HANOVER, N.H. – Two goals from assistant captain Caroline Ethier (Matagami, Que.) lifted the Big Green women’s hockey team past the Friars of Providence College, 5-0, in tonight’s non-conference match-up at Thompson Arena.

It was the Friars who came out in the first period primed to upset the No. 6 ranked Big Green on their home ice. Providence outshot the Dartmouth squad 13-6 in the first stanza, but sophomore Big Green netminder Carli Clemis (Taber, Alta.) turned aside all 13 chances.

The second period was all Green, as Ethier opened the night’s scoring at 2:25 of the period when she tipped a Meredith Batcheller (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) shot from the blue line between the legs of Friars goalie Jana Bugden. The goal was just Ethier’s second of the season.

Four minutes later freshman Jenna Cunningham (Medicine Hat, Alta.) showed tremendous determination stealing the puck from the Friars defense short-handed, then racing to the goal and picking up her own rebound for her sixth goal of the year. Her goal was just the third short-handed mark of the season.

Frustration began to set in on the Providence bench, causing the Friars to make costly mistakes resulting in penalties. Ethier got her second of the game midway through the second period when she was left all alone in front of the net on the power play. Two Friar defenders chased after sophomore Maggie Kennedy (West Hartford, Conn.) who slid the puck to an open Ethier, who one-timed a shot past Bugden to give the Big Green a 3-0 lead.

Senior captain Gillian Apps (Unionville, Ont.) kept her point streak alive just two mintues later when she stole the puck on the Friars blue line and bolted towards the net. Apps backhanded a shot that was turned away by Bugden, but found the rebound which she jammed home for her, team leading, 13th goal of the season. Apps now has a point in five straight games.

Dartmouth wound up outshooting Providence 18-8 in the second period.

The Big Green, with momentum on their side, controlled play in the final period, putting 17 shots on the Providence net, and only allowing six chances for their opponent. With time diminishing in the third period, freshman Sue Schmitz (Brookefield, Wis.) floated a shot through the legs of Bugden from the blue line for her first collegiate goal.

Schmitz’s goal closed the night for both teams, giving Clemis her eighth win and second shutout of the season. Clemis ended the night making 27 saves, while Bugden stopped 36 Big Green chances.

With the win the Big Green improve to 10-3-0 and 10-1-0 in the ECAC. Providence now falls to 7-7-3 on their season. Dartmouth will be back in action on Sunday when they travel to Durham, N.H. to take on intra-state rival New Hampshire at 2:00 p.m.