HARTFORD, Conn. — For the first time in program history, the Colby College hockey team is headed to the New England Small College Athletic Conference championship game.
Five different players scored for the Mules on Saturday afternoon and senior goalie Sean Lawrence made 39 saves, as Colby defeated Wesleyan 5-1 in the conference semifinals on the campus of Trinity College.
The win marked No. 300 of Colby head coach Blaise MacDonald’s career, which also included stints at Division I Niagara and UMass-Lowell.
Sixth-seeded Colby (14-10-2) will play either No. 1 Trinity or No. 7 Williams for the NESCAC championship on Sunday afternoon, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. Trinity is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation.
In seven previous trips to the NESCAC final four since the current playoff system was adopted in 2001, Colby had never advanced beyond the semifinal round.
Senior Phil Klitirinos and freshman Spencer Hewson each had a goal and two assists in the win over Wesleyan (13-8-5). Klitirinos has a team-leading 27 points for Colby this season.
Hewson’s power play goal late in the first period handed Colby a 2-1 lead, and the game stayed that way until the third. The Mules scored twice in the first eight minutes of the final frame, part of a three-goal third period that saw Kienan Scott, Cam MacDonald and Klitirinos all score.
Senior defenseman Dan Dupont opened the scoring with his second goal of the season early in the first period.
Colby extended its unbeaten run to six games (4-0-2) and avenged a playoff loss to Wesleyan in last season’s quarterfinals. The Mules split a pair of meetings this season with Trinity, including a 3-0 win over the Bantams at home in early February.
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