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The Colby men's hockey team finished the season ranked 14th in the country and with an 18-6-2 record. The Mules made the New England Small College Athletic Conference semifinals for the second straight year.

Sophomore forward Nick Bayley (Cambridge, Ontario) finished the regular season as the leading scorer in the NESCAC and earned first team all-conference honors. He finished the season with 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points. Bayley, who has the highest grade-point average of any Colby student-athlete, also was named to the NESCAC Winter All-Academic squad.

Senior defender Sean O'Grady (London, Ontario) earned NESCAC second team honors for his play. O'Grady had eight goals and 13 assists for 31 points this season and ended a fine career at Colby with 21 goals and 51 assists for 72 career points.

Senior goalie J.D. Hadiaris (Saco, Maine) led NCAA Division III in goals against average (1.57) and was fifth nationally in save percentage (.925). He finished with a 10-3 record and six shutouts while playing 862 minutes. Sophomore goalie Chris Ries (Pittsburgh, Pa.) played 668 minutes and had an 8-3-1 record.

Junior forward Brian Chisholm (King, Ontario) finished in a tie for first place in the NESCAC in assists after dishing 23 and adding 12 goals himself to end up second behind Bayley on the team in scoring.

Sophomore forward Cory Ernst (Bridgewater, Nova Scotia), despite missing four games with an injury, had 16 goals and 14 assists for 30 points. He led the team with five game-winning goals and two short-handed tallies. Ernst joined Bayley on the NESCAC Winter All-Academic Team.

Sophomore forward Patrick Walsh (Easton, Conn.) had seven goals and 20 assists, first-year forward Kevin Lyons (Canton, Mass.) added 15 goals and 10 assists, junior forward Ross MacMillan (Charlottetown, PEI) had 12 goals and 13 assists, and junior defender Nick Meintel (Yarmouth, Maine) finished with seven goals and 15 assists for the Mules. Lyons was among national leaders with 10 power play goals.

Senior captain Brock Barton (McLeods, New Brunswick) finished off a fine career with five goals and 13 assists for 18 points this past season. He had 15 goals and 34 assists for 49 career points.

Head coach Jim Tortorella became the all-time wins leader for men's hockey coaches at Colby. Tortorella won his 127th game in a victory over Amherst on February 22. He has a 128-61-14 record in eight seasons with the Mules.

At Colby, men's ice hockey has been a tradition since 1922. The program excelled during the 1955-56 season under head coach Jack Kelley, former president of the Pittsburgh Penguins. That same season the team moved into its current home of Alfond Arena, which was made possible by a generous gift from Harold Alfond. The Mules compiled a 92-46-5 cumulative record during the next seven years, capping the era with a fourth-place finish in the ECAC Division I Tournament. Ten years later, with the creation of an ECAC Division II league, the Mules and legendary coach Charlie Holt earned their first championship title by defeating Merrimack College 5-0 in the finals.

In the past 10 years the Mules have ushered in a new era of success. Colby has had 10 consecutive winning seasons, compiling an overall record of 156-79-18. The Mules have earned six ECAC berths, three NESCAC berths, a NCAA berth, and a 1997 ECAC Championship during this span.

Coach Jim Tortorella says, "The foundation of Colby's success has been our ability to attract student-athletes with the attributes of courage, heart, attitude, mental toughness, pride, and a willingness to sacrifice. In the past, these types of players have enabled the program to sustain the momentum needed to compete at the national level. I cannot say enough about the players' unwavering dedication to make Colby's hockey program one of the finest programs in the country. I am excited about our future as I look forward to continuing Colby's long tradition of excellence in athletics and academics."

About Alfond Arena