PHILADELPHIA – There was never any doubt.
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As has been the case during every one of No. 5 Penn's eight consecutive wins, a total team effort led to a victory as the Quakers dominated Dartmouth, 22-6, to win the program's first outright Ivy League championship since 1986 and cap only the second undefeated Ivy League season in program history and first since 1986.
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11 different players scored at least one goal and 14 had at least one point as the Quakers (8-3, 6-0 Ivy) extended the nation's longest winning streak to eight games.
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Before the game, Penn's 10 seniors were honored as part of Senior Day festivities, and then that group put on a show. Co-captain
Simon Mathias (3g, 4a) had a career-high seven points on three goals and four assists while fellow co-captain
Tyler Dunn tied his career high with six points on a goal and five assists. All told, the seniors pitched in 16 of Penn's 39 points in the game while goalkeeper
Reed Junkin capped his Senior Day with seven saves and five goals allowed in 45 minutes of work.
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The Quakers had already clinched a piece of their first overall Ivy League title since 1988 when they were co-champions, and had secured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Ivy League Tournament with their win last weekend at Harvard. There was still work to do, and the Red and Blue put the game away early, ensuring there would be a celebration 35 years in the making.
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Up next for the Quakers is a game against Vermont in Wilton, Conn. on April 27. Faceoff with the Catamounts is set for 1 p.m.
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Notes To Know
- Penn claimed its first undefeated outright Ivy League championship since 1984. It had been 12,782 days since Penn had been undefeated outright Ivy champions.
- Adam Goldner scored five times and tied his career high with seven points. He now has 44 goals this season, tied for the most in a season by a Quaker and the most since John Shoemaker scored 44 in 1987.
- Simon Mathias had a career high seven points. He now ranks No. 4 all-time at Penn in goals (107), No. 4 in points (173) and No. 9 in assists (66). He extended his point-scoring streak to 54 games – each of his career – which is No. 2 among active players and his goal-scoring streak to 31 games – which is tied for No. 1 among active players.
- Tyler Dunn tied his career high with six points. He had five assists in today's game after registering two over his 10 previous games this season.
- Sam Handley had four goals, giving him 27 for the season. He is now No. 2 all-time in goals in a season by a Penn freshman and closing in on John Ward who had 33 in 1995.
- Dylan Gergar had two goals, giving him goals in each of his last five games. He has 11 goals over those five games.
- Keyveat Postell tied his career high in both goals (2) and points (3).
- The 48 combined goals Penn has scored over its last two games are the most in back-to-back contests in program history.
- 22 goals scored against Dartmouth are the most since the 1983 team scored 23 in a 23-2 win in Hanover.
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How It Happened
The Quakers trailed for only 2:14 in the game, falling behind after a Dartmouth goal 1:49 in. Penn would not allow the Big Green to hang around, rattling off 12 of the next 15 goals to take a 12-4 lead at halftime.
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Tyler Dunn a goal and three assists in the first half, setting up Penn's first two goals to give the Red and Blue they would not relinquish. His first helper saw him slide a patient pass to his fellow co-captain
Simon Mathias at the doorstep 4:03 in to tie the game. Just under four minutes later, he found freshman
Sam Handley who fired away and gave Penn the lead.
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The Quakers would score put together a 5-0 run to close the first half, leading 5-1 after 15:00 of play. Dartmouth would close to within three after a Jack Richardson goal 2:58 into the second quarter, but that was as close as the Big Green would get. After the Richardson score, Penn went on another 5-0 run – with goals from five different players – to lead 11-3.
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Kyle Gallagher was as dominant as he's been all season at the X. He lost the first faceoff of the game – on a violation – but won the next 14 to give his team a dominant edge in possession. He helped jump start the 5-0 run after Dartmouth closed to within three, winning the ensuing faceoff and dishing to
Adam Goldner who answered just 0:08 after Dartmouth had scored.
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In the third quarter, the Quakers salted the game away by scoring seven times to just one from Dartmouth. Mathias, Handley and Goldner each had two goals in the third quarter, with the seventh coming from
Dylan Gergar.
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In the fourth quarter, the first career goals from
Richie Lenskold and
Finlay Collins helped set off a celebration at Franklin Field for the Ivy League champions.
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