Big Green Pick Up ECAC Point with 2-2 Tie at Harvard

Tuesday, January 31

Cambridge, Mass.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Harvard

Men's Hockey Picks Up Road Win at St. Lawrence, 3-1

Big Green Pick Up ECAC Point with 2-2 Tie at Harvard

1/31/2012 9:57:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

By: Dartmouth

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Scoring its only two goals of the night just 18 seconds apart midway in the second period, the Dartmouth men's hockey team a skated to a 2-2 with Harvard Tuesday at Bright Hockey Center. The home team evened the score late in the third, but neither was able to find the back of the net again as the two teams played to their second draw of the year.

In the earlier meeting this season, the Crimson forced overtime with two goals in the second in a contest that eventually ended 3-3 in Hanover on Nov. 25.

The tie helped Dartmouth (9-9-3, 6-6-2 ECAC Hockey) move into a tie for sixth in the ECAC Hockey standings with Quinnipiac as both now have 14 points. Their ninth tie of the season gave the Crimson (6-6-9, 5-4-7 ECAC) 17 points this year, moving them into a tie for third with Colgate.

Senior Jody O'Neill (Nepean, Ontario) got the start in the Dartmouth net, making 26 saves in 65 minutes of action. His play in the final minutes of regulation and into the overtime period salvaged the point for the Big Green as Harvard came on strong late in the game, looking for the winner. O'Neill is now 1-1-1 this season in three starts.

Freshman Brandon McNally (Saugus, Mass.) opened the scoring 6:59 into the middle period with his second power-play goal of the season and fourth tally overall. McNally knocked in a loose puck at the top of the crease after Harvard's Steve Michalek kicked out a Mike Keenan (South Weymouth, Mass.) shot from the point.

Eric Robinson (Foxboro, Mass.) pushed his point streak to four games with an assist.

Just 18 seconds later, junior Alex Goodship (Blackfalds, Alberta) took a page from McNally and popped in a rebound from the low slot for his third of 2011-12 to make it a 2-0 game. Michalek again kicked a puck into the slot that Goodship collected and slipped past the outstretched left pad of the Harvard goaltender.

Senior Paul Lee (Garden City, N.Y.) and junior Mark Goggin (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) were credited with helpers on the play as they worked the puck out to the middle that eventually led to Goodship's tally.

The two goals in an 18-second span were the fastest two markers of the season for the Big Green. Five times this season, Dartmouth has scored twice in under 40 seconds. Goals 22 seconds apart against Holy Cross (Dec. 30) had been the previous best mark this season before McNally and Goodship netted the back-to-back tallies Tuesday night.

Harvard's Luke Greiner scored 14:49 into the second and cut the Crimson's deficit to one, 2-1, after two periods.

Colin Blackwell tied it 2-2 on the power play at13:36 of the third after Lee was called for a tripping penalty 20 seconds earlier. Harvard entered the game with the nation's best power-play unit at 31.8% (27-for-85), but it took until the third-period tally for Crimson to be successful with the man-advantage.

Harvard finished the game 1-for-3 on the power play, while the visitors from Hanover were 1-for-5.

O'Neill's counterpart in Michalek finished with 29 saves, including a combined 13 in the final 25 minutes.

Dartmouth heads back out on the road for a Friday night tilt at Hobey Baker Rink against ECAC Hockey and Ivy League foe Princeton. The Big Green will then head north to Hamden, Conn., to take on Quinnipiac Saturday at 7 p.m.

NOTES: O'Neill's start in the Dartmouth was the first since Nov. 19 at Clarkson (L, 4-0), a span of 12 games...The two goals from McNally and Goodship 18 seconds apart might have been the fastest of the season, but also gives Dartmouth two goals in under two minutes seven times this season and eight times in under 2:30...The game was the 10th overtime game of the season for Harvard (0-9-1) and fifth for Dartmouth (1-1-3)...Prior to this season's two draws, Dartmouth had tied Harvard just twice in 32 previous meetings...Harvard's nine ties this season ties is one off an NCAA record for most by any team in a single season. Minnesota State Mankato, Western Michigan and Colorado College hold the mark with 10. Harvard tied the record for draws in a season by an ECAC team along Yale in 1991-92, Quinnipiac last season and Dartmouth in 2003-04...Mark Goggin's point streak now reaches a career-high five games after his second-period assist. Lee's streak is now at three.