It was goalies' night in Watson Rink last night as Dartmouth came from behind in the final minute of play to tie Harvard, 2-2.
Net-minder Joe Bertagna stopped shots that made the brave men in Section 18 cringe with fear while Pete Proulx got in front of stuff that made the Pi Eta boys pound their seats in rage.
It was a game suspiciously like the Cornell match earlier this year as Harvard out-skated, out-shot and generally out-played Dartmouth only to tie.
The Crimson dominated the first period firing 10 shots at Proulx, forechecking well and controlling the play in their own zone.
Holding and Tripping
The Big Green lost Dana Johnson for holding and Bill Dunbar for tripping simultaneously at 11:04 of the first period and the Crimson power play notched the first goal of the evening. Center Randy Roth edged in, faked a shot and slipped the puck to Harvard's high scorer Bob MacManama, perched vulture-like on the open net, who redirected the disc past the hapless Proulx at 12:51.
Dartmouth faced another two minutes of the Crimson power play with the Green's defenseman Jim Edgeworth off for crosschecking but Proulx frustrated Harvard, and Darmouth amazingly emerged from the first period only one goal down.
Doug Elliot went off for tripping at 2:27 of the second stanza and it was the Green's turn to apply the pressure but the ubiquitous McManama thwarted them. After intercepting an errant pass, McManama sent the puck up ice to a streaking Billy Corkery. The Local Line man faked Proulx out of his socks only to sail the puck over the crossbar.
Harvard's Bob Goodenow and Green defensement Jake Johnston were sitting down for roughing when Crimson center Jim McMahon fired in the second Harvard goal at 19:49 of the second period. Wingman Teddy Thorndike blasted the puck at Proulx who made a fine save and then had no chance on McMahon's rebound shot from directly in front.
Relaxing
Section 18 started to relax during the third stanza as it appeared that the Crimson would handle the Green easily, But Harvard's icemen relaxed too, and a defensive lapse lost the puck to Dartmouth's Howie Hampton, who shot past a screened Bertagna for the first Dartmouth score at 7:55.
At 19:01 Crimson wingman Dave Gauthier sat down for charging and Dartmouth pulled Proulx for a sixth skater. Green jerseys were all over the ice and die-hard Dartmouth fans were screaming for blood.
They got it seconds later when wingman Fred Riggall fired a rebound past Bertagna who again had no chance on the shot. As Bertagna pounded the ice in disgust the Dartmouth icemen deleriously hugged each other.
Proulx and Bertagna both starred in the ten-minute sudden-death period, each making saves that had the capacity crowd alternately elated and despairing.
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