Annual Ledyard Classic Awaits Men's Hockey This Weekend

Game 12 - Friday, Dec. 30, 2011 - 7 p.m.
Dartmouth Big Green (5-5-1, 3-3-1 ECAC) vs.
Holy Cross Crusaders (8-7-0, 6-4-0 AH)
Location: Hanover, N.H. - Thompson Arena (4,500)
All-Time Series: Dartmouth, 3-3-1
First Meeting: Dec. 30, 1986 - L, 5-2
Last Meeting: Jan. 3, 2010 - Holy Cross, 4-2
Streak: Holy Cross - 1-0-0
Last Dartmouth Win: Jan. 16, 2007 - 4-0 (Home)

Game 13 - Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011 - 4/7 p.m.
Consolation or Championship Game
St. Lawrence Saints (7-10, 4-5 ECAC)
All-Time Series: St. Lawrence, 52-29-2
Last Meeting: Nov. 18, 2011 - Dartmouth, 3-1
Streak: Dartmouth, 5-0-0
Last Dartmouth Win: Nov. 18, 2011- 3-1 (Road)
-OR-
No. 7/7 Merrimack Warriors (10-3-2, 7-2-1 HE)
All-Time Series: Dartmouth, 8-5-2
Last Meeting: Nov. 3, 2002 - Merrimack, 4-3
Streak: Merrimack, 1-0-0
Last Dartmouth Win: Dec. 28, 2001- 4-3 (Neutral - Burlington)

Dartmouth Notes • Holy Cross Notes • Merrimack Notes • St. Lawrence Notes • Live Stats • Live Video ($) and Audio For All Games

Broadcast Information
Radio: WFRD 99.3 FM Play-by-Play: Chris Garrett

TICKET INFORMATION:
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The longest break of the season for the Dartmouth men's hockey team comes to an end this weekend with the 2011 Ledyard Classic. It's been 19 days since the Big Green last took to the ice, doing so in a 4-1 win over Sacred Heart at Thompson Arena on Dec. 11.

That victory over the Pioneers ended a three-game winless streak (0-2-1) and sent Dartmouth into the holiday break with a 5-5-1 record. More than just evening the team's overall mark, the win moved the Big Green one step closer to a program record.

Dartmouth enters the weekend with 999 wins all time in the 106-year history of the program. Needing just six wins when the season began to reach the 1,000-win plateau, the Big Green will have two chances to do so on home ice before venturing out on the road for six straight on the road in January.

Sophomore netminder Cab Morris (Wilmette, Ill.) stopped 20 Sacred Heart shots in his first start of the season and just the second of his career. Morris' strong showing helped the Big Green finally get back in the win column and earned him the first victory of his collegiate career.

Morris benefited from the continued strong play of this year's freshman class. First-year players Eric Neiley (Warminster, Pa.) Tyler Sikura (Aurora, Ontario) and Jesse Beamish (Mississauga, Ontario) all had tallies in the win.

The American line of senior Doug Jones (Marietta, Ga.) and sophomores Matt Lindblad (Winnetka, Ill.) and Eric Robinson (Foxboro, Mass.) combined for yet another goal against Sacred Heart, marking the third straight game the trio made the scoresheet. It was also the third straight game that Jones found the back of the net after failing to do so in his first six this season.

THE 2011 LEDYARD CLASSIC
The Ledyard Classic began in the 1978-79 season and was then known as the Auld Lang Syne Classic. Since it's inception, Dartmouth is 35-27-4 all-time and 14-10-4 under current head coach Bob Gaudet in the holiday event.

The first time this tournament was held, Gaudet backstopped the Big Green to consecutive 7-1 wins over Bowdoin and Clarkson on Dec. 30-31, 1978. In recording 29 saves in just five periods of action, Gaudet was named to the all-tournament team.

Last season, Dartmouth began the 2010 Ledyard Classic with a 4-4 tie and shootout loss to Mercyhurst. The following day, senior Joe Stejskal's first goal of the season just 2:37 into the extra period gave the Big Green a win over Colgate in the consolation game. It would prove to be telling of things to come later in the year as Dartmouth would also take the consolation game of the ECAC Hockey Championship in Atlantic City with a win over the Raiders.

At this season's Ledyard Classic, fans will be treated to some of the best hockey in the nation over the Holidays as Merrimack, Holy Cross and St. Lawrence all make their way to Hanover for the two-day classic.

