Colby College celebrates after a goal by Audrey Shirer put the Mules up 1-0 over Wilkes University in an NCAA Division III first-round game on March 15 in Waterville. The Mules finished the season with an 18-7-2 record, reaching the NCAA quarterfinals. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

It’s one of the saddest days of the year for Holley Tyng.

The ice inside the O’Neil | O’Donnell Forum was melting, the sign of yet another hockey season coming to an end. The Colby women’s hockey coach was sitting and reflecting on a season that was anything but sad.

The Mules (18-7-2) reached the NCAA Division III tournament with an at-large bid for the third time in the last four years. Their run came to an end Saturday with a 4-1 quarterfinal loss to New England Small College Athletic Conference rival Amherst.

It was a surprising and exciting run for the Mules, who were trying to find themselves early in the season, recovering from the loss of several top players, including Meg Rittenhouse, an All-America forward who spent her graduate season playing for Division I Quinnipiac after totaling 88 points in four seasons at Colby.

“I’m blown away (by the run),” Tyng said. “Even the girls themselves, at the beginning of the season, would tell you that we were searching for our identity. To see them come together the way that they did is just so incredibly impressive. That legacy that they’re going to leave on the younger players, it’s impossible for them to see it right now. But for us coaches, you can see the threads of what these players have done with the behavior of some of the underclassmen. The on-ice accomplishments are impressive, but some of the mentoring and leadership, that’s the stuff (that’s amazing). It’s really special.”

Colby found its identity with a workmanlike and unselfish approach offensively. Six players collected 10 points, led by sophomore forward Molly Lefebvre, who had 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists). Three defensemen, junior Breanna Studley (16 points), senior Georgia Pettygrove (16 points) and senior Anna Staton (10 points) were among the top scorers.

Senior goaltender Mandy Busky proved to be one of the best in the nation in Division III, finishing with a 12-3-2 record and a 1.29 goals-against average. Busky ends her career with a 24-9-2 record, a 1.27 GAA and 13 shutouts in 40 games.

Tyng, who is finishing her ninth season, has led the Mules to 15 or more wins each season dating back to 2019-20. There are still mountains to climb for Colby, which has never won a NESCAC title or reached the NCAA semifinals, but with a 69-29-4 record and three tournament appearances over the past four seasons, the Mules have set a new bar for success.

Colby forward Audrey Shirer shoots and scores to put the Mules up 1-0 against Wilkes University in an NCAA Division III first-round game March 15 in Waterville. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“As far as the players and the culture and the habits that we, knock on wood, have to work on, it’s ingrained in who they are and their habits and behavior,” Tyng said. “The level at which the players function is something we’ve worked really hard to establish, whether it’s nutrition, or sleep or training or mental health. All the different factors that go into creating an elite-level athlete and elite team. Some of those things the girls just instinctively do on their own right now, which is, again, not to be taken for granted because we worked really hard to get there.”

Colby once again is graduating a large contingent of talent, as 11 seniors are moving on, including two of its top defensemen (Pettygrove, Staton) and its top goaltender (Busky). The Mules still return a ton of talent, led offensively by Lefebvre and Studley. Junior goaltender Grace Caligiuri has proven to be an asset between the pipes, as she owns a 12-6-1 record with a 1.45 GAA and five shutouts in 19 career games.

The Mules do expect to have 10 incoming freshmen.

“It’s hard to shift, especially after these first few days,” Tyng said. “I think our rising senior class, there’s some incredible talent that remains on the team, and that softens the blow of losing someone like (Busky) or (Pettygrove) or (Staton). We’re certainly excited for who’s coming back and we’re really excited for our incoming class as well.

“Little things are the things that I’m most proud of and most impressed by (with the senior class). And when you have 11 of those type of people on your team, you can expect some pretty great people in the future. That’s impressive.”