Big Green Take 1-0 Series Over Union

Friday, March 14

Schenectady, N.Y. / Messa Rink at Achilles Center

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

17-12-2

No. 4 Union

19-13-3

Dartmouth

Union (NY)

3/15/2025 12:13:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey

Box Score

By: Dan Richeal

SCHENECTADY, N.Y.—The Dartmouth men's hockey team opened the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals on Friday night against the fourth seeded Union Garnet Chargers. The fifth seeded Big Green skated to a hard fought 3-2 win to take a 1-0 lead in the best of three series.

It was Union who took the first lead of the game at 5:54 mark of the opening period.

The Big Green answered less than five minutes later as Nikita Nikora scored his fourth goal of the year. Eric Charpentier threw the puck to the slot and it bounced around off of Hank Cleaves and then Sean Chisholm and sat just off the right pad of the sprawled out netminder. Nikora lifted the puck over the pad to tie the game at one. It was Chisholm's 11^th assist of the season while Cleaves picked up his 14^th.

Union held a 15-7 shot advantage after the opening 20 minutes but the teams were tied at one after hard hitting first period.

The Garnet Chargers broke the tie just 1:33 into the second period.

With the end of the period in sight, the Big Green looked to tie the game. With less than three minutes left in the frame Matt Fusco picked up the puck deep in the Dartmouth zone. M. Fusco fired a long stretch pass to Hayden Stavroff at the Union blueline. Stavoff then led Braiden Dorfman to the front of the net and Dorfman backhanded home his seventh goal of the year. M. Fusco notched his fifth assist of the year while Stavroff picked up his 11^th.

Dartmouth and Union went to the locker room tied once again. Dartmouth was ahead in the faceoff circle 22-16 following two periods.

7:33 into the third period, the Big Green took their first lead of the day. Nikora fed the puck to Charpentier at the point. Charpentier took a shot, and Chisholm redirected the puck in the slot for his 14^th goal of the season. Charpentier notched his seventh assist of the season and Nikora notched his 24^th assist of the season.

The Big Green held off the Garnet Chargers for the remaining 7:33 to secure the win to take a 1-0 series lead.

Emmett Croteau made 23 saves including 14 saves in the opening period for the Big Green. Croteau improves to 12-4-0 on the season while having a .901 save percentage and a 2.10 goals against average.

The Big Green went 31-24 in the faceoff circle, Luke Haymes went 19-7 in the faceoff circle to lead Dartmouth. Steven Townley had six faceoff wins while Joshua Schenk and Chisholm each had three wins.

The Big Green outshot the Garnet Chargers 8-2 in the third period.

Nikora and Chisholm each had two points on the night. Both Nikora and Chisholm each have nine multi-point games this season.

Dartmouth blocked 16 shots with both John Fusco and Cooper Flinton blocking a team high three. Tim Busconi, Steven Townley, and Cleaves each blocked two.

The Big Green are currently on a five-game winning streak which is the second longest in the country.

Dartmouth has now beat Union in six straight games dating back to Feb. 24, 2024.

The Big Green look to close out the series on Saturday, Mar. 15 against the Garnet Chargers. Faceoff is slated for 4 PM in Schenectady.