After a very successful home weekend on January 15-16 where the Colby Mules knocked off Trinity and Wesleyan to stay near the top of the NESCAC standings, the team found the resolve to defeat two very good hockey teams despite being down on available players. The depth and determination of the squad came to the fore and sets the Mules up for future success in the homestretch of the season.
“We haven’t beaten a Trinity team since 2018,” said head coach Blaise MacDonald. “ I have coached in probably 1100 games in my college career including D1 and D3, and I don’t remember ever playing or coaching a game with just fifteen skaters. We had only eight forwards so rotated a defenseman up to give us three lines. The effort was amazing, and it was even more impressive considering who we were playing against.”
One of the key players of the weekend was goaltender Andy Beran, who picked up both wins while continuing his stellar play in goal for the Mules. The consistency in goal has been a big confidence booster for a roster that has played with a “next-man-up” mindset and practiced with a goal of improving the team game.
“Andy has been very consistent for us all year,” noted MacDonald. “He really puts in the work and all his teammates see that and respect his process. I think overall our players have stayed in the moment really well this year. They aren’t looking to the next period or the next shift; they are focused the current shift and building momentum from shift to shift. We have been less concerned with watching the scoreboard and more focused on playing our brand of hockey. I think our practices have been very competitive and we really see the talent level on the roster being very even. There isn’t a lot of difference between our fifth line and our second line, so our play is improving with the competitiveness in the practice sessions – iron sharpens iron.”
Despite dealing with he COVID protocol challenges seen by virtually every team, MacDonald has been impressed with his players commitment to the program and sees the new facilities being a significant part of that adaptability and work ethic.
“I really can’t say enough about the new rink and athletic center that the school has built here,” stated MacDonald. “I know D1 schools that don’t have the level of facilities that we have now on campus here at Colby. It absolutely is a game-changer when players look at the school and the hockey program but this season it has given us the flexibility to build in some different training methods that the players have immediately bought into. Despite all of the pandemic challenges it is great to have the Jack Kelley Rink and host the Bowdoin-Colby rivalry game this season. The facilities are outstanding, and the players really appreciate and take advantage of the capabilities we have here to improve their physical fitness and play on the ice.”
Not the type of team to rest on its laurels, the wins over Trinity and Wesleyan definitely created positive momentum that carried over into this past weekend where the Mules went on the road and beat another major NESCAC contender in Williams College by a 2-1 score. Beran again was outstanding in goal surrendering just one goal on 32 shots while Michael Morrissey broke a 1-1 deadlock for the 3-point win. With Saturday’s 3-1 win at Middlebury and Williams’ loss to Bowdoin, the Mules now sit atop the NESCAC standings as the contributions up and down the lineup continue to garner results for Colby.
“There is still a lot of hockey to be played in the next few weeks,” said MacDonald. “These players have done everything the coaching staff has asked of them and more. I like where we are headed down the stretch.”
With their sixth win in a row over Southern Maine on Tuesday night, the Mule Train is rolling!
