The Big Green used an astounding four-goal third period and some heroic goaltending from Jason Wong ’00 to edge the Bulldogs last night in a rare Sunday game.

The contest was played last night because last week's ice storm knocked out power in much of Burlington, Vt., pushing back Friday’s Vermont-Yale contest to Saturday and postponing Yale's arrival in Hanover.

Tri-captain Jeremiah Buckley '98 broke a 3-3 tie and put the Big Green on top to stay with just 1:29 to go in regulation, taking a nifty cross-ice feed from Curtis Wilgosh '99, swooping in on net from right to left and flipping the game-winner top-shelf over the outstretched glove of Yale’s Alex Westlund.

Buckley's pretty game-winning goal, his fifth score of the season overall, sent the Thompson Arena crowd into a frenzy.

The goal came just 3:43 after Tom Ruzzo '97 tied the game with a seemingly harmless shot that somehow snuck past Westlund high to the short side. Ruzzo's goal could not have come at a more opportune time, as Yale had scored two quick power play goals and clearly had the momentum on their side. But Ruzzo's goal re-energized Dartmouth and swung the momentum back to the Green.

Head Coach Bob Gaudet was clearly excited after what must surely be called Dartmouth's biggest win of the season: "It's such a huge character win for our team ... and we needed a win tonight in the worst way."

Gaudet said the Green came in reeling a bit from three straight close ECAC losses, but "instead of turning with our tails between our legs, we fought."

The game might not have ended up as a Big Green win had it not been for Wong's heroics late in the third. With Westlund pulled for an extra Yale attacker, the Bulldogs generated some pressure in front and it appeared they had punched a loose rebound past Wong for the tying goal.

But in fact Wong had stood his ground and kept the puck out of the net during the mad scramble, and referee John Gallagher blew the play dead, over the objections of the livid Yale players who insisted a goal had been scored.

Early on it appeared the Big Green had benefited from the extra day of rest, as they played a strong defensive game and held the Bulldogs to very few quality shots.

Both Westlund and Wong -- who saw his first action between the pipes this weekend since Nov. 22 -- made some key saves to keep the game scoreless after one stanza.

Yale finally got on the board at 14:30 of the second period on a powerplay tally from Jeff Brow.

The Green evened it at 1-1 on a shot from Charlie Retter '98 that beat Westlund five-hole at 4:26 of the third, and Matt Giedt '99 was credited with a goal at 5:56 of the third period when a puck he inadvertently kicked at the net was awkwardly handled by Westlund and deflected in.

But Dartmouth's 2-1 lead proved short-lived, as powerplay goals by Jeff Hamilton and Brow put Yale back on top 3-2 -- before the Green dug down deep and pulled off the big "character win," as Gaudet called it.