Dartmouth Men's Hockey Thumps Harvard, 8-2

Friday, November 26

Cambridge, Mass.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Harvard

11/26/2010 9:01:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

By: Dartmouth

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – In the opening game of the home-and-home series between Dartmouth and Harvard, round one went to the Big Green as the visitors took an 8-2 victory on Friday night. In front of a Dartmouth-friendly crowd at Harvard's Bright Hockey Center, junior Nick Walsh (Shannonville, Ont.) tallied his first career hat trick along with four points while rookie Eric Robinson made his collegiate debut and had three points.

The eight goal outburst is the most for Dartmouth this season and its the most goals scored against Harvard since a 9-2 win in 1975-76.

Back-to-back goals for Dartmouth (5-3-1, 4-2-1 ECAC) in the early minutes of the contest had the Big Green setting the tone for the evening. Doug Jones (Marietta, Ga.) recorded his first of the season at 16:58 before Scott Fleming (Plainfield, Ont.) added the second less than ten seconds later. Robinson (Foxboro, Mass.) had his first career point with the assist on Jones' goal while Matt Reber (Edina, Minn.) assisted on Fleming's.

Eric Robinson

While coming out of the penalty box, Robinson set things up for Jones after picking up the puck just past center ice. He skated quickly down, passing across the ice to Jones who put the puck past Kyle Richter through traffic. The second score was almost the same thing as a breakdown by the Crimson (2-5, 2-5 ECAC) allowed Reber to steal the puck and shoot it quickly to Fleming who found a hole and put it past Richter, stick side.

Dartmouth, the third least penalized team in the nation, unfortunately got whistled for five infractions in the period as the Crimson was able to get one through at 5:24 on a power play strike. The home team had two power play opportunities prior to the goal, and Marshall Everson was finally able to make the Big Green pay.

James Mello (Rehoboth, Mass.) came up huge several times as the nation's leading goalie made 14 saves in the opening frame, including four late in the period when Harvard was putting tremendous pressure on net with the extra skater.

Robinson gave the Big Green a two-goal lead at 16:11 of the second when he took a shot from between the far left circle and the boards. The puck sailed over Richter's shoulder and chased the senior netminder out of the game. Classmate Ryan Carroll came on in relief for the Crimson as Walsh picked up the assist.

Robinson and Walsh teamed up again for another goal at 4:45 of the same frame. Robinson came down the left side and shot on Carroll as the puck rebounded out to Walsh to the right. Walsh shot quickly on net, never giving the goalie time to react as the puck went top shelf to put the Big Green back up by two. Jim Gaudet (Etna, N.H.) got the second assist on the play for his first point of the season.

Dartmouth took its biggest lead of the night early in the third period after Evan Stephens' (Bessemer, Mich.) shot bounced out to Walsh and the junior recorded the put-back for his second tally of the night. Matt Lindblad (Winnetka, Ill.) gave the Big Green its first power play goal when he scored his team-leading third of the season at 8:45. Adam Estoclet (Orono, Minn.) took a shot that was saved to Jones, who put a shot on Carroll that was tipped up and over by Lindblad as the team's leading scorer had his second point of the evening.

Dustin Walsh (Shannonville, Ont.) gave the Big Green another goal at 4:56 with assists going to Lindblad and Kyle Reeds (St. Louis, Mo.). The final tally went to Nick Walsh on the power play giving Dartmouth its most goals in a game this season.

Harvard, who had tallied just one power play goal all season, recorded two on the night and was 2-for-8 while Dartmouth was 2-for-10. The Big Green finished with 45 shots to the Crimson's 27 as Mello recorded 25 saves. Richter and Caroll combined for 37 saves for Harvard.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow night in Hanover for a 7 p.m. tilt. The game will also be a chance for fans to bring a toy to Thompson Arena for the Big Green's Toy Drive for the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD).