Colby (15-10-2)Offense - 3.41 G/GM (20th)
Defense - 2.41 G/GM (20th)
PIM - 7.81/GM (78th)
Power Play - 19.05 % (39th)
Penalty Kill - 82..5% (36th)
University of New England (20-5-3)
Offense - 4.79 G/GM (3rd)
Defense - 3.28 G/GM (36th)
PIM - 19.38/GM (1st)
Power Play - 35.81 % (1st)
Penalty Kill - 78.79% (60th)
Video
Colby website article
Morning Sentinel Article
Morning Sentinel Feature on Sean Lawrence
Maine CBS Affiliate Segment
Video
Colby website article
Morning Sentinel Article
Morning Sentinel Feature on Sean Lawrence
Maine CBS Affiliate Segment
It me, NCAA Tournament! The Colby Mules will face the University of New England Nor Easters (apropos after the past week in the northeast) tonight after traveling from Alfond Rink in Waterville to Alfond Forum in Biddeford, in the most Maine game you will see in the NCAA Tournament.
The two Pine Tree state schools took very different paths to get here. The Nor'Easters earned their first trip to the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid after losing to Nichols 8-3 in their conference tournament, while the Mules road 113 NESCAC tournament saves from Sean Lawrence and the best scoring offense in the NESCAC to win their first ever conference title and an automatic bid to the tournament. It is the first trip to the NCAA tournament since the yesteryear of 1996 (which was won by Middlebury), before NESCAC conference play tournaments started and they were the White Mules.
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| The remnants of Colby celebration after winning the NESCAC title Photo by LPfan2004 |
The Nor'easters hail from from the Commonweath Coast Conference. The CCC, compromised of teams from the old ECAC-Northeast, East and newcomer Endicott (who Trinity beat in the NCAA tournament last year), surprisingly got three teams in the tournament thanks to Nichols' (who Trinity beat in the 2015 NCAA tournament) aforementioned upset of UNE.
Colby and UNE meet bi-yearly, as do the Nor'Easters and Bowdoin, in a non-conference home and home. The Nor'Easters won all four games against the NESCAC foes, with the Mules losing 5-3 in Biddeford and 5-1 in Waterville, with Andrew Tucci playing both games. Tucci won't be playing on Saturday, as senior Sean Lawrence, he of 113 saves in the NESCAC tournament fame, will get the nod. UNE is no stranger to Colby historically, either, as their former coach Brad Holt is the son of former Colby coach Charlie Holt.
The schools also share senior classes that rose from sub-par teams to the NCAA tournament by the time they will leave their respective campuses, which are both, again, in Maine (did we mention this is an in-state game yet?). UNE only has two seniors (who have combined for only 15 points this year) from a team that only won 9 games in 2014-15, when Holt left and current coach, 31 year old Kevin Swallow, took over. Swallow played collegiately in the big ivies with Dartmouth before transferring to and graduating from University of Maine.
The Colby senior class had less wins in their freshman season (only five) but have had much more of an impact than the seniors from Biddeford and the Mules have had the same coach/assistant coach combo in Blaise MacDonald and Chris Hall for all four years. Colby's leading scorer is a senior in Phil Klitirinos as is their leading goal scorer in Cam MacDonald, son of coach Blaise MacDonald. Senior Mike Decker represented the Mules on the All-NESCAC second team while Lawrence, a transfer from Quinnipiac who was in Hamden in 2015, is also a senior.
Last year UNE was lead by the BFFs line of Bloom and the Fleurent brothers. The older Fleurent, Trevor, graduated and now plays in Norway, but his brother, junior Brady Fleurent and sophomore Ryan Bloom have teamed up with freshman Tyler Seltenreich to combine for a total 130 points (53-77-130) on the third most potent offense and most potent power play in DIII hockey. Bloom and Fleurent made 1st team all-CCC, while Seltenreich was the Rookie of the Year in the conference.
The Mules frosh have not been as impactful as Seltenreich, though Justin Grillo (6-14-20) and Spencer Hewson (5-14-19) have made their mark playing on lines with upperclassmen. Hewson was especially impactful NESCAC championship weekend getting to lose pucks and scoring three of his four goals on the season in the semis and finals.
In net, the Mules will need Lawrence to be brilliant as he was in the NESCAC tournament. UNE does not have a clear cut starter, as sophomore Tate Sproxton and freshman Ben Churchill have similar numbers (both have a .906 save percentage) in 13 and 15 games, respectively. Churchill gave up 5 of the eight goals in the CCC title game, so it will be interesting to see if he gets the start in the NCAA tournament.
It has been a fun ride for Colby so far and hopefully it does not stop tonight. If they win, they will have to head out of the confines of Maine for the NCAA Quarterfinals, but that is a trip I am sure no one on MayFlower Hill would mind making.
In honor of the Mules' and Nor'easters' rise from rough seasons just three years ago and in consideration of both schools' proximity to Canada (the game is between two schools in Maine, if we forgot to mention that fact), here is Drake with Started From the Bottom. The clean version, of course, because LPfan2004 and other children might read this.
Last year UNE was lead by the BFFs line of Bloom and the Fleurent brothers. The older Fleurent, Trevor, graduated and now plays in Norway, but his brother, junior Brady Fleurent and sophomore Ryan Bloom have teamed up with freshman Tyler Seltenreich to combine for a total 130 points (53-77-130) on the third most potent offense and most potent power play in DIII hockey. Bloom and Fleurent made 1st team all-CCC, while Seltenreich was the Rookie of the Year in the conference.
The Mules frosh have not been as impactful as Seltenreich, though Justin Grillo (6-14-20) and Spencer Hewson (5-14-19) have made their mark playing on lines with upperclassmen. Hewson was especially impactful NESCAC championship weekend getting to lose pucks and scoring three of his four goals on the season in the semis and finals.
In net, the Mules will need Lawrence to be brilliant as he was in the NESCAC tournament. UNE does not have a clear cut starter, as sophomore Tate Sproxton and freshman Ben Churchill have similar numbers (both have a .906 save percentage) in 13 and 15 games, respectively. Churchill gave up 5 of the eight goals in the CCC title game, so it will be interesting to see if he gets the start in the NCAA tournament.
It has been a fun ride for Colby so far and hopefully it does not stop tonight. If they win, they will have to head out of the confines of Maine for the NCAA Quarterfinals, but that is a trip I am sure no one on MayFlower Hill would mind making.
In honor of the Mules' and Nor'easters' rise from rough seasons just three years ago and in consideration of both schools' proximity to Canada (the game is between two schools in Maine, if we forgot to mention that fact), here is Drake with Started From the Bottom. The clean version, of course, because LPfan2004 and other children might read this.
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