With the leaves falling and snow on Waterville’s forecast, Colby’s athletes are lacing up their skates and stepping onto the ice. Women’s club hockey had its first game on Oct. 25, followed by one Nov. 3, and two this past weekend.
The Mules started off strong against the University of New England (UNE), with Rose Memmolo `28 scoring 30 seconds after the game began. UNE evened out the score nine minutes later, then drew ahead with a 2–1 score in the second period. Shortly after, however, the Mules tied the game with a goal from Christina Sweeney `28. UNE ended the second period with another goal, and their players left the rink with a 3–2 score in their favor. Colby came into the third period with several offensive plays. Sweeney tied it up again, then scored the winning goal with 40 seconds left on the clock.
Everyone, including head coach Hannah Keefe, was extremely pleased with the result. She credits the team’s success to their high spirits and energy. “We had more than ten skaters. Our previous two games that we’ve had, we’ve had really low numbers. So, while a lot of teams have three or four lines of forwards and three or four lines of defense, we only had about two if we were lucky,” Keefe said. This week was different, however, with the varsity fall season coming to an end, and new athletes becoming available. “Fortunately, with our varsity field hockey players’ season ending, they were able to jump onto our roster too. [On Nov. 7] we had a comfortable three lines with two sets of [defense]. I think having a little less fatigue definitely is the difference.”
The transfer of skills between hockey and field hockey are easy to spot, even by someone who does not play both. Sarah Green `29, a forward on the team, feels that the addition of the new players has had an extremely positive impact. “Playing field hockey definitely gives you a leg up, just because the sports are… so similar. So, those skills are definitely transferable. I can definitely tell,” Green said.
The next day, Nov. 8, Colby played against Bates. The Bobcats scored once in the first period and again at the beginning of the second; however, the Mules eventually countered, with a goal by Carter Williams `29. Bates brought the score to 3–1 with less than a second left of the second period. Alex Hood `30 and Memmolo tied it up for the Mules once the third period began. The game then moved into overtime, and with only four seconds left, Celia Zinman `30 led the Mules to victory.
This was the first time the team played a game that went into overtime, so before they started, Keefe gave everyone a few reminders to maximize the opportunity for success. “[I told them] ‘We need to let the puck do the work, keep passing it…. It’s sudden death, so we’ve got five minutes and a lot of ice to cover with it only being three-on-three. So just be patient, and when we find the time, we go,’” Keefe said.
The team’s next game is Dec. 4 against UMaine. They feel their strategies thus far have been successful and plan to continue their methods in the future. “This win puts us in the top two of our league, which is great, and we need that to be a playoff-contending team,” Keefe said. “So, we’re just gonna rinse and repeat.”
~ Isabella Boggs `29
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