Sunday afternoon at Bright found the White Mules of Colby using their big
attack game to blitz the Harvard Crimson 3-6.  Colby's coach Laura
Halldorson deserves a lot of credit for having her team play such a
positive heads-up game.  Harvard looked very tired from yesterday's tie
with UNH.
 
There was no scoring in the first period.  The Mules had come out with
their attacking style and made some wonderful cross-ice passes.  The only
thing that worried me about Colby was that they only used two lines.  I
thought that might tire them more when playing against the Crimson's
three lines.  As it turned out, they had just that much more energy than
Harvard. In the second, Ann Mortenson (Barb Gordon, Heather McVicar)
scored a power play goal for Colby.  The Mules had some great passing
going and always seemed to be able to find the weak side open player.
Colby made it 0-2 when Meaghan Sittler (B. Gordon, Heather Richardson)
gunned her shot past Harvard goalie Jen Bowdoin.  The play was made by
the terrific digging and passing of B. Gordon.  Towards the end of the
period, the Crimson got one back when Ellen Frump (Stacy Kellogg)
finished off a nice 1-2 play up the gut.  The Mules answered right back
when Sittler blocked a shot and hit the jets to go in on the Harvard goal
all alone.  Brilliant goal!  In the final period, Colby had a brief spell
of standing around in their own zone.  That was enough to allow AJ
Mleczko to nail her slap shot into the near top corner of the net.  A
short time later on a power play, AJM (Kellogg) did it again, this time
pounding her shot from the right point to the far top corner.  The Colby
coach was smart enough to call a time out and settle her troops.  From
then on they played good heads-up hockey.  The Mules regained the lead on
a shorthanded goal when Sittler (Richardson) drilled home the perfect
pass.  The play was an excellent set piece off a face-off, with the puck
dug out of the corner by Richardson.  That goal took the wind out of the
Crimson.  Colby followed it up when a break out play found Richardson
(Sittler, B. Gordon) burning up the left wing.  Richardson's low drive
just caught the far post low.  In the dying seconds of the contest,
Richardson got an empty net goal after she blocked a shot from the point,
and skated free.
 
Colby is playing extremely well.  I was so happy to get to watch a real
offense!  My one suggest would be to have the players turn up ice onto
the attack sooner.  There was a certain lack of understanding/confidence
that kept plays from happening because the team hadn't all turned to the
attack yet.  Still, I was thrilled to get to see a team play so
positively during an important ECAC league match.  Nice going Colby!  The
woman of the match had to be the first line of: B. Gordon, Sittler and
Richardson.  B. Gordon has great stick skills.  Her back- and
fore-checking are superb.  B. Gordon is a dominating player on the ice.
Sittler is a big first-year center who plays the game with power.  She
can really crank it.  Richardson is a very good skater who like her
mates, is always there.  Together they are a first-class striking unit.
In goal, Marie Polichronopoulos played very well and showed a very quick
glove.  On defense I enjoyed the skating of McVicar and the coolness
under fire of Stacy Joslin.  Overall, Colby had a great weekend beating
both Northeastern and Harvard on the road.  They seem to be a team on the
rise and should give someone more than they want in the play-offs.
 
Harvard played below par today.  Seeing them play Colby reminded me of
how little direction they have on the attack.  The dumb and chase stuff
was easily handled by the Mules.  On defense Colleen Malek played another
strong game making a number of important break up plays.  In goal,
first-year player Bowdoin played fairly well and certainly did not give
up any soft goals.  Frump lead the Jenny Duval and Lauren Turner line
with some good skating and heads-up play.  Diana Clark showed some good
energy on her line.  AJM proved her sniper abilities with her two goals.
However her line and the team just do not have the skating they need to
run many patterns on the ice.  It all seems so tiring for them.  Overall,
not much of an effort by the Crimson.
 
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 good shooting
 rhun-hungerf
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