A third period surge from the Old Rochester Regional High School boys hockey team  wasn’t enough to overcome Dartmouth on Tuesday night.

The ORR-Fairhaven team lost 4-3 at Tabor Academy’s Travis Roy Hockey Rink.

The match was a preliminary-round game in the Division 3 South State Tournament.

The Bulldogs were South Coast Conference champions this year. For the past two years, the team posted a  9-1 regular season record.

No. 13 seed, ORR entered the game as a favorite over No. 20 Dartmouth. ORR forward Michael Lygren scored for the Bulldogs in the first period. Dartmouth soon answered with a goal of its own.

The Bulldogs scored again during a power play following a Dartmouth penalty. The score was 2-1 heading into the second period.

Fairhaven then scored two unanswered goals. Going into the final minutes of the game, ORR Coach Eric Labonte pulled the team’s goalie off the ice for a final push.

But it wasn’t enough.

“Both teams competed so hard out there,” Labonte said.

The loss follows a period of improvement for the boys.

“Our chemistry has gotten a lot better,” Labonte said.