Dec. 16, 2007

Stats

Hanover. N.H. - No. 8 Dartmouth snapped a three-game losing streak against No. 5/6 Mercyhurst and salvaged the finale of a weekend set by downing the Lakers 6-4 in snowy Hanover, N.H. The Lakers, 7-0 winners Saturday, dropped to 14-4-2 overall while Dartmouth improved to 10-3-1.

Dartmouth scored four special teams' goals, three power play and a shorthanded, and got a combined five goals and five assists from sophomore forward Jenna Cunningham (3g, 2a) and junior Maggie Kennedy (2g, 2a) in handing the Lakers their fourth loss of the season. Mercyhurst also scored three times with ther skater advantage. The contest concluded the 2007 portion of the campaigns for each team.

The Lakers, playing two skaters short, broke on top early in the first period when freshman defender Geena Prough scored her fourth of the year, first career power play and second of the weekend, at 2:03. Prough was helped by junior Melissa Dianowski and senior Stephanie Jones. Dartmouth tied the game eight minutes later when Cunningham, one of the nation's top scorers, collected her 13th of the year and the first of three, on a Big Green power play. Mercyhurst owned a slight 10-8 advantage in shots as both teams went to the intermission tied at 1-1.

The Lakers regained the lead at 4:22 of the second when sophomore Meghan Agosta registered her 25th goal of the season, with Dartmouth down a skater, from Jones and Prough. But Dartmouth rallied for a 3-2 lead after forty minutes on goals by Cunningham (pp) and Kennedy. Dartmouth outshot the Lakers 13-8 in the middle frame.

Mercyhurst tied the game for the last time seven minutes into the third when sernior Kristen Erickson notched her third of the year from Jones and junior Natalie Payne. But Dartmouth reclaimed the lead for good less than 90 seconds later when Kennedy scored shorthanded. Junior Shannon Bowman gave the Big Green a two-goal margin at 16:16 with Dartmouth's third power play lamplighter of the contest. Mercyhurst made a final run when senior Sherilyn Fraser collected her first of the season, on another power play, at 19:09, but the rally fell short as Cunningham completed het hat trick by scoring into an empty net with just ten seconds left. Mercyhurst thought it had tied the game with roughly twenty seconds to play, but the referee lost sight of the puck and whistled the play over before the puck crossed the line.

Mercyhurst outshot Dartmouth 11-8 in the third as both teams ended the affair with 29 shots apiece. Both teams were penalized seven times for 14 minutes and were 3 for 7 on the power play.

Dartmouth snapped a three-game losing streak to Mercyhurst and now leads the all-time series 6-3-1. Agosta extended her scoring streak to 14 games while Hosier will have to wait until 2008 to break a tie with Desi Clark in career wins. Both have 63. The six goals allowed were the most given up since Dartmouth defeated Mercyhurst 11-1 January 25, 2002, in Hanover. The Big Green swept those two weekend games and outscored the Lakers 16-3 in the process. This time, Mercyhurst owned an 11-6 advantage in the two games, but could only get a split.

Mercyhurst is idle until January 12 and 13 when it travels to Providence for a pair of games. The Lakers will play at home the following weekend when both Yale and Brown visit.