Heading into the final two games of the season, the Mules held the fifth seed in the conference and were looking to best conference rivals Connecticut College and Tufts ahead of the playoffs. On Friday, Feb. 17, the Mules traveled to New London, Connecticut and put on a dazzling display, defeating the Camels 5–1.
After a quiet first period saw neither team find the back of the net, the Mules’ offense caught fire after the break. Carter Breitenfeldt `23 opened the scoring in the second period, followed by another two goals to complete a rapid-fire hat trick in under ten minutes, with the third goal coming on a power play. The Mules’ offense would continue to shine in the second period as Tyler Crist `26 knocked home a rebound, extending the Mule lead to four goals.
The Camels did manage to avoid the shutout, scoring one goal in the final minute of the second period. However, solid defense by the Mules throughout the third period, in addition to another goal scored by Alex Bourhas `23, secured Colby’s victory in a dominant performance.
The following day, the Mules traveled to Medford, Massachusetts to close out the regular season against Tufts. Despite outshooting the Jumbos 39–26, the Mules were unable to break through a rigid Tufts defense. Tufts opened the scoring in the first period and sealed the game with a second goal in the third period.
Despite the loss, Bourhas continued to excel on faceoffs, successfully winning twenty of twenty-four on the day and leading the NESCAC with a faceoff win rate of 64.9 percent. Additionally, the Mules maintained their five seed ahead of the NESCAC playoffs.
Next weekend, the Mules will begin their pursuit of for a NESCAC championship as they head down to Clinton, New York to take on Hamilton, Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The Mules have already faced Hamilton twice this season, winning a thrilling home match 4–3 in January followed by a 1–3 defeat away in February.
Since Jan. 2017, the Mules have a 5–8 record against Hamilton and have been unable to secure a victory away from home. However, the Mules’ previous encounters against the Continentals earlier this season, in addition to a wealth of talent at their disposal, will have the team feeling confident heading into this NESCAC quarterfinal matchup.
~ Mason Groves `23
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