Dartmouth Men's Hockey Sweeps Princeton with a 2-0 Shutout

Friday, February 27

Hanover, N.H.

7:30 PM

Dartmouth College

PRINCETON

Dartmouth Men's Hockey Sweeps Princeton with a 2-0 Shutout

2/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. - With his goal late in the first period, sophomore Scott Fleming (Plainfield, Ont.) helped the Dartmouth men's hockey team sweep the #6 Princeton Tigers in the regular season for the first time since 2003. With the 2-0 victory, the Big Green is now just one win away from securing a first-round bye in the ECAC playoffs. Dartmouth is already won home ice should they not get the bye and have to play in the first round.

In a very defensive contest the two teams had only four shots midway through the opening period. The Big Green garned just one shot through the first 13:00 minutes of play but with 7:00 to go in the frame, Dartmouth started to pressure Princeton netminder Zane Kalemba with six straight shots. Fleming and Rob Pritchard (Burnaby, B.C.) almost teamed up for the first goal of the contest but the shot went wide

Then with only 1:34 showing on the clock Fleming took a pass from Adam Estoclet (Orono, Minn.) and buried the puck as the 4,422 fans in Thompson Arena went crazy. Pritchard also assisted.

Jody O'Neill proved his worth on more that one occasion during the game. But late in the second period the rookie netminder made a diving jump to smother a puck that sat in the open part of the net face after it careened off the side of the post. O'Neill racked up his second shutout of the Tigers, making 33 saves on the night.

With less 1:32 in the game, Kalemba was pulled for the extra skater but it was Dartmouth that capitalized as Estoclet won the faceoff and quickly shot to Pritchard at the back edge of the circle. The Big Green's captain took a hard shot that skidded down the ice and landed in the empty net for the 2-0 score.

Dartmouth had some special momentum behind its game as the Big Green sported special pink and black jerseys for the ECAC's second annual Pink at the Rink initiative. The jersey's will be auctioned off at ecachockeycoachesvscancer.com as a way to raise money for the American Cancer Society and Hockey Coaches Care.

Dartmouth is back in action tomorrow night with another important contest against Quinnipiac. Should the Big Green defeat the Bobcats Dartmouth would secure fourth place in the ECAC, giving them the last first round bye.