Dartmouth Men's Hockey Loses Rubber Match to Cornell

Friday, February 17

Ithica, NY

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Dartmouth College

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Dartmouth Men's Hockey Loses Rubber Match to Cornell

2/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey

By: Dartmouth

Dartmouth Men's Hockey Loses Rubber Match to Cornell

Feb. 17, 2006

ITHACA, N.Y. - The Dartmouth men's hockey team (13-11-2, 11-6-2 ECACHL) lost to No. 6 Cornell (17-5-4, 12-4-3), 3-1, tonight in Lynah Rink. The loss snaps a Dartmouth 10-game unbeaten streak in the ECAC Hockey League and the Big Green falls out of contention for the Ivy title.

At the first break Cornell led 2-0. Second chances defined both Big Red goals as the strikes came on the power play and were the first extra-man opportunities Dartmouth had given up in three games.

The Big Green led the Big Red in shots early on but it was the penalties that produced the most chances later in the stanza. With a Dartmouth defender in the box Cornell's Topher Scott capitalized on a save by Big Green netminder Mike Devine (Orchard Park, N.Y.) to bury the puck in the back of the net. Then with just :06.7 remaining in the period and the Big Red on another power play Byron Bitz got the rebound and shot high stick side over Devine's shoulder for the 2-0 score.

Just minutes into the second period and another Big Green player in the sin bin, Cornell passed back and forth at center ice before Nick Johnson (Calgary, Alta.) stole the puck shooting into the Cornell end. Johnson skated ahead of the Cornell player passing over to Rob Pritchard (Burnaby, B.C.) who had come around the right side of the net for the first Dartmouth goal of the game and the first shorthanded goal of Pritchard's career.

Cornell got the goal back at 13:48 of the second. With several Big Red players falling into the net, Devine poke checked the puck but Matt Moulson was able to sneak it in as the net came crashing off the post.

Dartmouth had several opportunities in the third period as the Big Green outshot Cornell, 11-6. The Big Red didn't record a shot on goal until midway through the stanza. Dartmouth's best chance came at 8:18 as the Big Green went on the power play. Shots on net by Connor Shields (Edmonton, Alta.), Johnson and David Jones (North Vancouver, B.C.) could not produce a Dartmouth goal as Big Red netminder David McKee was up to the challenge.

McKee finished the game with 22 saves and is 17-5-4 on the season while Devine finished with 27 saves and is 12-7-2.

Dartmouth is in sole possession of third place in the ECACHL and will take on Colgate, who is in second, tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised by Time Warner Cable in the central New York area.