Dartmouth's Offense Overpowers No. 15 Yale, 6-4

Saturday, February 7

New Haven, Conn.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Yale

Dartmouth's Offense Overpowers No. 15 Yale, 6-4

2/7/2015 9:35:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

By: Dartmouth

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Entering Saturday night's game, the 15th-ranked Yale men's hockey team had been leading the nation with just 1.45 goals allowed per game.

Dartmouth didn't seem to notice much as it scored six times at Ingalls Rink to take the ECAC Hockey and Ivy League contest, 6-4, to push its win streak to five games and its unbeaten stretch to six (5-0-1).

The Big Green (11-8-4, 8-6-2 ECAC) were led by sophomore Grant Opperman's goal and two assists in the contest, including the opening tally just 1:26 into the first period.

In beating the Bulldogs (13-7-3, 8-6-2 ECAC) — combined with a loss by Colgate — Dartmouth vaulted into a tie for third place in the league standings with 18 points.

“What a huge weekend for this team,” head coach Bob Gaudet '81 said. “Tonight, I thought we beat a very good team in their building and got some crucial points in the process.

“I thought we were outstanding in the first two periods and did a good job to weather the storm in the third,” Gaudet added. “Our last goal was so important for us because Yale was excellent to start the third and they were putting themselves in position to make it closer, but we answered the call with that goal.”

Playing in his 100th career game, senior Jesse Beamish netted his fifth of the season with a rebound at the 9:16 mark of the third, snapping a long stretch of Bulldog control and capping the scoring with the sixth Dartmouth goal.

The Green took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission thanks to goals from Opperman, sophomore Nick Bligh and Brandon McNally with Yale's lone tally coming off the stick of Mike Doherty on a shorthanded bid.

After Mitch Witek's goal at 8:12 of the second cut the lead to one, captain Tyler Sikura netted his seventh of the season to give his team some breathing room and another two-goal advantage. The lead ballooned to three with Eric Neiley's power-play goal just three minutes later.

The home team was dominant in the opening minutes of the third period, scoring twice in the first 6:51 from Adam Larkin and Stu Wilson to pull to within one.

But like they did with Sikura's goal, Dartmouth broke Yale's momentum with a goal, this time from Beamish at the side of the net. Bligh and Opperman picked up assists on the back-breaking goal, the third point of the night for Opperman and the second for Bligh.

In goal, Charles Grant withstood the Bulldogs' onslaught with 35 saves in the win, improving to 4-1-0 this season. Yale's Alex Lyon came into the night with some of the best numbers of any goalie in the nation this season, but was pulled after allowing five goals in two periods and stopping just 17. He gave way to Patrick Spano, who was tested with just six shots, but allowed the Beamish goal in crunch time that proved to be the difference.

Dartmouth's power play was 1-for-3 on the night, while Yale was 2-for-3 with its man-advantage.

Opponents had scored more than two goals in a game just twice since the start of the second half of the season began in late December; a figure the Green and White would triple in picking up their second straight at Ingalls Rink in as many seasons.

The Big Green return home next weekend for a pair of ECAC Hockey games against Cornell and Colgate. The program will recognize the four teams who reached the Frozen Four (1948, 1949, 1979 and 1980) with an on-ice ceremony during Saturday's game with the Raiders.