Manchester — The Kimball Union Academy boys hockey team took the last big step to become the premier program in New England on Sunday.

Jumping to a three-goal lead in the first period, the third-ranked Wildcats went on to a 6-2 win over fourth-seeded Rivers in the New England Prep School Athletic Council’s Elite Eight tournament championship game at Saint Anselm College’s Sullivan Arena. The top-tier championship is KUA’s first since 1982, when it won the original NEPSAC Elite Eight tourney.

Sean Thompson, Roope Hirvonen and Bryce Dolan gave Kimball Union a 3-0 lead at the first intermission. Rivers (25-5-1) — coached by former NHL player Shawn McEachern, a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 1992 Stanley Cup winners — drew back a goal in the middle period but couldn’t get any closer.

Hirvonen popped home his second goal of the evening in the third period, and Kimball Union closed out the championship with empty-netters from Kyle Shero and Andranik Armstrong.

Under former Maine and UMass-Lowell coach Tim Whitehead, KUA’s fourth-year hockey boss, the Wildcats have been banging on the door of an Elite Eight crown for the past couple of seasons. KUA made the semifinals of the tournament for NEPSAC’s top eight hockey schools the past two years.

Prior to Whitehead’s arrival in Meriden, Kimball Union won the NEPSAC small school crown three times since the association inaugurated its three-tier championship tournament format (Elite Eight, large school and small school) in 2009-10.

Sean Dynan picked up the win in goal for KUA, which finished its season with a 32-5-2 record and loses nine players to graduation.

College Baseball

Dartmouth 5, Miami 0

Coral Gables, Fla. — Senior Michael Danielak tossed seven shutout innings and freshman Trevor Johnson hit his first collegiate home run on the game’s first pitch as the Big Green (4-2) took its second win of the weekend over the 17th-ranked Hurricanes (4-6) at Mark Light Field.

The series loss was Miami’s first to a team outside the so-called Power 5 conferences since May 2009.

Danielak (2-0) befuddled the Hurricane lineup just as Beau Sulser did in Friday night’s 1-0 win, matching his classmate with seven shutout innings. The right-hander threw 109 pitches, 78 for strikes, allowing five singles and just one walk with six strikeouts. Danielak is on a 12-inning scoreless streak to start the season.

Johnson crushed the initial offering from Miami left-hander Michael Mediavilla (0-3) just over the left-field fence to get things going. Dartmouth added two unearned runs in the second frame and posted two more runs in the fourth to give Danielak and two relievers all the cushion they’d need.

The Big Green is off for winter exams, returning to action with a four-game set at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., starting on March 16.

Women’s Lacrosse

Columbia 17, Dartmouth 10

New York — The host Lions used a 9-4 second half to hand the Big Green (4-1 overall, 0-1 Ivies) its first loss of the campaign and grab Columbia’s first-ever win over Dartmouth in 20 tries.

Senior Courtney Weisse scored three times for Dartmouth, with sophomores Kierra Sweeney and Elizabeth Mastrio notching a pair of goals each.

Columbia (3-1, 1-1) was led by a five-goal game from Laine Parsons and four scores each from Taylor Quinn and Lindsey Ewertsen.

Dartmouth returns from winter exams on March 17 to host Southern California at Scully-Fahey Field.

College Softball

Akron 4, Dartmouth 0

Kennesaw, Ga. — The Zips blanked the Big Green (0-8-1) on the final day of the Dr. Bobbie Bailey Memorial Tournament on Sunday morning at Kennesaw State University.

Loganville, Ga.-native Breanna Ethridge took the loss in the circle for Dartmouth. Ethridge surrendered just two earned runs over six innings, striking out seven with two walks.

Dartmouth’s offense never got going, however, managing just five hits on the day.

The Big Green returns to the diamond on March 17 in Los Angeles at the Loyola Marymount University tournament.