2.9. 15
STRONG WEEKEND MOVES MEN’S HOCKEY TO 3RD IN ECAC
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL LOSING STREAK EXTENDS TO 5
WOMEN’S HOCKEY SPLITS HOME GAMES ELIZA MCDONOUGH, WEIJIA TANG, ALISON GUH/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
SW 2
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2015
BY THE Women’s basketball extends skid to five losses NUMBERS
23 Goals in five straight wins for men’s hockey
9 Straight losses for men’s & women’s hoops
12 Individual victories for Track & Field at Dartmouth Classic
35 Shots on goal for women’s hockey in 4-3 win over Brown
B y ALEXANDER AGADJANIAN The Dartmouth Staff
After the women’s basketball team fell to three Ivy League competitors in a row, this weekend of home games only prolonged its struggles. Losing to Yale University 60-46 and Brown University 50-47 to extend its losing streak to five, the Big Green will now search for victory away from Leede Arena. On Friday, Dartmouth and Yale both suffered cold shooting at the start of the contest. After seven misses between the two teams, the Bulldogs’ Tamara Simpson attacked the hoop and connected for a layup and the first basket of the game almost twoand-a-half minutes into play. Although it kept pace early on, the Big Green suffered from a poor shot selection in its half-court offense, a tendency that has fueled its recent slump. The Big Green saw another of its weaknesses exploited — defending drives into the paint, on which Yale scored its first six points of the game. After grabbing a two-point lead at the 15:32 mark, the Bulldogs never looked back, maintaining the lead through the night. When Yale switched its offensive focus towards attempting more threepoint shots, it managed to pull further away from the Big Green. Beginning at the 14:51 mark, the visitors launched four three-pointers in under two minutes, two of which fell in the basket. Over the next five minutes, Yale sank two more shots from beyond the arc that helped produce a 26-8 lead with eight minutes left in the first half. The Bulldogs finished the half 5-for-9 from long range, eclipsing their 3.65 season average per game and proving critical for distancing themselves from Dartmouth. The three-point shots and easy looks in the restricted area — making 12 points in the paint — fueled a dominant first half for Yale, who enjoyed a 37-23 lead going into the locker room. Five different Bulldogs scored at least five points, with guard Mary Ann Santucci paving the way as the sole scorer in double-digits with 10. Dartmouth’s Fanni Szabo ’17 led the team in the first half with nine
Katie McKay ’16 Editor-in-Chief
02.02.15
Luke McCann ’16 Executive Editor
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points, but forced several shots en route to a poor 4-11 field goal outing. Her shooting woes reflected her team’s as well, as the Big Green collectively shot only 25.9 percent in the first 20 minutes, a trend that would persist in the next half. The second half would commence almost identical to the first, as the teams waited nearly two-and-a-half minutes before a Yale basket broke the drought. The early-going in the second half provided another glimpse into the potential of Big Green point guard Amber Mixon ’18. The freshman earned a trip to the line a few minutes in, marking the second time she drew contact after driving into the paint in as many tries. The play showed the impact she consistently creates in attacking the rim and pointed to Mixon’s conspicuous underuse on offense, especially amidst a recent losing streak fraught with offensive lethargy. While the Bulldogs continued to preserve their double-digit lead well into the second half, another positive sign for Dartmouth became apparent — the resurgence of Lakin Roland ’16. After a frustrating prior three games, she returned against Yale with a strong first half that carried over to the second. She finished with 14 points on 3-9 shooting, along with seven rebounds and three assists, all of which hovered around her season averages. “I think sometimes shots go in, sometimes they don’t. Luckily today a couple of them did,” Roland said of her play. “And also that’s just teammates setting me up to succeed, getting me the ball when I’m in a scoring position.” At the 12:48 mark, the Big Green cut the deficit into single-digits at 4334 after a 7-2 run, but the newfound offensive productivity would quickly wane. Several offensive rebounds by Yale and foul trouble that forced topscorer in Szabo to sit out for 10 minutes precluded Dartmouth’s comeback efforts. The game would end in 14-point victory for Yale, who improved to a perfect 5-0 record in Ivy League play before losing to Harvard