Colgate

Colgate 3 - Dartmouth 5

Saturday, February 8, 1997

Attendance: 2,379

HANOVER, N.H. -- Dartmouth used a torrid first period to defeat Colgate, 5-3, in men's hockey at the Thompson Arena.

The Big Green tallied three goals in the opening stanza to improve to 10-12-1 (5-10-1 ECAC), while Colgate fell to 13-11-2 (7-7-2 ECAC).

Jon Sturgis got the Big Green going just 1:39 into the game, taking a pass from David Whitworth inside the right circle and beating Red Raider goalie Dan Brenzavich. Colgate knotted it just 49 seconds later on a power play goal by John Dance. Dance's goal was assisted by Mike Harder, giving Harder 200 points for his career.

However, Dartmouth scored twice more in the period to take control of this game. Matt Giedt scored his third of the season at the 5:27 mark and Darren Wercinski gave the Green a two-goal advantage by scoring a shorthanded goal with just 1:19 left.

Colgate drew within one in the second period when Jed Whitchurch scored, but Dartmouth scored the first two goals of the third stanza to gain the victory. Ryan Chaytors and Scott Peach were the goalscorers.

Jason Wong had 16 saves in the Dartmouth goal, while Colgate's Brenzavich and Shep Harder combined for 29 stops.

by Ben Wallace-Wells

All year, the men's hockey team has been waiting for one defining weekend, one pair of games in which they thoroughly dominate their opposition and establish themselves as an ECAC force. This weekend, the Big Green came as close as it has all season to having such a weekend, but they didn't quite.

Over the course of this weekend's two games, a 5-3 loss to Cornell on Friday night followed by a 5-3 win over Colgate on Saturday, the Big Green played as good hockey as it has played all season. But for a few calls against them and a few unlucky bounces of the puck in the Cornell game, the Big Green would have swept this weekend's games and established itself in the ECAC playoff hunt. As it is, the Big Green stand 5-10-1 in the ECAC, in ninth place, and still awaiting that one huge weekend.

[Saturday] night, rather than be demoralized by the previous night's result, the Big Green came out with all the verve and vigor of the previous night's third period onslaught. Jon Sturgis `98 opened the scoring by punching the puck past Cornell goalie Dan Brenzavich just a minute and a half into the game. Dartmouth continued to doinate the first period, and although [Colgate] pulled back into a tie on a power play goal a minute later, Matt Giedt quickly wristed a shot over Brenzavich''s shoulder to give Dartmouth back its lead. The Big Green continued to dominate the game for the remainder of the period, and it therefore came as no shock when Darren Wercinski `97 picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, skated in on Brenzavich, and beat him for a short-handed goal, giving Dartmouth a two-goasl lead. Dartmouth had thoroughly dominated the first period. Goalie Jason Wong `00 faced only six shots in the period, mostly unthreatening, while the Big Green mounted17 assaults on Brenzavich's net.

Although the game tightened in the second period, Dartmouth kept the pressure up, and were unlucky to concede a goal to Jed Whitchurch midway through the period, which brought Colgate within one.

The third period opened with Chaytors doing what he has done best for the Big Green all season -- score goals. Chaytors whipped a wrist shot by substitute Cornell goalie Shep Harder, and the Big Green faithful could breathe easily once more.

Colgate is also fighting for an ECAC playoff spot, and for the next few minutes they threw what assaults they could at Wong's net, but the British Colombian held his own, and, several minutes later, Dartmouth clinched the win when Peach's blast from the point trickled through Harder's legs and, ever so slowly, over the line to put Dartmouth up by three.

Although Colgate got one back through Dru Burgess with a few minutes to go, the game was never in doubt, thanks to the dominant Big Green defense and solid netplay from Wong.

"[Assistant Coach] Dan French has been working with me hard this past week to help me improve my play, and the extra work with him really payed off against Colgate," said Wong.

The Big Green travel to upstate New York this week to face Rensselaer and Union.

Statistics

Scoring by Period
Team
1
2
3
OT
Total
Colgate
1
1
1
-
3
Dartmouth
3
0
2
-
5

Power Play Goals/Power Play Opportunities
Dartmouth: 1 for 7
Colgate: 1 for 5

Total Penalties – number/minutes
Dartmouth: 6/12
Colgate: 8/16

Goals
Period
Team
Goal
Assists
Time
1
D
Sturgis Whitworth, Peach 1:39 (PPG)
1
C
Dance Debusschere, Harder 2:28 (PPG)
1
D
Giedt Kelleher, C. Retter 5:27
1
D
Wercinski - 18:41 (SHG)
2
C
Whitchurch Dance 8:13
3
D
Chaytors Wercinski, Buckley 1:29 (GWG)
3
D
Peach Whitworth 12:50
3
C
Burgess Owens, Baaki 15:10

Saves by Period
Player (Team)
Min.
1
2
3
OT
Total
Brenzavich (Colgate)
20:00
14
-
-
-
14
S. Harder (Colgate)
39:00
-
5
10
-
15
Wong (Dartmouth)
60:00
5
7
4
-
16

Penalties
Period
Team
Player
Penalty
Time
1
C
Steeves unsportsmanlike conduct 0:33
1
D
hughes unsportsmanlike conduct 0:33
1
C
M. Harder holding 1:21
1
D
Kelleher holding 2:03
1
C
Debusschere slashing 5:28
1
C
McIntosh holding 9:31
1
C
McIntosh interference 12:16
1
D
C. Retter high-sticking 18:29
2
D
Wercinski holding 5:08
2
C
Steeves interference 15:20
2
D
Sturgis tripping 15:57
3
D
C. Retter charging 1:48
3
C
Holdridge hooking 5:04
3
C
McDonlad elbowing 10:16

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This file last updated on 02/12/97 at 13:00:08.