The Dartmouth High hockey team got the season off to a hot start on Wednesday, Dec. 14 with a win over Old Rochester at Hetland Arena.

Though they allowed two unanswered goals to begin the game, the Indians fought back hard and tied the score before the end of the first period, with goals from juniors John Bicho and Maddux Carreiro.

“We kept the momentum going,” said new Dartmouth hockey coach Mark Rossi. “We went down two nothing right off the bat, so the kids did a really good job of fighting back.”

Dartmouth took the lead in the second period with a goal from junior Charlie Camisa.

In the third period, the Indians sealed the win with a fourth goal from sophomore Aidan Cruz.

Old Rochester narrowed the lead to one with about six minutes left and put on the pressure with a last minute power play, but failed to equalize before time expired.

Rossi said it was good to get the “first win out of the way,” but noted that the team still has plenty to work on.

“You can always improve on everything,” he said. “What we did good is sort of what we’re gonna focus on, and then we’ve gotta clean up a few things as we look back at the tape.”

Rossi said that the team saw nine seniors graduate after last year, leaving the Indians with a young crop of players.

“The majority of the team last year is not here anymore,” he said. “So they’re getting their varsity experience now.”

After the game, the hockey team posed for a photo with a huge pile of toys that had been donated by parents and fans from both teams for the Friends of Jack Foundation.

“We had a really good showing and that’s great to see,” said Rossi, adding, “It’s a really good cause.”

He noted that Old Rochester had also publicized the toy drive to its families, leading to an even larger turnout.

“That was a really classy move by them,” he said.