In 1905, facing capricious weather on a primitive outdoor rink, Dartmouth's first hockey team took to the ice. In 1974, two years after coeducation came to the Hanover campus, Dartmouth women—fired with more competitive spirit than actual hockey experience commandeered the used equipment of their male counterparts and intramural skaters and became one of the college's most successful athletic teams. Dartmouth College Hockey: Northern Ice portrays two programs that have followed parallel paths to distinction in intercollegiate hockey. Rupert Thompson Arena, one of the nation's premier collegiate ice facilities, is home to the men and women of Dartmouth who have won numerous championships and earned All-American and Olympic acclaim, contributing to Dartmouth's rich tradition of athletic achievement.