Vermont 1 - Dartmouth 1

Hanover, N.H. -- Rivalry filled the Thompson Arena air Saturday night, and fans filled all the seats.

Drama told the rest of the story. In front of a spirited sellout crowd of 3,720, freshman Trevor Byrne tallied an early goal and senior netminder Eric Almon took care of the rest, flagging down 23 saves as Dartmouth (1-2-2, 1-2-2 ECAC) skated to a 1-1 tie with Twin State neighbor Vermont (3-5-1, 2-2-1) in the 52nd playing of the traditional rivalry.

Dartmouth fell just three minutes short of picking up its first home shutout in over three years and its first win in exactly two weeks. Vermont forward Bryson Busniuk, a freshman, finally solved the Big Green defense in the waning moments of the contest to break up the shutout and send the game into overtime.

Dartmouth outshot the Catamounts, 3-0, in the extra session but couldn't convert, as each team picked up a point in the ECAC standings.

"The 1-1 tie is disappointing for our guys, because I think we worked hard enough to win it," said Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet. "But I give my players a lot of credit. I thought they played a good, solid game. There was a lot of spirit."

Defense was the name of the game for Dartmouth, which looked to make one last dent in the early ECAC race before entertaining four nonconference opponents in the coming weeks.

Vermont took just 24 shots in the game -- Dartmouth took 35 -- and had far fewer good looks at the net. The Big Green stifled the Catamounts for zero goals on three man-advantage attempts, including one late in regulation that ran well into overtime.

"I was very impressed with Dartmouth," said Vermont head coach Mike Gilligan, now in his 16th season. "I think their defensemen are solid. They make the right play.

"Dartmouth probably deserved to win. We just made a great play late in the game, so in that respect, I feel pleased that we were able to pick up the tie. Dartmouth played a very strong game."

For the Big Green, one name -- albeit among few -- stood out on the scoring sheet.

In addition to his goal, Byrne was whistled for all four of Dartmouth's penalties, incurring three Vermont power plays -- one of Byrne's violations resulted in a four-on-four coincidental minor situation -- for a total of eight minutes in the box.

But in addition to his physical play, Byrne continued to be an asset on the scoreboard. Midway through the first period, he collected a rebound off netminder Tim Peters and muscled it between the pipes to give Dartmouth the early one-goal advantage. Fellow rookie Pete Summerfelt earned an assist on the play.

With his goal, Byrne moved into a tie for the team lead with five points (3g, 2a) on the young season. Mike Maturo, a sophomore, also has five points (3g, 2a) to his credit.

"Trevor Byrne handles himself like a pro out there," Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet said. "The way he plays his position and the way he generates offense, he is a great player who seems to get better with each game. He's a freshman, but he's already becoming a leader on the defense."

After a slow opening, Vermont picked up the pace after the first intermission, applying more pressure on the Big Green net as the game wore on. Still, until the waning moments, it looked as if Dartmouth was going to escape with the win.

Busniuk changed all that. Collecting a perfect pass from teammate Mike Torney, he burned through the defense and flicked a wrister just beyond Almon's reach.

For Almon, it was a single mistake in an otherwise encouraging performance. He entered the night with a 4.23 goals-against average in two appearances but stopped 23 of 24 attempts to earn the tie.

"I thought Almon played very well," Gaudet said. "I thought he made some good, quality saves. We cleared rebounds for him really nicely, and didn't allow Vermont too many opportunities at a second shot. I thought their goalie played well, too. It was a good battle."

Having completed the opening burst of league games -- Dartmouth now stands seventh in the ECAC with four points -- the Big Green will begin its difficult slate of nonconference matches this weekend as Western Michigan (5-5-2, 5-5-2 CCHA) travels to Hanover for a two-game set.

The Big Green and the Broncos will kick off the action this Friday night at 7 p.m.

"We're playing quality opponents in the coming month. This will be a good challenge for our team," Gaudet said. "What we want to do is to continue to mature. We're young, and I think anyone who looks at our lineup can see that. But we have so much potential. I think we're going to see a lot of improvement in the next few weeks."

Big Green notes: Sophomore Carl Desjardins was out of the lineup due to lingering effects from a concussion he suffered in the 3-2 exhibition loss at McGill last month. Gaudet describes Desjardins' status as game-by-game. Fellow sophomore Pascal Lalonde took his place in the defensive lineup . . . . Another injured defenseman, freshman P.J. Martin, may return to action earlier than expected. His knee injury, suffered in the season-opener at Harvard, initially appeared serious enough to keep him out until after the New Year, but he may be ready to go as soon as the Providence game on Dec. 10 . . . . Saturday night's attendance (3,720) surpassed last season's average by over 1,700 fans . . . . Dartmouth next will battle an ECAC opponent on December 17, at home against Harvard. The Big Green fell to the Crimson, 7-2, to open the season three weeks ago.