the next day. Yale had a solid all-around performance with three players scoring at least 12 points, but the Bulldogs capitalized more so on what the home team didn’t do well. A 26 percentage shooting night with a total of 13 field goals made — far below Dartmouth’s 20.7 season average — and a negative five turnover margin doomed the Big Green as it extended its losing streak to four. “I’m really disappointed in our effort tonight,” head coach Belle Koclanes said. “I was excited for a new Friday. Last Friday we came out and we had a tough start, kind of a lull at the beginning, and the same deal again tonight. We prepared for the physicality that Yale brings [in practice]. We knew what was coming,
so I was disappointed, particularly in the first half.” Unfortunately for the Big Green, its hardships would not cease against Brown, a middle-of-the-pack Ivy League squad. The same deficiencies on the offensive and defensive ends would foil Dartmouth’s chance at a rebound once again. The opening minutes of Saturday’s matchup featured a clumsy string of forced shots and turnovers by the Big Green. More than 10 minutes into the game, however, Dartmouth gained a 17-9 lead. It marked the first time in weeks that Dartmouth maintained a decisive advantage for much of the first half, as it held the upper side of the scoreboard for more than threequarters of the period. Roland, building on her recent revival, displayed the most creativity and energy for her team and finished the first 20 minutes with eight points and six rebounds. If anything could hamper the Big Green’s progress early on, foul trouble would fit the bill. Halfway through the first half, Szabo collected two fouls in under two minutes that forced Coach Koclanes to send her to the bench for the rest of the half, proving to be one of the critical developments in the entire game. While Szabo’s later shooting woes could be attributable to her recent slump, foul trouble likely derailed the sophomore’s rhythm. Her teammates encountered a similar fate, as questionable calls riled up the home crowd and sent Brown into the bonus situation at only the 9:43 mark. A duration of 33 seconds that saw four calls on Dartmouth highlighted the team’s fouling propensity, as the Big Green accrued 11 in the first half. The visiting Bears would rattle off a dominant stretch that changed the game for good. In response to a Roland three-pointer, Brown would embark on a powerful 10-0 run to seize a 23-20 lead. Eight of the points came from layups, in addition to two made free throws, all of which stemmed from penetrations into the paint. This style of Brown’s attack — only two of its first-half points came outside of the paint and away from the free throw line — keyed a 25-22 advantage at the break. Turnover issues only further plagued the Big Green’s effort, as Dartmouth had 18 — 11 of which came in the final 10 minutes of the half when the lead crumbled — compared to Brown’s 10 total. The Bears came out stronger in the second half, still relying on the same offensive tactic of pounding the low block. After a Kate Letkewicz ’18 three-ball cut Brown’s lead to 33-30, Brown responded by outscoring the home team 10-0 in the next four-anda-half minutes. The spurt opened up a 43-30 edge, one that seemed to be definitive. Yet, Dartmouth reacted with a sense of urgency for the rest of the
game, ultimately making the contest go down to the wire. Starting with a Roland lay-in to score for the first time in more than five minutes, the Big Green would start an 11-0 run of its own to make the score 43-41. After two Brown free throws, Mixon hit a three, pulling the Big Green within one point of its opposition with just under three minutes left to play. With less than 30 seconds left, Dartmouth found itself down 4644. Mixon had a relatively open look from downtown but missed the three-pointer that would have put Dartmouth ahead. While Tia Dawson ’15 grabbed a rebound off the miss, a chaotic possession ensued and Roland turned the ball over near the baseline. Down two with 13 seconds left, the Big Green had to foul. After Brown senior Sophie Bikofsky converted both foul shots, Szabo gave her team another chance with a three that cut the deficit to 48-47. Two more Brown free throws topped off the close finish, and the visitors left Leede Arena with a 50-47 victory. The loss did not deter Roland as she continues to recapture her strong early-season form. The junior finished with an efficient 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting and nine rebounds. As Roland returns to form, however, her teammate Szabo seems to have entered a skid herself, as the sophomore struggled again with a 6-for-20 