Williamstown, MA - The Colby College Mules (1-0-0, 1-0-0) defeated the Williams College Ephs (0-1-0, 0-1-0) by a score of 4-1 in the opening game of the 2024 Men's Ice Hockey season. 

In the first period, the Mules opened the game with an early win - freshman Massimo Gentile won his first collegiate face-off to kick the season off for Colby. After seven missed shots by the Ephs, Jayden Grier kicked off his 2024 campaign with a goal just eight minutes into the game. Dhillon Wilde and Nick Stapleton provided assists for Grier. 

The game remained at 1-0 until 14:32 into the second period. Max Abene scored on a rush with assists from Max O'Brien and Wilde. Just one minute later, Gentile scored his first collegiate goal to make the score 3-0 for Colby. Tyler Crist and Wyatt Schmidek assisted Gentile. Fellow freshman Cooper Rautenstrauch was a brick wall in goal for the Mules, totaling eight saves in the second period.

Early in the third period, Williams scored to make it a 3-1 match. After 15 minutes of scoreless hockey, Colby slammed the door with an unassisted, Tyson-esque finisher by Will Soloway at the 17:54 mark. The third period was marked by five minor penalties between the two teams, yet neither the Mules nor the Ephs were able to convert on their power play opportunities.

Strong play from freshmen Gentile (1 goal, 6 face-offs won) and Rautenstrauch (28 saves) point towards a bright future for the Mules. The Mules will look to continue their winning ways when they take on the Middlebury College Panthers (1-0-0, 1-0-0) at 3:00 PM in Middlebury, VT on Saturday, November 16.