Yale Holds Off Dartmouth's Late Rally to Pull Even in Standings

Saturday, February 15

Hanover, N.H.

7 PM

Dartmouth College

Yale

Both teams now have 18 points in the standings.

Photo by: Doug Austin

Yale Holds Off Dartmouth's Late Rally to Pull Even in Standings

2/15/2020 9:22:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

Box Score

Graber scores twice, including in final of regulation.

By: Pat Salvas

HANOVER, N.H. – Will Graber's second goal of the night came with 54 seconds left in the third to cut the deficit to one, but the ensuing chances just missed for the Dartmouth men's hockey team in a 4-3 loss to Yale Saturday night at Thompson Arena.

Just the third home loss of the season, the Big Green (11-10-4, 8-8-2 ECAC) saw the Bulldogs (11-12-2, 8-8-2 ECAC) overcome a pair of one-goal deficits in the second period and find the back of the net twice in the third to earn the win and pull even with Dartmouth in the standings.

The home team got a pair of goals from Graber and the team-leading 15th from Drew O'Connor in the game.

"I thought we played well and had a lot of jump in the first," Koenig Family Head Coach Bob Gaudet '81 said. "Yale played really hard and things changed when the tempo did, but the result wasn't the one we wanted.

"We battled until the end, but need to find a way to win these close games because they're all going to be like this the rest of the way," Gaudet added. "Our league is really good and every time we play, we know we're going to be challenged."

Graber scored the game's first goal on a long shot from the point that was redirected off a Yale player in the slot, into the air before settling in the back of the net. The visitors tied the game 51 seconds into the middle frame with Justin Pearson's first of two on the night.

O'Connor scored the Green's second power-play goal of the game at 14:44 of the second, finishing off a great pass from Collin Rutherford across the low slot to the far post. The Dartmouth sophomore is now second in ECAC Hockey with 15 tallies this season.

The Bulldogs got a goal from Michael Young at the end of the second to tie the game and then got the go-ahead marker from Cole Donhauser 6:28 into the third. Pearson's second followed at 9:01 and doubled the Yale lead to 4-2.

Graber's second of the night came with netminder Adrian Clark pulled for the extra attacker. His wrist shot from the top of the right circle and made it a one-goal game in the final minute. However, the home team had several opportunities to pull even in the remaining seconds, but was unable to make the one final pass to set up the equalizer.

The teams split the season series in 2019-20 with the road team winning each, 4-3. Both now have 18 points in the standings and are tied for seventh with four games left. Colgate and Rensselaer are tied for fifth with just one more point (19).

Clark finished the night with 31 stops.

Dartmouth will play its final two road games of the regular season next weekend at St. Lawrence and Clarkson. Both games will be carried on ESPN+ as well as on the audio-only call from Rob Kennedy on DartmouthSports.com.