Men’s hockey beats the Polar Bears at home

Colby Men’s Ice Hockey played their fourth game of the season against the Bowdoin Polar Bears in a rivalry game that students across both campuses look forward to every year. 

Heading into the game, the Mules were hoping to even out their current season record of 1-2-0, while the Polar Bears came into the game with a 0-3-1 record. The Mules currently hold the winning streak against Bowdoin. 

Goalie Andy Beran `24 told The Colby Echo, “You’re never expecting a win or a loss. You just come in as prepared as you can and let the game take over from there.” 

The energy of the crowd was palpable. Every seat in the new Jack Kelley Rink was filled with excitable students, alumni, and families. The Mules started out strong, taking control of the game and tempo, but two penalties in the first ten minutes tested the team early on. 

The Mules were able to successfully kill both the penalties and followed with a greater number of shots on goal, proving their control over the game. 

Eight minutes later, Jake Klein `23 scored his first goal of the season, assisted by John McElaney `24. The Mules took a lead of 1-0 at the end of the first period. 

Despite the Mules’ first-period domination, the Polar Bears scored a goal one minute into the second period during a power play. 

The two teams remained tied for the next seven minutes until Jack Sullivan `24 scored following a successful faceoff by Alex Bourhas `23. Sullivan was assisted by Michael Morrissey `22 and Carter Breitenfeldt `23. This brought the Mules ahead 2-1 for the second period. 

The Polar Bears again dominated the beginning of the final period with an overwhelming number of successful faceoffs and opposing shots on goal stopped by both Beran and other members of the team. 

The period continued with an increased number of shots on both sides and possession shared equally between the teams. 

In an attempt to tie the game, the Polar Bears pulled their goalie to add an extra attacker, leaving an empty net for senior Justin Grillo `22 to score his fifth goal of the season, assisted by Breitenfeldt and Sullivan. 

The game ended soon after with the Mules winning 3-1, giving the packed rink a reason to celebrate. 

Breitenfeldt reflected:

“Being able to play with my best friends, all 30 of them, and putting out the best performance and getting the win, that’s always fun. It’s always fun to beat Bowdoin.” 

The crowd and team were all elated. Smiles could be seen on the faces of those sporting blue. 

The win was not only special for the fans, but for the players as well, senior Quinn Doyle included.

“It was an awesome feeling to get our first win on the Jack Kelley rink,” he said.

Beran’s smile never left his face when he spoke of the alumni who were able to make it up to this game. 

“We had probably 75 to 100 alumni there that came up. After a Bowdoin game, they always come to the locker room if we win, so it was really fun to get to see guys from the past two years that I’ve gotten to meet and other guys that I’ve heard countless stories about, and who I’ve gotten to meet over the years when they come back for events like this. All those guys contribute a lot to the atmosphere because they’ve been in our shoes and they love it,” he said.

The Mules are only four games into the season, but spirits are high. 

“It’s a great team, hopefully it’ll be a great year. That’s all I’ve got to say,” Beran said.

The Mules’ next appearance will be Friday, Dec. 10th on the road against the Tufts University Jumbos at 7:00 pm. There is a history of close matches between the two in the last four years with a record of 4-3-1, which will make it an exciting game for all.

~Katie Hull ‘23