shooting performance from the field. At the end of the game, Dartmouth and Brown both posted substandard shooting percentages, 30.2 and 32.8 respectively. The Bears, led by Ellise Sharpe’s 19 points, did just enough to win, and benefited heavily from unyielding defensive play. 17 total steals for Brown paved the way to forcing 29 Big Green turnovers. “I think it was a hard-fought match, both teams [were] clearly tired from last night’s games,” Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. “We had a little lead too early in the second half and then did some good things in the last couple of minutes. But Dartmouth’s a great team, they’ve got great size, they can shoot the ball, I think they went through a stretch where they missed more shots than they normally do. It could’ve gone either way but I think our pressure was a key to the victory.” The need to address a pressing defensive flaw became even more pronounced on Saturday. Brown generated all but four of its 50 total points from drives into the restricted area to produce easy looks near the rim — 28 points in the paint and 18 converted free throws. Whether it’s introducing greater help defense or waiting for Dawson’s return to full health — who despite leg injuries, managed an astounding 10 rebounds and three blocks in only 13 minutes of play — Dartmouth must solve this problem as it proceeds in its conference slate.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2015
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
Win streak for men’s hockey continues
B y gayne KALUSTIAN The Dartmouth Staff
One goal every 10 minutes. That was the average for the men’s hockey team against Yale University, the top-ranked defense in the country. Before the puck dropped this past Saturday, the Bulldogs boasted a 1.45 goals against average per 60 minutes of play. The 6-4 win over No. 15 Yale came after a 6-3 defeat of the Brown University Bears on Friday night. Brown, now one win out of last place in the ECAC, shocked statisticians across the country on Saturday by upsetting No. 6 Harvard University 2-1, setting in motion a four-way deadlock for third place in the ECAC between Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth and Clarkson University. Travel partners Colgate and Cornell Universities, just one point below the three deadlocked ECAC teams, hold down seventh in the conference. While conference leaders Quinnipiac and St. Lawrence Universities remain comfortably ahead of the dangerously intertwined teams in the middle, the six teams that live within a point of each other continue to battle for a top-four ranking and a bye out of the ECAC’s first round. The Big Green, alternate captain Eric Neiley ’15 said, would be prepared for the postseason either way, pointing to the possible benefit of a weekend off weighed against a two-week stretch without hockey. He acknowledged the advantage that comes with having fans at home games, but pointed to the team’s consistent road record (5-2-3 away versus 6-6-1 home) as proof the team stands a chance. While a late-season rally could put Rensselaer Polytechnic University or Union College in the conversation, the offensive hockey that Dartmouth has been playing makes a stronger case for a possible topfinish for the Big Green than a writer ever could. The white-hot men’s team hasn’t lost a game since Jan. 17, tallying a jaw-dropping 23 goals in their running five-game win
streak. Twelve players have contributed to that 23, with goals coming from every point on the ice — from the left, the right, the center, through the back door, fresh off the scratch, on the power play, shorthanded and even barreling down low from center ice on a penalty shot. Recently, every line and every player — freshmen through seniors — have been taking threatening shots that loom over Dartmouth’s opponents. The power of the Big Green’s offense was best stated by an Ivy League Digital Network broadcaster, who joked about needing “beta blockers” for his heart every time the men got near the Bears’ net. Having offensive depth down the stretch, two-time captain Tyler Sikura ’15 said, is going to be one of the team’s greatest assets, leaving opponents with questions of how to match lines against Dartmouth’s varied productive capabilities. “It’s massive,” he said. “You can’t just have one line going because that makes it easy to defend and contain. We’ve got all four lines that can score and not just score but dominate play.” Against Brown, Dartmouth came out and scored its quickest goal all season on the first shift and just 36 seconds in, netted by alternate captain Eric Robinson ’14. As the first period unrolled, Brown was able to tie the score, ringing in some of the more concerning moments of play the Big Green showed this weekend. Two quick goals, just a minute and three seconds apart, put the Bears ahead 3-1 at the end of the first period. The Big Green, Sikura said, “sat back a little bit” after coming out and taking an early lead, but “showed great resolve” in dealing with the unexpected turn of events. Great resolve, in this case, came as five unanswered goals for Dartmouth, the first of which was at the hands of Corey Kalk ’18 and the fourth of which came from Nick Bligh ’16 — his first of the season
