HAMILTON –Tim O’Brien scored at the 2:47 mark of the third period to break a 2-2 tie and lift Dartmouth to a 3-2 victory over Colgate in ECAC Hockey action Saturday at Starr Rink.
O’Brien’s decisive tally came on a deflected point shot that beat Raider netminder Charlie Finn and inside the right post for his first goal of the season.
Colgate pushed for the equalizer during the remainder of the third, but Dartmouth keeper Charles Grant turned aside all eight shots he faced down the stretch to help the Big Green escape with the one-goal triumph.
Earlier in the contest, the two teams combined for four goals during a frantic opening 8:26 of the first period.
Tim Harrison and Mike Borkowski struck 3:17 apart to stake the Raiders to an early 2-0 lead. Harrison tallied his sixth of the season with a shot from the middle of the slot with just 2:17 into the contest before Borkowski doubled the Colgate margin with a power play strike at the 5:38 mark.
The Big Green countered less than three minutes after Borkowski’s strike with goals from Troy Crema and Carl Hesler to tie the game at 2-2. Crema beat Colgate starter Zac Hamilton with a shot from the right faceoff dot with 7:01 gone in the first before Helser tied the game with a backhanded-effort from the bottom of the left faceoff dot 1:25 later.
Finn replaced Hamilton in net for Colgate after the second Dartmouth goal, finishing the game with 26 saves. Grant turned aside 28 shots for Dartmouth.
Bottom Line
Dartmouth 3, Colgate 2
Won-Lost Records
– Dartmouth improved 10-8-2 overall and 7-5-0 in ECAC play as it won for the seventh time in its last eight contests.
– Colgate moved to 7-16-2 and 3-8-2.
Key Raider Info
– Borkowski netted his team-leading 12th goal of the season with his first period tally. The marker was also his third goal of the weekend.
– Tyson and Tylor Spink recorded two assists each. Tyson continues to lead the Raiders in scoring (10g,17a) while Tylor is second on the squad in points (5g, 16a).
– The two-assist efforts by the Spink twins marked the fourth time that Tyson and the third time that Tylor have finished with multiple assists in a game this season.
– Harrison netted his third goal in the last four contests. Four of his goals this season have come during league play.
Inside the Box Score
– Colgate held a 30-29 shot advantage for the contest. The Raiders out-shot the Big Green during the first (11-7) and third (8-7) periods while Dartmouth held the edge in the second (15-11).
– Colgate was 1-for-5 on the power play while Dartmouth was 0-for-2 with the man advantage. The Raiders attempted four shots during its 7:59 of power play time while the Big Green got off five shots in 3:51 of gameplay with the extra skater.
– Colgate posted a 27-21 advantage in faceoffs during the contest. Borkowski led the way for the Raiders, winning 11 of 16 draws taken.
– Tylor Spink paced the Raiders with six shot attempts. Troy Crema finished with a team-best five shot attempts for the Big Green.
From the Source
Colgate Head Coach Don Vaughan
For complete interview, click here
(on game)
“I was proud of our guys the whole game. We’ve been playing three lines for the past two weeks. I thought our efforts were phenomenal tonight.
We found the back of the net early and it looked great, but then we gave up a couple of soft goals and now their back in it.
“In the third period we came hard, we had some great looks at the end. The puck isn’t going in for us, but I’m not faulting our guys, not one bit. I thought the effort was unreal tonight with a really short bench.”
Up Next
– Colgate is back in action Jan. 29 when it travels to St. Lawrence for an 8 p.m. contest at Appleton Arena.
– The game will be televised by the American Sports Network. It will shown live on various networks throughout the United States and TSN 2 in Canada.
