Dartmouth College men ' s ice hockey The Dartmouth Big Green are an Ivy League team in Men ' s Division I and Women ' s Division I playing in the ECAC Hockey League . History . The college itself was originally founded by Eleazar Wheelock in the 18th century to educate Indians , hence the school ' s athletic nickname was the Indians until it was replaced by the Big Green in the 1970 ' s . The college ' s motto , " Vox clamantis in deserto " - which translated means " A voice crying out in the wilderness " - harkens back to the school ' s 1700 ' s tradition . The men ' s hockey team played its first game on January 20th , 1906 against Williams . The 4 - 2 victory launched a program that would become one of the most storied in New England . Dartmouth ' s first major success came in the 1940 ' s under the leadership of Eddie Jeremiah . Following a loss to Illinois on December 22 , 1941 , the College would go unbeaten for over five years , winning 32 straight games en route to a 45 - 0 - 1 record during the span . The 1946 - 47 team was considered the best in the country with a 15 - 2 - 1 record . The school would reach the finals of the inaugural NCAA Tournament at the end of the 1947 - 48 season , and again the following year , only to fall short in the championship game both times . With the transition from Davis Rink to Thompson Arena made in 1975 , Dartmouth would again reach the Frozen Four in 1979 and 1980 , both times finishing in third place . Following the 1979 - 80 season , however , the school would suffer through 20 straight losing seasons . Since the dawn of the 21st century , though , the team has enjoyed a rebirth . Bob Gaudet returned to his alma mater as coach in the summer of 1997 , and the Big Green has had winning records every year since 2000 , reaching Lake Placid / Albany four times in the last five years . Fun Facts . The movie " Animal House " was based on the actual experiences of the writers at Dartmouth . Alpha Delta is still known to the students and alumni as Animal House . Dartmouth has never had an official mascot or nickname . Both Indians and Big Green have never been formally adopted . Keggy the Keg is the current mascot of choice among the students . Given its alcoholic nature , however , it is likely to remain an unofficial one . Dartmouth was the last member of the Ivy League to become co - educational in 1972 . With Lee Stempniak ' 05 making the 2005 - 06 St . Louis Blues roster , Dartmouth has now had six alumni play in the NHL . The current team contains five NHL draft picks . Dartmouth ' s all - time leading scorer is Bill Riley , who amassed 118 - 110 - 228 in just 71 games despite having his college career interrupted by World War II . Dartmouth Honors . NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Spencer T . Penrose Award ECAC Coach of the Year ECAC Rookie of the Year All - ECAC First Team All - ECAC Second Team ECAC All - Rookie Ivy League Player of the Year : Ivy league Rookie of the Year : Year by year . Independent . During this time , the hockey club was referred to as the Dartmouth Indians . Alumni in the NHL . Notable Alumni : Lee Stempniak ( Phoenix Coyotes ) , Tanner Glass ( Vancouver Canucks ) , David Jones ( Colorado Avalanche ) , T . J . Galiardi ( Colorado Avalanche ) , Grant Lewis ( Atlanta Thrashers ) , Ben Lovejoy ( Pittsburgh Penguins )