HANOVER — The Clarkson University band made its presence known on Saturday night in Thompson Arena, perhaps more than any other player or fan outfitted in the school’s green and gold.

Stretching across the back three rows of section 3, the traveling party of 20 or so members drowned out the loud speakers during stoppages and heckled the No. 13 Dartmouth men’s ice hockey team throughout the game, an eventual 3-2 victory for the No. 20 Golden Knights.

But one Big Green player in particular received the brunt of their vocal barrage: sophomore netminder Emmett Croteau. The game was a reunion of sorts for Croteau, who transferred to Dartmouth after featuring in six games for Clarkson in his first collegiate season.

“Playing against a bunch of old friends, it’s fun,” said Croteau, who made 15 saves in his fourth game for the Big Green. “It’s a cool dynamic to be a part of.”

That dynamic also included a reunion with his former school’s band.

Opposite the band in the first frame, Croteau had made eight saves in the opening 20 minutes of play. But it was the Golden Knights who bagged the game’s first tally, the benefactors of a fortuitous bounce in front of the net.

A shot ricocheted off the pants of Clarkson defenseman Tristan Sarsland, the puck bouncing up in the air and sliding into the back of the net before Croteau had a chance to find it. It was a harbinger of things to come.

The second period’s commencement offered little separation between Croteau and the instrument-wielding contingent, which rained down chants of “traitor” and “we don’t need you” throughout the frame.

Junior forward Cooper Flinton’s redirected finish off a feed from sophomore forward Nikita Nikora saw the Big Green equalize on a power play late in the first period. But the Golden Knights reclaimed their one-goal advantage midway through the second frame, capitalizing on an errant Dartmouth turnover in its own zone.

The Big Green leveled the score once more deep into the period, as freshman forward Hayden Stavroff continued his stellar run of form, rifling home his sixth goal of the season off the assist from sophomore defenseman CJ Foley. The tally marked Foley’s second assist of the night, his team-high point streak now extended to nine consecutive games.

“I thought we played well, we battled hard,” said Foley, who credited his teammates for his point streak. “But we just didn’t get the bounces that we’re looking for.”

Knotted at 2-2 entering the final stanza, the situation mirrored the previous night’s events, a 3-2 loss to St. Lawrence. Dartmouth leveled the score twice against the Saints before surrendering the game-winning score early in the last period, unable to find a third equalizer.

Big Green coach Reid Cashman, who called Friday’s defeat a “disappointing effort,” praised his team’s response, especially in the third period.

“We wanted to invest in 60 minutes,” said Cashman, now in his fourth season at the helm of Dartmouth. “We thought if we could be physical and if we could play fast over the course of 60 minutes, it would benefit us.

“That third period was the best period of hockey we’ve played all year. We were excellent. In the third period, (Clarkson) had a tough time getting out of their zone. That is the blueprint of how Dartmouth hockey has to play. I’m extremely proud of our game tonight.”

With a shade under six minutes remaining, it appeared as though junior forward Alex Krause’s score had given the Big Green their first lead of the night. But his would-be second goal of the season was called back after a lengthy review from the officials.

“Just that they said it was offsides,” Cashman said with a chuckle when asked to recount the officials’ explanation postgame.

A mere three minutes later, Clarkson’s Ayrton Martino bagged the game-winning goal from behind the net, firing a shot off Croteau, who had been knocked off-balance by a Golden Knight player. The Clarkson band was quick to pounce on Croteau once more, shouting “it’s all your fault” as he exited the game.

Dartmouth (6-3-1 overall, 4-2-1 ECAC), the victim of an unfortunate bounce once again, was unable to level the score for a third time, dropping its second consecutive game.

When the final buzzer had sounded, the band began chanting once more. But this time, it wasn’t to heckle Croteau. Instead, they sang the praises of Golden Knights netminder Ethan Langenegger, a graduate transfer from Lake Superior State.

“Obviously tonight, good hockey teams (on) both sides,” Croteau said. “(Some) crappy bounces, but it’s just the way it goes sometimes.”

Despite the result, Cashman expressed optimism about his squad’s early-season form ahead of its final game before the holiday break: a Thompson date with in-state rival New Hampshire (7-4-2 overall, 2-3-2 Hockey East) on Friday.

“There’s some fire in us right now,” Croteau added. “We can use this as energy as motivation. Obviously you don’t want to lose, but when you do, (it) can light that fire under our butts.

“We still had a lot of good moments within these two losses, so we’ll review those and get ready for next weekend.”

Alex Cervantes can be reached at acervantes@vnews.com or 603-727-7302.