Published: 2/29/2020 10:34:29 PM
Modified: 2/29/2020 10:34:26 PM
HANOVER — The Dartmouth College men’s hockey team’s regular season ended on a sour note on Saturday with a 4-1 loss to Rensselaer at Thompson Arena. The Big Green dropped to 0-9-1 in games it’s trailed after two periods this winter.
The Big Green finished sixth in the 12-team ECAC and will host 11th-seeded Princeton in a best-of-three first-round playoff series next weekend. The league’s top four finishers earn first-round byes. Should Dartmouth win the Princeton series, it could well visit fourth-seeded Harvard, which has ended its season each of the last two years.
“I thought we played well but had a few errors that ended up in the back of our net,” said Dartmouth coach Bob Gaudet, whose team dropped to 13-12-4 overall and 10-10-2 in ECAC play. “It’s good to be playing at home next week, and I thought tonight could have gone the other way. We had some good bids early.”
RPI scored three goals during a five-minute span midway through the second period before Dartmouth avoided a shutout with a minute remaining in the stanza. Daniel Warpecha maneuvered from the right circle and into the high slot before finding Drew O’Connor at the back door for their team’s first shorthanded goal of the season.
O’Connor is a sophomore who tops the Big Green in scoring for the second consecutive season. He has 21 goals and is the first Dartmouth skater since All-American Ross Brownridge in 1979-80 to lead the ECAC in goals during regular-season league games.
“I think Drew is one of those guys the fans should really come out and see play, because he is just a fabulous hockey player,” Gaudet said, noting that Ivy League teams play roughly five fewer games overall during the regular season than other Division I squads. “He’s got a nose for scoring, and has 38 goals in two seasons.”
The Engineers scored their final goal into an empty net during the late going. Dartmouth held a 38-27 shots advantage but was scoreless in six power-play chances.
Gaudet said that he will give serious consideration to a light week of practice because of the stage of the season and the approach of final exams.
“We’ve got a 3.5 grade-point average on this team and it’s a mature group, so I think we’re OK,” Gaudet said. “It becomes tougher if we have a three-game series, but at least I know I won’t have to proctor exams on game day, which I’ve done in the past.”
Notes: Reserve goaltender Dean Shatzer entered with two minutes to play, his first action since his sophomore year. … Dartmouth has committed a penalty in every game since Jan. 15, 2008, at Boston University. … Dartmouth honored seniors Ben DiMaio, Warpecha, Shane Sellar, Cam Strong, Clay Han, Ryan Blankemeier, Will Graber, Shatzer and Adrian Clark after the game. … The Big Green will wear “SP” jersey patches the rest of the season to honor onetime athletic director Seaver Peters (1967-83), who died earlier this week. ... ECAC regular-season champion Cornell has won nine consecutive games. … Gaudet said he’s hopeful his team might get injured defenseman Joey Matthews back for the Princeton series. The junior has missed the last two games. … Dartmouth has not had a first-team ECAC honoree in the last 10 years. … Game times for the Princeton series are 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and a Sunday game, if needed, will face off at 5 p.m.
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com.