Indian Sports Round-Up

By Thomas Monahan | Monday, January 9, 2006

Indian Icers Look to Turn Corner in New Year

After a fall of ups and downs, the Dartmouth men's hockey team finds itself in a disappointingly similar position entering 2006. As of January 1, the Indians sported a 6-8 record, on par with their 6-6-2 mark at the same time last year. The Indians are 5-5 in league play and sitting comfortably in sixth in the ECACHL, just four points behind league-leader Harvard. The record is more impressive in light of the way the season began, as the Indians stumbled out of the gates to the tune of four consecutive losses to league opponents. Their record remained near .500 as November came to a close, but the Indians then dropped their first two non-conference games during the second weekend in December, including a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to UMass-Lowell in which Dartmouth nearly overcame an early 3-0 deficit.

The following weekend, the men put out one of their strongest performances of the season in a rematch against Harvard, this time on national television. With most students at home for the interim, the Indians shut down the Crimson, 5-1, in a nearly-empty Thompson Arena. Dartmouth once again displayed the offensive outbursts of which it is capable, this time led by the third line of senior Jarrett Sampson, junior Dan Shribman, and freshman winger Rob Pritchard, who combined for six points. Pritchard notched two goals, the first and second of his career.

After returning from a brief Christmas break, the Indians traveled to Burlington, Vermont to play in the Catamount Classic over New Year's. In the first round game, Dartmouth held the fifth-ranked Vermont Catamounts to a scoreless tie through the first period, despite having to kill nine minutes of penalties, including a five-minute major and game misconduct called against junior defenseman Grant Lewis. The 'Cats finally solved sophomore net minder Mike Devine with just over four minutes remaining in the second frame for what proved to be the game's only goal.

The following day, the Indians beat the Bemidji (Minn.) State Beavers 4-3 in a thrilling consolation game that went into overtime. Down 3-2 with less than two minutes to play, Dartmouth's Garrett Overlock found the net from the blue line to tie up. Sophomore Nick Johnson slammed home the winner just 3:37 into the extra frame, earning player of the game honors and a win for Dartmouth. For his efforts, Devine, with 58 saves in two games, earned all-tournament honors. After a few tough games in early January, the Indians will look to make a push for the playoffs as they play numerous league games in February.

On the women's side, the picture is similar. The women find themselves sitting at 5-7 overall, and just 2-5 in the ECACHL. A confluence of a difficult schedule and inexperience has plagued the unquestionably talented team which has shown flashes of brilliance against some of the best teams in the country. With four women, including one freshman, gone to represent their countries in the Olympics, Coach Mark Hudak recruited a record eight freshmen. Even as the young team was still coming together, the Indians have faced three of the top four teams in the country, in the form of St. Lawrence, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire, losing narrowly to each.

In a tournament game against No. 1 Wisconsin over Thanksgiving, Dartmouth showed great efficiency, netting three goals on just eighteen shots, and keeping ahead or tied until just ten minutes left in the match. Their performance against No. 2 UNH on New Year's Day was similarly gritty. With freshman sniper Shannon Bowman, the team's leading scorer, temporarily gone to play on Canada's Under-22 squad, Hudak was forced to come up with creative pairings. The Indians were left with just four defensemen playing during the first two periods, but came into the third trailing by only one goal. Despite the astounding defensive effort and a career-high forty-three saves by senior goalie Kate Lane, the Wildcats eventually came away a 4-1 victory.

Looking forward, Dartmouth's schedule is comprised almost entirely of ECAC games, including back-to-backs against bottom-dweller Union at the end of January, followed by a rare Monday night matchup against Harvard. The team remains optimistic about a repeat Frozen Four appearance. Said junior defenseman Meredith Batcheller, "We've come a long way in the first half, especially with a young team, and we're still getting better. Now we can focus on ECAC games, and peak right around playoff time."

Football Ends Season On Sour Note

The Dartmouth football team finished the season with a record of 2 � 8, ending another rebuilding year for the men in green. Though coach Buddy Teevens undertook sweeping reforms surrounding team culture and training, the team was not able to improve its record as much as many would have liked. Troubles early at the quarterback position prompted a switch to freshman Josh Cohen, but with inexperience behind center the offense was unable to put enough points on the board to win crucial games. The teams strong defense and ability to play with powerhouse opponents showed the promise of this young team under new leadership, but in the end the Indians were unable to establish themselves as a team to be reckoned with in the Ivy League

After a 17�6 homecoming victory over Columbia, the team lost the remaining games of the season to come to their final record. While Dartmouth will lose several important members of the squad to graduation, including tailback Jason Bash and wide receiver Ryan Fuselier, the experience that younger players gained playing this season will boost the team's prospects next season. Coach Teevens' notoriously challenging off-season workouts and a determined group of younger athletes will surely lead to a more successful season in 2006.

Soccer Falls in Tourney

The Dartmouth soccer team was eliminated in the second round of the NCAA tournament after a heartbreaking second round 1 � 0 loss to St. John's. The kickoff in Queens, NY saw wind gusts as high as 46 mph, causing frustration for both teams. Dartmouth began the match with the wind at their backs, but as the team went into the half locked in a scoreless tie—the men in green found themselves fighting the wind and ultimately were unable to get on the board.

St. Johns scored the only goal of the match in the 56th minute as a shot from five meters out snuck past Dartmouth keeper Rowan Anders. St. Johns outshot Dartmouth 10 � 4 and ultimately were able to close out the match with the one-score edge. Dartmouth received their bid to the NCAA tournament by defeating Brown in Providence during the last match of the season. The victory gave the men in green a share of the Ivy League Championship, their second title in as many years, with a record of 10 � 3 � 5. In the off-season, the team will need to develop several underclassmen to replace the seniors departing including offensive powerhouse Darnell Nance, and co-captain midfielder P. J. Scheufele.

Rugby Heads To Nationals

After claiming second place in the Northeast Rugby Championships, Dartmouth rugby has clinched the #11 seed in this year's USA Rugby Playoffs. The tournament, comprised of sixteen teams, will take place this spring in West Point, NY and Berkeley, CA. Dartmouth will face Midwest Champions Ohio State (#6) in the first round on April 22 in West Point.

Indian Sports Round-Up

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