Freshmen and Morris Help Dartmouth Defeat Sacred Heart, 4-1

Sunday, December 11

Hanover, N.H.

4:00 PM

Dartmouth College

SACRED HEART

Freshmen and Morris Help Dartmouth Defeat Sacred Heart, 4-1

12/11/2011 7:48:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. - Goals from three freshmen and solid play from sophomore goaltender Cab Morris (Wilmette, Ill.) helped the Dartmouth men's hockey team to a 4-1 win over non-conference Sacred Heart in a Sunday matinee at Thompson Arena.

Making his first start of the season and just the second of his career, Morris stopped 20 shots and settled down nicely after allowing the Pioneers (1-16-1) to slip one past him just over eight minutes into the game. He would not allow another the rest of the way, picking up his first collegiate victory in the process.

Freshmen Tyler Sikura (Aurora, Ontario), Eric Neiley (Warminster, Pa.) and Jesse Beamish (Mississauga, Ontario) all had goals in the game to help Dartmouth snap a three-game winless streak (0-2-1).

Coming off a two-week break for exams, the Big Green (5-5-1) wasted little time in getting on the board first.

Senior Doug Jones (Marietta, Ga.) started the scoring with his third in as many games just 4:17 into the opening period. Sophomores Matt Lindblad (Winnetka, Ill.) and Eric Robinson (Foxboro, Mass.) picked up assists on the tally.

Lindblad, skating along the halfboards in the defensive zone, fed Robinson at center ice with a crisp saucer pass. Robinson continued the play by moving the puck over the blue line, dangling between the legs of a defender and putting a perfect centering pass into the slot for Jones to one-time home.

The line of Jones, Robinson and Lindblad have combined for 13 points in the last three games and have been arguably the most consistent forward grouping in the last month for the Big Green.

After Sacred Heart's Drew George tied it at 1-1 just over four minutes later, Neiley put the home team back up one with his second marker of the season. Sikura and fellow freshman Brandon McNally (Saugus, Mass.) collected assists.

Sikura dropped the puck to McNally at the top of the circles after cutting off a clearing attempt through the middle of the ice. McNally, slicing through the right circle and shaking off a defender, put a pass through the crease to Neiley waiting at the far post for the top-shelf tally and the one-goal lead.

Sikura's team-leading sixth goal of the season midway through the second period put Dartmouth up two, 3-1. Sophomore defender Taylor Boldt (Niwot, Colo.) dished out his second helper of the year as he found Sikura on the wing in the neutral zone.

Taking the pass off the boards, Sikura made one quick move to freeze a Sacred Heart defender below the faceoff dot and buried a shot over the shoulder of Pioneers goaltender Steven Legatto.

The third period was scoreless until Beamish intercepted a pass along the boards and fired the puck 170 feet into an empty net to secure the victory, 4-1, with 2:48 remaining. The goal came with Sacred Heart on the power play and with Leggato pulled for the extra attacker.

Beamish's tally was the first shorthanded goal of the season for any Dartmouth player and was his second goal of the season.

Neither team was able to score on the power play in the game, as both finished the afternoon 0-for-4.

Legatto stopped 34 shots in the loss.

Another long break follows Sunday's win as Dartmouth will not return to action until Dec. 30 when it hosts Holy Cross in the Ledyard Classic at Thompson Arena at 7 p.m. St. Lawrence and No. 5 Merrimack will be the other two teams making their way to Hanover for the two-day holiday tournament.

NOTES: Morris made his first start in goal for Dartmouth since Nov. 5, 2010 against Rensselaer (L, 4-1)...After playing the first 10 games of 2011-12 in last season's uniforms, the Big Green unveiled their new Reebok Edge white sweaters for Sunday's tilt...The win was the 999th in program history for Dartmouth. The Big Green will have two chances to reach the 1,000-victory milestone mark at home when it hosts the Ledyard Classic on Dec. 30-31 at Thompson Arena.