It only ranked a five in style, but it was a ten in the outcome.

The Harvard men's hockey team downed a scrappy Dartmouth squad 4-2 last night at Bright Hockey Center.

The game was by no means pretty, but Harvard got the job done.

"The first period was probably the poorest performance of the season," Harvard Coach Ronn Tomassoni said, "but we improved in the second and third periods."

With the win, Harvard improved its ECAC record to 12-1-6 to remain atop the conference.

Dartmouth fell to 2-15-2 within ECAC action.

Indeed, the first period was a nightmare.

The Crimson came out flat, giving up the first goal to the Big Green at 7:21.

Dartmouth defender Steve Harb took a slapshot from the top of the right face-off circle. Forward Kevin Kiley redirected the puck in traffic, pushing it past Harvard goalie Chuckie Hughes.

Forward Matt Ocken pitched in with his third assist of the season.

The Crimson's power play faltered in the first period, as Harvard came up short on three Dartmouth penalties.

"We just were not moving," Tomassoni said. "We didn't pass the puck well and we were getting beat to the loose pucks."

Striking Back in the Second

The Crimson picked up the pace in the second period with 25 shots on goal. Two even managed to find the back of Dartmouth's net.

Harvard's first goal came at 2:00 on a power play. Forward Cory Gustafson passed to forward Ben Coughlin, whose shot rebounded off Big Green netminder Mike Bracco.