after being absent from the line up since Nov. 18. Bligh struck again the next night against Yale to score the go-ahead goal in the first period, assisted by Jesse Beamish ’15 and Brett Patterson ’16. Beamish, who suited up for his 100th game for the green and white on Saturday, celebrated the centennial by scoring Dartmouth’s final goal of the game in the third period, silencing Yale’s final two-goal attempt at a comeback by getting down in front of the net and rebounding in the puck off a wrap-around by Grant Opperman ’17. Bligh picked up his first assist of the season on the play. Both Opperman and Brad Schierhorn ’16 collected four points on the weekend, each collecting one goal and three assists. The team, Opperman said, is feeling good about the way they’re playing, but remain committed to ironing out any imperfections — big or small — that would get in the way of being the best team they can be. “Twenty-three goals in five games,” he said. “I think that’s a key stat to show how we’re doing right now. I think our lines are clicking, and I think we’re playing good hockey. There’s obviously some things we can still work on to get better. We put up 12 goals this weekend, but we also gave up seven so there’s still things we can work on.” Looking forward, Dartmouth is set to host No. 20 Colgate University, and Cornell University — No. 2 in defense — this weekend. Dartmouth kicked off its current no-loss streak of six games with the same teams last month, ending in a tie with Colgate on Jan. 23 and defeating Cornell the next day. While Colgate is ranked higher than Cornell, Dartmouth will be calling on its battalion of forwards to face the Big Red, who kill 90 percent of all penalties they face and average just 1.76 goals against. The Big Green will host Cornell at 7 p.m. on Friday and Colgate at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
ELIZA MCDONOUGH/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Riding a five-game win streak, the men’s hockey team is now tied for third in the ECAC standings with only two regular season weekends left.
SW 3
THE
RUNDOWN Men’s Basketball SCHOOL
IVY
OVERALL
YALE HARVARD PRINCETON COLUMBIA CORNELL PENN BROWN DARTMOUTH
5-1 5-1 3-2 3-3 3-3 2-3 1-5 1-5
16-7 15-5 10-11 11-9 11-11 7-12 10-13 8-12
Women’s Basketball SCHOOL
IVY
OVERALL
PRINCETON YALE CORNELL PENN BROWN HARVARD DARTMOUTH COLUMBIA
5-0 5-1 4-2 3-2 3-3 2-4 1-5 0-5
21-0 11-9 13-7 12-7 9-11 9-11 10-10 6-14
Men’s Hockey SCHOOL
ECAC
OVERALL
QUINNIPIAC ST. LAWRENCE YALE HARVARD DARTMOUTH CLARKSON COLGATE CORNELL RPI UNION BROWN PRINCETON
13-2-1 12-4-0 8-6-2 8-6-2 8-6-2 8-6-2 7-6-3 8-7-1 7-9-0 6-9-1 2-13-1 1-14-1
18-8-2 16-10-2 13-7-3 12-8-2 11-8-4 11-13-4 15-10-3 10-10-3 9-20-1 14-12-2 5-17-1 3-17-2
Women’s Hockey SCHOOL
ECAC
OVERALL
HARVARD QUINNIPIAC CLARKSON CORNELL ST. LAWRENCE PRINCETON DARTMOUTH YALE COLGATE RPI UNION BROWN
14-3-1 13-3-2 13-3-2 12-4-2 11-4-3 11-6-1 7-9-2 8-10-0 4-13-1 3-14-1 1-14-3 2-16-0
18-4-2 22-5-3 19-8-3 14-8-3 17-9-4 13-10-2 11-11-2 11-13-1 7-22-1 5-21-4 4-20-6 5-20-0
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
SW 4
ONE
ON
ONE
WITH TAYLOR YAMAHATA ’18
B y LILY GORDON The Dartmouth Staff
This week, I sat down with swimming’s Taylor Yamahata ’18. This weekend, Yamahata led the Big Green in a narrow loss to the University of Connecticut, finishing with individual victories in the 200-yard IM and the 100- and 200-yard backstroke. She picked up another first as part of the 200-yard medley relay. When did you first begin swimming? TY: I was actually 18 months old when I first started swimming. I just jumped in the water one day and liked it, so that’s how that started. I was on my first competitive swim team when I was six, and ever since then I have stayed in the water and just loved the sport. Growing up, did you play any other sports? TY: I did. I actually played tennis and did gymnastics, but then I got too tall to continue doing gymnastics competitively. Then it really just came down to tennis and swimming, but ultimately I just loved swimming so much and stuck with that. What’s your favorite part about swimming in general?
