Fresh off a dramatic road swing that amounted to three one-goal losses -- two with seconds remaining in overtime -- the Big Green (8-13-1, 4-10-1 ECAC) rebounded to skate past the Red Raiders (12-9-4, 7-6-2), 5-2, in front of 1,269 fans at Thompson Arena.

"After two narrow losses last weekend, we came out and played really well tonight," Big Green coach Bob Gaudet said following the game. "Colgate is a tough team, and we're starting seven freshman forwards, but our guys played a great game. It was a good win for us."

Colgate, which rode two goals from junior Andy MacDonald to a pre-Thanksgiving 6-1 triumph over Dartmouth, came into the weekend on a relative roll. After taking three points last weekend, including a 3-1 win over Princeton, the Red Raiders looked to build upon their fifth-place spot in the ECAC.

"We came off a pretty solid weekend at home," Colgate coach Don Vaughan commented. "I certainly expected our team to come out of the gate a lot better than we did. We had the same problem last weekend against Yale, but we were able to come back. Tonight, Dartmouth did what they had to do."

The Big Green, who, prior to Friday night, sported a 4-15-1 record against Colgate in the 1990s, got off to an uncharacteristically fast start in the first period.

Moments after Dartmouth fought off a Colgate power play, forward Jamie Herrington cradled a pass from fellow rookie Frank Nardella and broke away from the blue line. Closely followed by the Red Raider defense, the six-foot forward danced towards the net and slid the puck between the legs of goalie Shep Harder.

Herrington's goal, his sixth of the season, gave the Big Green the early advantage.

Just over two minutes later, Colgate drew another man-advantage situation on a tripping penalty to Ryan Chaytors, but the Red Raiders' power play, which is converting 18 percent of its chances in league games, could not fool goalie Eric Almon.

Rather, a Zach Hafer even-strength goal, coming heartbeats before the net came dislodged, gave Dartmouth a two-goal margin heading into the first intermission.

"The foundation of a good game is to come out and play well, right off the bat," Gaudet said. "I thought we played the first period with so much tenacity. All four lines played very hard, the goaltending was excellent, and the defensemen handled the puck very well."

Colgate featured an altered look in the second frame, as Vaughan inserted freshman Jason Lefevre in place of Harder, who came into the night with a 2.18 goals-against average but allowed the two lamp-lighters in the first 20 minutes.

Lefevre, a Rome, NY, native who made 20 saves and allowed only one goal in Colgate's home win against Dartmouth, didn't fare much better than his teammate.

Midway through the second, a misdirected Red Raider pass fell right in front of the stick of Dartmouth defenseman Ryan Burkart. The senior, looking for his seventh assist on the season, quickly sent the puck to center ice. Forward Curtis Wilgosh, playing in his 103rd career game, drilled the puck past an off-balance Lefevre to increase Dartmouth's lead to 3-0.

Exactly seven minutes later, Wilgosh gave the Big Green their first four-goal lead in an ECAC game since mid-November. The assistant captain, tied for second in team scoring, pounded a line drive through the Colgate defense and between the pipes. It was Wilgosh's first two-goal game since the season's initial weekend.

"The two goals in the second period are what ultimately did them in," Gaudet said. "They are a good offensive team, but they couldn't come back."

Colgate had not been blanked in a league game all season, and the Red Raiders finally touched the twine minutes before the second intermission.

Sophomore Cory Murphy, who came into the night with 15 points but only one goal, destroyed the goose egg for Colgate. The defenseman, playing well in front of the blue line, accepted a pass from senior Mark Holdridge and exploded a 20-footer past Almon. Murphy's netter, the tenth of his career, sliced Dartmouth's lead to three.

"We needed that goal," Vaughan said. "Our players believe in themselves, and at the point, our guys felt that they could come back."

Vaughan re-inserted Harder to netmind the third period, and the junior's improved performance kept his team's chances alive.

With just under 13 minutes remaining, Colgate forward Jed Whitchurch awoke to collect his 25th point of the season. Taking advantage of a scramble in front of the net, the assistant captain took control of the puck and jammed it just out of Almon's reach. Whitchurch's goal, his seventh, brought Colgate within two.

But Almon would not allow the Red Raiders to creep any closer, and an empty-net goal from Dartmouth freshman Mike Maturo set the final 5-2 margin. Almon, who did not play in the Big Green's first contest against Colgate, made 12 saves in the third period and 26 overall to collect his seventh win of the season.

"I think Eric is playing very good hockey," Gaudet commented. "Tonight, he made some tremendous saves, despite not seeing the puck very well early on. If he continues to play this way, then we have a shot."

Dartmouth, which has not won two games in a row all season, will host Cornell Saturday evening. The Red Raiders, who are still tied with Yale for sixth in the ECAC, will face Vermont in Burlington.

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