Another Dartmouth Comeback Stuns Defending National Champ Union

Saturday, January 31

Hanover, N.H.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

UNION

Another Dartmouth Comeback Stuns Defending National Champ Union

1/31/2015 9:42:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. – Stop me if you've heard this before: Union leads after two periods, but Dartmouth wins.

For the second time this season, the Big Green men's hockey team erased a deficit heading into the third period to the defending national champion Dutchmen (13-11-2, 5-8-1 ECAC). This time, Dartmouth (9-8-4, 6-6-2 ECAC) trailed 2-1 at the second intermission only to come back to win 3-2 in dramatic fashion Saturday night at Thompson Arena.

Freshman Carl Hesler scored his first career goal with 1:27 left in regulation for the game winner. It was also Hesler who set up linemate Corey Kalk for the tying marker at 7:46 of the third that allowed the rookie center to be the hero Saturday night.

“I was coming in full speed and, to be honest, I just closed my eyes when I shot it, knowing where I wanted it to go,” a clearly jubilant Hesler confessed after the game. “I wanted to shoot low and just get to the net for a rebound, but it found the space under his arm.

“I didn't even know it went in at first,” Hesler added. “It's an unbelievable feeling and it couldn't have come at a better time for me.”

Kalk set up the winner with a chip pass from his own blueline to Hesler cutting through the neutral zone, allowing him to get the extra step on the defender needed for the clean look on goal.

However, just about 11 minutes earlier it was Kalk's blistering wrist shot that sent the Thompson Arena crowd into a frenzy as he tied the game at two apiece.

Hesler sent a pass across the blueline to Kalk on the far side of the ice, allowing for a clean entry into the zone and an unobstructed look from the top of the right circle at Union netminder Colin Stevens. The freshman found the back of the net for the third time this season with a well-placed rocket over the blocker and inside the far post for the equalizer.

“Huge goals by freshmen,” head coach Bob Gaudet said outside a loud and excited locker room. “Corey's play was a goal-scorer's goal and Hes, well, that was really a poised move by Carl to get that one.”

The Dutchmen's Spencer Foo scored his second of the season against Dartmouth late in the second period, a goal that proved to do nothing more than set the stage for yet another Big Green comeback in 2014-15.

Answering back after a Union goal seemed to be the theme of the night for the home team. Junior Brad Schierhorn netted his seventh of the season just 6:20 after Union's Max Novak put the three-time reigning ECAC Hockey Tournament Champion up 1-0. Senior Eric Neiley picked up his seventh point in the last three games, working the puck around behind the net before his shot was kicked into the slot for the waiting Schierhorn.

What allowed the freshmen heroics was a key save by Dartmouth goalie Charles Grant on Roman Ammirato alone in the slot with 13 minutes left in the third. Had Grant not made the point-blank save and the puck sent into the corner, the deficit may have been too much to overcome.

Grant finished with 20 saves on the night, while Stevens turned aside 38 in a losing effort as the Green peppered the All-American all night, finishing with a 41-22 advantage in shots.

“Tonight was a total 60-minute effort from the goalie on out,” Gaudet remarked. “That team over there is battle-tested and very good as they've shown the last few seasons. I couldn't be more proud of the resolve we've shown this year in coming back on them twice.”

The win was the third straight for the Green and White who now have seven-of-a-possible eight points in the ECAC Hockey standings the last two weekends.

In the earlier game between these two teams on Nov. 7 in Schenectady, Dartmouth overcame a 3-0 deficit in the second period to defeat Union, 4-3, in overtime.

Dartmouth is back on the road next weekend at Brown and Yale in two Ivy League and ECAC Hockey match-ups. The Big Green head south to play the Bears on Friday before making the trip down I-95 to play the Bulldogs the following evening. Both games are set to begin at 7 p.m.