Marc Sorel
Staff Reporter
When the dust had settled from this weekend’s pair of 4-2 victories against the University of Vermont and Dartmouth, men’s ice hockey goalie Dan Lombard ’02 had earned more than the respect of his teammates.
Lombard, who turned aside 63 of the 67 shots he faced over the weekend, was named ECAC Goaltender of the Week Feb. 24 for his performance against Vermont and Dartmouth Feb. 22 and 23, respectively.
With the two wins, the Elis snapped a six-game losing streak and moved into a tie for the 10th and final playoff spot in the ECAC with two games remaining in the regular season.
The award marks the first time Lombard has received ECAC honors this season.
“It was good for Danny to finally get some positive experience in net after those tough losses,” head coach Tim Taylor said. “It was great to see him return to form.”
Of the 67 shots Lombard faced over the weekend, 30 came in the final 40 minutes of an upset victory over Dartmouth.
Heading into the game, the Big Green had won or tied seven of their last eight contests in their quest for the ECAC regular season title.
“When you got Dan in net, it just gives you that much more confidence,” said winger Spencer Rodgers ’02, who had three points against Vermont. “He made it feel like we were going to win [against Dartmouth].”
Last weekend in many ways marked the high point of a season that has seen Lombard’s goals against average drop from 3.56 to 2.76, good for 10th in the ECAC. Lombard is also third in minutes played, having logged over 19 games’ worth of ice time.
With Harvard and Brown coming to Ingalls Rink Mar. 1 and 2, respectively, to close out the season, Lombard will have two more games to help the Bulldogs hold on to their playoff hopes.