Waterville, Maine - The Mules head into Thanksgiving break with a win over University of Southern Maine Huskies.  Staying late on the last day of classes, Colby brought the energy and beat the Huskies 4-1 before many are heading home to be with family and friends.

The puck dropped at 7:00 p.m. in the Mules home rink, with high energy and intense focus among both teams despite most of campus already at home. Roughly thirteen minutes into the period, senior Lexi Cafiero (#14) scored a goal--assisted by sophomore Meg Rittenhouse (#11). During the first period a total of 12 shots were taken by USM, compared to a total of 22 shots taken by Colby. Only Cafiero could put the puck in the net in the first period, making the score 1-0 going into the second period.

Entering the second period, the pace of the game picked up along with communication among players. About seven minutes in, USM sophomore Georgie Snow (#17) was assisted by freshman Ally Stymiest (#19) in a goal scored against Colby on a power play, tying the game at 1-1. Just five minutes later, Rittenhouse (pictured left) was assisted by Cafiero in a goal scored against USM, setting Colby ahead yet again 2-1. Rittenhouse and Cafiero worked particularly well as an offensive power-pair.

Beginning the third period, both teams seemed to be in high spirits, with Colby eager to defend their lead, and USM hungry for a comeback. A couple of back-to-back power plays by USM near the start of the third period left Colby in a vulnerable position, but strong communication, team camaraderie, and a strategic defense formation, kept USM from scoring. Later, around twelve minutes into the period, a 5-minute penalty was called on USM for body-checking, which gave Colby the power play advantage. Less than two minutes after this penalty was called, in a crowded scramble near the opposing net, Cafiero scored another goal; she was assisted by senior McKinley Karpa (#23) and junior Bri Michaud-Nolan (#8), furthering Colby's lead to 3-1. Intensity building, with under two minutes left on the clock, Elizabeth Brashich (#22) scored–assisted by Karpa–and sealed the fate of the game in favor of Colby's victory. The final score was 4-1, putting Colby's season record at 3-0.

The Mules have a break over Thanksgiving weekend and will return to play at Bowdoin at 7:00pm on Friday December 3rd and return to Colby to challenge the Polar Bears at home at 3:00pm on December 4th.