, you feel the effects of being the underdog," said Coach Demment. "Coming back into our rink on Carnival weekend, we're looking forward to the home crowd working to our advantage. It's almost like having an extra skater on the ice."

To get the crowd fired up, the Big Green will have to find a way to get the puck past a pair of goaltenders, Jean-Marc Pelletier and Jason Elliot, who are giving up only 2.04 and 2.84 goals per game respectively.

In addition, Dartmouth cannot focus on just one scoring line, because all of Cornell's skaters have shown the ability to light the lamp.

Colgate is the only ECAC team the Big Green have defeated on the road, as they go for the season sweep on Saturday night.

While as a team Colgate has been struggling, Hobie Baker candidate Mike Harder has not disappointed, as the senior forward has amassed 38 points in 24 games. Shutting him down, especially on special teams, will be crucial for the Big Green.

"The key to beating Colgate the first time was playing very solid team defense," offered Coach Demment. "We've got to have a similar effort on Saturday, and take advantage of our opportunities on offense."

With only a few weeks to go in the season, Dartmouth realizes the importance of every ECAC point.

"It's the month of February, we're going down the stretch, and everyone is fighting for position for the playoffs," concluded Coach Demment. "From here on out, I think you're going to see very tight, hard fought games."

Hopefully, for the Big Green, they can back on track this weekend, and gain some ground in the conference.