With its second win over a top-five opponent in two weeks, Brown has reaffirmed itself as the team no one wants to play in the playoffs. This time the Bears’ victim was No. 3 Dartmouth, who lost for the fourth time in seven games.
The Bears (14-13-2, 11-8-1 ECACHL) jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead, which proved to be enough offense for O’Hara Shipe. The Brown freshman made 28 saves to preserve the 3-1 victory. The win assured that Brown would travel to No. 5 St. Lawrence for the ECAC quarterfinals, while Dartmouth (23-5, 16-4) hosts Colgate.
Dartmouth played without top scorer Cherie Piper, who toughed out a healing separated shoulder in the Big Green’s 4-3 loss to Harvard the night before, and several other skaters played through injuries. Dartmouth’s short roster took another hit when sophomore Caroline Ethier suffered a knee injury and did not return.
The Bears opened up the scoring 3:20 into the game when juniors Keaton Zucker and Lindsey Glennon connected. Glennon took Zucker’s pass in the slot and one timed it past Big Green goaltender Kate Lane for the early one-goal lead.
With 11 minutes to go in the period, Dartmouth freshman Nicole Ruta earned a 10-minute game misconduct for shooting the puck after the whistle. The Bears capitalized on that power play when junior Ashlee Drover recorded her first goal of the season with 11:38, remaining in the first frame. Freshman Hayley Moore and sophomore Kathryn Moos recorded the assists on Drover’s goal.
Dartmouth pressured Brown’s defense and freshman goaltender O’Hara Shipe throughout most of the second period, but Shipe rose to the occasion in turning away all eight shots that she faced in the period.
Senior Amy McLaughlin made it a 3-0 game early in the third period when she dumped the puck into the Big Green zone from the red line, and Lane let the puck deflect off her skate and into the net.
Dartmouth cut the lead back to two when Cheryl Muranko picked up a free puck at center ice, drove into the zone, and shot over the left shoulder of Shipe. But that would be it for the Big Green as Shipe stiffened up and stopped thirteen of the fourteen shots that period.
Tonight’s contest also marked the final home competition for Katie Guay, Jessica Link, Krissy McManus, Amy McLaughlin and Kerry Nugent. The five were recognized after the game.