Merrimack held the No. 1 spot in the country for much of the first two months of the season. The Warriors were the last unbeaten team remaining in the nation before a weekend sweep at the hands of Providence in early December. Still ranked in the top 5, the Warriors have proven to be one of the elite teams in the nation thus far in 2011-12

In the final game leading up to this weekend, Merrimack hosted ECAC Hockey opponent Union on Dec. 17, falling 3-1 to the Dutchmen.

The Warriors will play St. Lawrence in the first game of the 2011 Ledyard Classic, Friday at 4 p.m. before a Saturday match-up with either Holy Cross or the Big Green.

St. Lawrence is the only visiting team that Dartmouth has seen already this season. The Big Green's first road game of the year came on Friday, Nov. 18 at Appleton Arena in Canton, N.Y. An early power-play goal and a dominant third period helped Dartmouth earn the 3-1 win that night.

After that loss, the Saints won two straight over Harvard and Michigan Tech before dropping the following four games. A 4-1 victory over nearby rival Clarkson and a 2-1 win at Vermont wrapped up the first half of the season for St. Lawrence as they make the first of two trips this year to Hanover.

The Saints will be back at Thompson Arena in the final game of the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 25.

Holy Cross will make the trip north to take on Dartmouth in Friday night's 7 p.m. game. It will mark the second straight Atlantic Hockey opponent for the Big Green following the 4-1 win over Sacred Heart.

The Crusaders have won their last three games, including a weekend sweep of Canisius and a 3-1 win over Army on Dec. 10. The team fell to Quinnipiac in the season opener, but bounced back with a 5-4 victory at Boston University two games later. Currently, the team is 8-7 overall and boasts a mark of 6-4 in league play.

THESE TEAMS AT THE LEDYARD CLASSIC
Holy Cross first made an appearance in this tournament in 1986, defeating Dartmouth, 5-2, in the first game before falling to UNH, 4-1, in the championship. The 2009 Ledyard Classic also featured the Crusaders who beat the home team, 4-2, in the consolation tilt.

Merrimack has only appeared in the event once before. The Big Green narrowly edged Merrimack, 5-4, on Dec. 30, 1980. The Warriors went on to lose 5-3 to UNH the following afternoon, while Dartmouth took out St. Lawrence, 4-3, in overtime for that year's title.

The Saints will be making their third Ledyard Classic appearance after trips to Hanover in 1980, 1996 and 2006. In each of the first three, St. Lawrence advanced to the championship game, winning in 1996.

GAME NOTES:

THE LEDYARD CLASSIC
All-time Dartmouth is 35-27-4 in the Ledyard Classic (formerly known as the Auld Lang Syne Tournament). Under current head coach Bob Gaudet, the Big Green are 14-10-4 in the annual two-day event. The last time the home team won the championship was during the 2008 season with a 4-2 win over Bemidji State that came after a 5-4 overtime victory over Army in the first game.

MILLENNIUM MILESTONE
With its 4-1 win over Sacred Heart last time out, Dartmouth now has 999 wins in program history. The Big Green will have two chances at home this weekend to reach the 1,000-victory mark before heading out for five straight away from Thompson Arena to start January.

CLICKING AT THE RIGHT TIME
As Dartmouth hit the midseason point, the line of sophomores Matt Lindblad (Winnetka, Ill.) and Eric Robinson (Foxboro, Mass.) and senior Doug Jones (Marietta, Ga.) hit their stride. Jones has scored in each of the last three games, while in that same time, Lindblad has five assists, including three at Vermont. Robinson has four points in the last three with three goals, including two against the Catamounts.

CAB'S CAREER WIN
It wasn't a dominating performance, but sophomore goaltender Cab Morris (Wilmette, Ill.) did everything he needed to for the Big Green in his first start of the season and just the second of his career earlier this month. Morris stopped 20 Sacred Heart shots to earn his first-career win.

SIKURA SCORES... AGAIN
Freshman Tyler Sikura (Aurora, Ontario) scored his sixth goal of the season just over midway through the game with the Pioneers to make it 3-1. His six goals lead the team to this point, while his nine points are tied with Robinson for tops on the team. He also added an assist on Eric Neiley's (Warminster, Pa.) game- winner.

NEILEY'S WINNER
Neiley's second of the year 13:22 into the first period against Sacred Heart proved to be the game winner; the first of his career. Neiley was the recipient of a nice pass across the top of the crease to the far post from fellow freshman Brandon McNally (Saugus, Mass.) to set up the one-timer.

