HARTFORD, Conn. – The #11-ranked Trinity College men's ice hockey team defeated visiting Colby College, 5-3, in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) matchup Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Bantams improve to 10-3-1 overall and 6-1-1 in the NESCAC, while the Mules drop to 8-4-2 overall and 3-4-1 in conference play.

The opening frame featured five penalties—three on Colby and two on Trinity—and three goals. At 4:40, following a misplayed puck in the neutral zone by Colby, the Bantams transitioned quickly to offense. James Barbour's initial shot from the left circle was stopped by Colby's Cooper Rautenstrauch, but the puck deflected to Spencer Korona at the bottom of the attacking zone. Korona sent it back to Barbour, who was still at the top left circle, where he fired a one-timer past Rautenstrauch to put the Bantams on the board, 1-0.

Ten minutes later, Colby capitalized on a shorthanded opportunity during a Bantams power play. Max Abene seized a loose puck in the neutral zone and challenged Trinity's goaltender Devon Bobak for a one-on-one challenge, scoring to tie the game at 1-1 with a shorthanded goal.

With less than a minute remaining in the period, Ty Broad passed the puck from behind the Mules' net to find Connor Sedlak and Chase McInnis in front. Sedlak's initial shot was denied by Rautenstrauch, but McInnis pounced on the rebound and, on his second attempt, lifted the Bantams to a 2-1 lead with just 30 seconds left in the frame.

The Mules entered the second period with a two-minute power play after a late hooking penalty on Korona. However, Trinity's penalty kill remained flawless, shutting down both Colby power-play opportunities. After a back-and-forth opening to the second, Broad redirected a shot from McInnis to give the Bantams a 3-1 lead. Colby outshot Trinity 16-12 in the period, but the Bantams held their lead entering the third.

In the final frame, each team served one penalty. Colby's Jayden Mullens capitalized on a man-advantage just 28 seconds into the period, narrowing the Bantams' lead to 3-2. At 10:02, Trinity's Richard Boysen collected a deflected shot in front of the Mules' net and fired it past Rautenstrauch to put the Bantams ahead 4-2. Eight minutes later, Colby's Max O'Brien answered with an even-strength goal to pull the Mules back within one.

With 1:50 remaining, Colby pulled their goalie to generate offensive pressure. Just eight seconds after Rautenstrauch left the net, Boysen sent the puck into the empty goal from the neutral zone, sealing Trinity's 5-3 victory.

Trinity dominated the shot column, outshooting Colby 45-28. Bantams' goalie Devon Bobak registered 25 saves for a .893 save percentage, while Rautenstrauch tallied 40 saves in the loss, finishing with a .909 save percentage.

Next, Trinity will travel to Connecticut College for a NESCAC matchup on Friday, January 24th, with puck drop at 3:00 PM.

TRINITY ATHLETICS