Hanover — Dartmouth College goaltender Christine Honor stopped an astounding 61 shots as her ice hockey team won at Quinnipiac last weekend. National attention and honors flowed in for junior, who had played in only 11 previous college contests.

Honor was back in the blue paint Sunday, a day after shutting out Maine. Things did not go well this time around, however, as she surrendered goals on each of the Black Bears’ first four shots and on five of their first seven. The visitors triumphed, 7-2, with interim Dartmouth coach Joe Marsh replacing Honor with Shannon Ropp for the nonconference game’s third period.

“A work in progress,” is how Marsh described his 2-4 squad, six years removed from the end of his 27-year career as the men’s coach at ECAC rival St. Lawrence. “Saturday was a tremendous effort and we just emptied the tank emotionally.”

Talent has been draining from Dartmouth for years. It reached the national semifinals three times from 2003-05 but was 7-21 overall and 5-17 in ECAC play last winter. The Big Green improved its victory total by one from the previous campaign, but its combined 13 victories during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons is the fewest during such a stretch since the program gained varsity status in 1977.

Dartmouth finished in a 10th-place tie with Brown in the 12-team ECAC standings last season and missed the conference’s eight-team postseason tournament for a second consecutive year. That was the first such scenario since the Big Green initially reached the event in 1989.

Laura Schuler, on a year’s sabbatical to coach the Canadian women’s Olympic team, guided Dartmouth for the first time last winter and Marsh was brought in to cover her vacancy. Renowned for his fiery demeanor during his men’s hockey days, the senior citizen on Sunday sported a sharp, green sweater and a mellow mood.

“I don’t think we were outplayed that badly,” he said. “I would never fault (Honor) because she’s carried us. She just didn’t see some shots very well today and we have complete confidence that she will bounce back.”

Honor allowed five goals on 14 shots a day after stoning Quinnipiac, part of an 8-1 loss at Princeton. The Big Green, 1-2 in ECAC action, returns to conference competition this weekend by hosting Yale (1-4-1, 1-3-1) and Brown (0-6, 0-4).

Part of the challenge is that Dartmouth continues to play shorthanded, a remnant of the days under previous coach Mark Hudak. Trying to catch up quickly with more freshmen than the current, seven-member crop would only result in a repeating, cyclical problem. 

Sunday, the Big Green played with three forward lines to Maine’s four. Doing so on back-to-back days takes its toll, said Marsh, noting the careers of senior Brooke Ahbe and sophomore Sara Lopez-Wheeler have ended because of injury and that sophomore Rose Falzone is likely sidelined for another month.

“This team does everything we ask but it has to try so hard,” Marsh said. “Some of our players are just exhausted.”

Strong goaltending has made up for the numbers deficiency in recent seasons. Lindsay Holdcroft started as a freshman in 2010 and 2017 graduate Robyn Chemago started during her final three years on campus. Dartmouth’s cumulative goals-against average last winter was 2.60 and is now 4.17. Its save percentage has tumbled from .920 to .900 in the same time.

Honor and Ropp are juniors and freshman Kayla Wormsbecher has yet to play, so significant netminding improvement might be at least a year away. In the meantime, Marsh has to keep the focus on improving fundamentals.

“I think everyone here was honest with me about where the program was at,” said the coach, whose team received Sunday goals from Hailey Noronha and Cecilia Lopez. “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into — but on the positive side. These players are fun and great to be around and I’ve gotten protective of them very quickly.

“We have to be stable emotionally and not let the losses eat us up.”

Notes — Tereza Vanisova, who didn’t play Saturday, had a goal and three assists for Maine (6-5). She’s a sophomore, a member of the Czech national team and has four goals and 11 assists in 10 games this season… Sunday’s game was Dartmouth’s second of nine consecutive home contests… Appraising the officials for the ECAC was former men’s referee Pierre Belanger, a retired New Hampshire school teacher and a flamboyant showman during his own ECAC officiating days. Belanger, who played at Oswego (N.Y.) State and refereed in the World Hockey Association, also runs the off-ice officials crew for the ECHL’s Manchester (N.H.) Monarchs and is a longtime administrator for the Elite Hockey Training Center in Northfield, Vt… Sunday’s two referees and two linesmen were all women, something Belanger estimated is the case during about ¼ of women’s Division I collegiate games in New England… Former Hanover High and St. Lawrence University men’s hockey player Pat Doherty is assisting Marsh on a part-time basis. Marsh recruited Doherty to St. Lawrence but stepped down because of a chronic arthritic condition before the player could compete for him. Doherty helped with the Marauders boys varsity last winter but said he’s unlikely to return to that post this season… Watching Sunday’s game was former Hanover High and Dartmouth women’s player Phoebe Manchester, who went on to coach at New England College and Chatham (Pa.) College. She also guided a girls team in Pittsburgh and one of its alumni, Black Bears forward Maggie Blair, scored against the Big Green.

Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.