FRESHMEN FIND THE NET
This season, seven freshmen have suited up in a game for the Big Green. Those seven players have combined for 26 points, which has accounted for 35.1% of the team's scoring in 2011-12. Their 11 goals have accounted for 39.3% of Dartmouth's 28 total goals this season, including three of the five game-winning goals.

GRIND LINE GUYS
The trio of juniors Alex Goodship (Blackfalds, Alberta) and Jason Bourgea (South Burlington, Vt.) and senior Paul Lee (Garden City, N.Y.) have been together nearly all season. The line has played nine games this season, three more than any other combination put together by the coaching staff. Only the defensive pairing of senior Jim Gaudet (Etna, N.H.) and sophomore Taylor Boldt (Niwot, Colo.) have played more games together for the Big Green this season (11).

BOLDT'S HELPER
Known more as a defensive player, Boldt jumped onto the scoresheet against Sacred Heart with a perfect feed to Sikura on the wing in the neutral zone. A Pioneers' turnover at center ice led to Boldt collecting the puck and finding Sikura on the left wing to set up for the third tally of the game. It was the second assist of the season and just the fifth point of his career (1g/4a).

WITH THE MAN-ADVANTAGE...
Dartmouth failed to score a power-play goal against Sacred Heart, finishing the game 0-for-4 with the advantage. After beginning the season with five straight games without a power-play marker, the Big Green had one in consecutive games against Cornell (Nov. 12) and at St. Lawrence (Nov. 18). Since then, the team has failed to score with the extra man in its last four games.

DOWN A MAN...

Despite the woes on the power play, Dartmouth played well with the penalty-killing unit on the ice in recent games. The Big Green has killed off the last eight penalties against them. Freshman Jesse Beamish (Mississauga, Ontario) capitalized while his team was down a man to score into the empty net with 2:48 remaining against the Pioneers. His second of the season sealed the win and was the first shorthanded marker of the season and the first shorty for Dartmouth since Jan. 29, 2011 when Scott Fleming netted one against Colgate.
Dartmouth's 10.1 PIMs per game is the sixth lowest figure in the nation this season. In contrast to some of the competition this weekend, Merrimack ranks second nationally with 20.5 per game, yet is also second in scoring defense (1.73 GAA)

AGAINST THESE TEAMS

This will be the first game against Merrimack for every player on Dartmouth except for Dan Nycholat (Calgary, Alberta) who played against the Warriors as a member of Northeastern, a Hockey East rival. In four games against the Warriors (1 in 2007-08/3 in 2008-09) Nycholat was held without a point.
Against St. Lawrence, Jones leads all Dartmouth players with eight points (2g/6a). Jones also has a team-best two points (1g/1a) against Holy Cross in two games played.
Senior goaltenders James Mello (Rehoboth, Mass.) and Jody O'Neill (Nepean, Ontario) are a combined 6-1 against the Saints in their careers with O'Neill getting the 3-1 win earlier this season. Mello has never faced Holy Cross as O'Neill is 0-1-1 in two career appearances.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE
Dartmouth has not played Merrimack since Nov. 3, 2002, losing 4-3. The Big Green and Crusaders last met two seasons ago on Jan. 3 in the Ledyard Classic with Holy Cross taking the 4-2 victory. Dartmouth and Saint Lawrence have already played once this season with Dartmouth travelling to Canton and earning the 3-1 win at Appleton Arena on Nov. 18. To date, it is still the team's only road win of the season in three games (1-2).

OUTSHOT? NO WORRIES
This season, Dartmouth has been outshot in just three of its eight games. The Big Green have not lost any of those contests, posting a 2-0-1 mark when the opponent has more shots in the game.

TAKE THE LEAD INTO THE LOCKER ROOM
The Big Green have not lost when leading after the first or second periods in 2011-12. Dartmouth is 4-0 when holding an advantage after 20 minutes of play and 3-0 when leading after 40 minutes.

BACK FROM BREAK
It will have been 18 days between games when the Big Green hit the ice Friday against Holy Cross. That break is the longest of the season and followed the second-longest of the season as Dartmouth had 13 days between playing Vermont (Nov. 27) and Sacred Heart (Dec. 11).

AGAINST ATLANTIC HOCKEY
Since the start of the 2000-01 season, Dartmouth is 11-2-5 against teams from Atlantic Hockey after the 4-1 win over Sacred Heart. The last time the Big Green did not play a team from the conference was in the 2002-03 season.

Schedules