Men's Hockey Lackluster in Surprise Loss to Big Green

HANOVER, N.H.—Call it beginner’s luck, but Rob Pritchard sure knows how to score.

Dartmouth’s rookie winger lit the lamp twice in Friday night’s contest at the Thompson Arena, notching the first two goals of his collegiate career as the Big Green shocked the No. 14 Harvard men’s hockey team, 5-1.

Despite having lost three of its last four games, Dartmouth (5-7-0, 5-5-0 ECAC) looked like the more dominant team. Playing physically and outhustling the Crimson (9-5-1, 7-5-0), the Big Green built up a large lead and successfully shut down Harvard’s offense.

“If you don’t start off well, it’s really hard to come out [of that hole],” Crimson captain Peter Hafner said. “They basically took it to us the whole game.”

Dartmouth tallied the only score of the opening period on a power-play goal by sophomore winger David Jones at 17:09.

Pritchard then extended the Big Green’s lead in the second period. The freshman tallied the eventual game-winner just 2:46 into the frame—squeezing the puck between the left post and Harvard goaltender John Daigneau’s right shoulder—before increasing Dartmouth’s cushion to three goals midway through the period.

Meanwhile, the Crimson struggled to generate quality scoring chances against a stingy Big Green defense despite earning three man-advantage opportunities through the first 40 minutes.

“Penalty killing is a work ethic thing,” Dartmouth coach Bob Gaudet said. “It’s keeping your stick down, it’s having smart players, but it’s also getting really good saves. I thought we did all of that—we worked hard.”

The Crimson offense finally broke out of its scoring funk in the third period. With a player from each team in the box for coincidental minors, sophomore forward Jon Pelle sold Big Green netminder Mike Devine on a hard shot fake from the left circle and then easily skated around him to net a four-on-four tally at 5:33.

Just 35 seconds later, Harvard was awarded a power play opportunity when Dartmouth winger Jarrett Sampson was given a two-minute minor for holding defenseman Dylan Reese near the Big Green net.

But Dartmouth’s aggressive forecheck and physical play allowed the Big Green to kill off the penalty, surrendering only one shot in the process.

“I don’t think we dictated any part of the game,” said Crimson coach Ted Donato ’91. “They pretty much determined how the game was going to be played, and we took it a lot easier than I would have liked.”

Dartmouth dampened any hopes of a Harvard comeback at 16:39 of the final frame, when Jones backhanded a rebound past a recovering Daigneau for his second goal of the night and a 4-1 Big Green lead.

Though the Crimson pulled Daigneau for an extra skater just moments later, Dartmouth maintained its assertive level of play and prevented Harvard from setting up its offense.

Big Green pivot Eric Przepiorka accounted for the final score when he slid the puck from the Harvard blue line into the empty net at 18:38.

“We should have been rejuvenated and ready to go—last game before the break,” Donato said. “Overall, I’m just disappointed that we haven’t established enough of an identity in our locker room to be able to win games in tough environments.”

—Staff writer Karan Lodha can be reached at klodha@fas.harvard.edu.