team here is great. Everyone is super goofy and supportive. I feel so lucky and proud to be a part of it all. What are the team dynamics like? TY: I spend almost all of my time with my team, especially during the fall when we had a ridiculous amount of practice. We typically had early morning practice Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and then with doubles on the other days, too. We were just together all the time so you really have to be close with your teammates. It’s been really great. It’s just so nice to have such a big support system and feel like you always have friends to go to whether it’s grabbing a meal, studying or just having someone to hang out with on the weekends. My class, [the Class of 2018], is particularly close as well, which is fun. Are there any fun rituals or traditions your team has? TY: We are known to wear flair to all of our events, which other teams think is funny. I think it represents Dartmouth well because we are serious about our work, yet we also like to have fun and keep things light. How are you gearing up for the Ivy League Championships later this month?
TY: Swimming “It was honestly one of TY: We have a is obviously a re- those moments when ally good work- you just step on campus lot less yardage now in our workout, which I love, and immediately think outs, so they are but my absolute to yourself, ‘I love this getting shorter favorite part is beand it’s so nice. ing on a team. In place!’” The coaches are high school being -taylor yamahata ’18 really trying to a part of the swim rest us more so team and spendthat we’ll have ing so much time more energ y with such amazing for competition. people was definitely a highlight of my high school The practices themselves are a little experience. It gave me such a great bit more intense, but they’re so much support system, and it really shows shorter so that’s great. you what you want to do in life. You get motivated by a bunch of people, Aside from swimming, how do you like to spend you time at and it’s just really fun! Dartmouth? What made you choose DartTY: That’s crazy to think about bemouth? cause I feel like I am always swimming. TY: It was honestly one of those mo- Now that the season is beginning to ments when you just step on campus wrap up, it is nice — but weird — to and immediately think to yourself, “I think about the amount of free time love this place!” I can’t tell you exactly I’ll have left. I guess I am most excited what it was, but I just knew from then to just hang out with friends and enjoy on that I had to go here. It has such other parts of Dartmouth that I might amazing atmosphere and a very not have had the time for while I was collaborative environment. Students in season. seems super genuine and fun, but secretly geniuses. On top of that the This interview has been edited and condensed.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2015
Women’s hockey splits home slate B y haley gordon The Dartmouth Staff
The women’s ice hockey team split two matches this weekend, coming away with a win against Brown University before falling to Yale University the following day. The Big Green moved to 11-11-2 overall and 7-9-2 in Ivy League play. The Big Green struck first against Brown on Friday night. Kennedy Ottenbreit ’17 picked up an errant pass from the Bears and sent the puck to Samantha Zeiss ’15, who settled the pass, deked a defender and slotted the puck in the back of the net eight minutes into the first period. “[Zeiss] got herself a breakaway and put it in,” Lindsey Allen ’16 said. “That definitely switched our momentum a little bit and got us going a little harder.” Dartmouth continued their offensive dominance over Brown into the second period. Brooke Ahbe ’18 and Emma Korbs ’17 both scored early in the period, stretching the lead to three goals. Devon Moir ’17 picked the puck up off a rebound and sent a pass to Ahbe, who was wide open behind the goalie. Ahbe threw the puck in off the back of the goalie’s skates for Dartmouth’s second goal of the game. Korbs, on a power play and with plenty of space up top, blasted a high shot from the blue line that beat the Brown goalie top shelf on her glove side, giving the Big Green a comfortable three-point lead over the their opponents. Down by three points halfway through the second, the Bears fought hard to get on the scoreboard and managed to break through with less than two minutes left in the period. Brown scored twice in the waning moments of the period, cutting Dartmouth’s lead to just one goal. “They work really hard. They’re really gritty,” Ottenbreit said. “When
