Dartmouth wins first against SLU
HANOVER, N.H. — Dartmouth College built a two-goal lead through two periods Saturday and then held off St. Lawrence to earn a 3-2 victory in a men's ECAC Hockey game at Thompson Arena.
The win snapped a six-game skid, and gave the Big Green (1-6) its first victory of the season.
The Saints received a career-best performance in goal for the second consecutive night, as Kain Tisi finished with 40 saves.
But power-play goals by Doug Jones and Joe Gaudet helped Dartmouth earn the win. Scott Fleming also scored for the Big Green.
Derek Keller and Travis Vermeulen registered goals for St. Lawrence (7-5-1 overall, 3-3 ECAC Hockey).
The Saints cut the Dartmouth lead to 3-2 with 17 minutes, 28 seconds to go as Vermeulen scored his fourth of the year, and then had chances with Tisi pulled for an extra attacker in the final minute.
A late Dartmouth penalty provided a two-man advantage for the final 13 seconds of regulation, but SLU couldn't generate a tying goal.
Dartmouth came out flying and grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first 7:18 of the game. The Big Green scored the game's first goal when Fleming took a pass from Adam Estoclet, slid to the center slot just outside the crease and popped the puck into the upper corner over Tisi's shoulder at 4:15.
Three minutes later, sophomore Jones snapped a power play shot inside the left post, again scoring from down low with defensemen Joe Stejskal and Evan Stephens assisting.
The Saints had some chances turned back by Big Green goalie Jody O'Neill, including a point-blank stop on Mike McKenzie late in the first. The Saints also escaped when a Gaudet shot clanged off the crossbar with 10 seconds to go in the first.
The Saints injury woes mounted in the game as they lost outstanding rookie defenseman George Hughes to an injury after the first period.
Dartmouth increased its lead to 3-0 with a power play tip-in by Gaudet at the 12:39 mark of the second period, but the Saints got that back with 24.5 seconds to go in the period when Derek Keller scored his fifth of the season on a power-play shot from the center point with Jeff Caister and Nick Pitsikoulis assisting. The Saints nearly cut it to a one-goal Dartmouth lead as Pete Child's shot from the point was gloved by O'Neill with just three seconds left in the period.
O'Neill came up with several big saves among 11 in the third period, including a great glove save on Alex Curran just before Vermeulen scored. The Saints won the faceoff in the Dartmouth end after that save and Vermeulen drove the net, scoring his fourth from Curran and Brandon Bollig with 1:32 to play.