they’re gritty like that they tend to put a lot of people on the puck. They might have gotten some goals that might have been lucky bounces, but that’s what happens when you work hard.” Heading into the third period, the Big Green took to the ice aiming to widen its lead. Five minutes into the third, second-line wings Karlee Odland ’15 and Laura Stacey ’16 advanced the puck up the ice with good passing. Charging up the wing, Odland found Stacey in the crease with a middling pass. Stacey collected the pass as she was streaking toward the net and froze the goalie with her speed, ending the play with a simple backhand into the back of the net. Three minutes later on the power play, Dartmouth goalie Robyn Chemago ’17 moved behind the net to play a puck but tripped on the pole as she was trying to get back in position. Brown wing Sarah Robson found herself with the puck in the slot and threw it into the empty net, cutting Dartmouth’s lead back to one. Up by one, the Big Green was able to keep the Bears at bay until the close of the third period, sealing the win. Less than 24 hours later, Dartmouth squared off against Yale. A late four-goal explosion by Yale stole the game, giving the Bulldogs a 6-2 win. The first period opened with high energy from both teams, as the puck flew between offensive zones and was worked well in each direction. The shot count rarely fluctuated more than a couple in favor of either side. Despite the loss, the game ended with a shot count of 30-29, with Dartmouth narrowly out-shooting Yale. Seven minutes into the game, Yale got on the scoreboard first off a power play goal. Yale right wing Phoebe Staenz carried the puck over to the left side of the rink, and as she was moving behind the net, she threw a puck at the net that slipped between
Chemago’s stick and the pole. Playing on a power play with three minutes left in the first, Allen tied things up with a hard shot to the right side of the goal, just beating Yale goalie Jaimie Leonoff. Eleni Tebano ’17 and Stacey both received assists on Allen’s shot. “We know this goalie is pretty good,” Stacey said. “Our game plan was to try and get as many pucks to the net with her not being able to see as much, and we got a few but I think that was one of the parts where we struggled a bit.” The second period maintained the intensity between the two teams. Six minutes into the second, Yale center Jackie Raines moved the puck into the middle of the ice with some fancy stick-handling and lobbed a knuckeball backhand at Chemago. The puck squeaked through the five hole to give Yale the 2-1 lead. The first half of the third period saw the Big Green tie the game off a power-play goal, but the Yale offense exploded late in the third. Ottenbreit evened the score seven minutes into the third for her 10th goal of the season. Ottenbreit, playing with space up top, found the Yale goalie moving the right way and slammed the puck into the net after passes from Stacey and Allen. The momentum of the game changed quickly, and Yale scored three goals in under two minutes in an inexplicable lapse by the Dartmouth team. “I’m not too sure what happened,” Stacey said. “I think we were focused on getting that next goal, and then we kind of forgot a little bit about our defensive zone.” Yale tacked on a short-handed empty-netter that ended the game 6-2. The Big Green will leave hanover for one of the final weekends of its regular season facing Colgate University on Friday at 7 p.m. and Cornell University on Saturday at 4 p.m.
ELIZA MCDONOUGH/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Women’s hockey (11-11-2, 7-9-2) beat Brown University but fell to Yale University at the hands of a four-goal third period.