Auburn, ME – CMCC Men's Ice Hockey picked up what could prove to be an important victory in their NorthEast Collegiate Association opener, defeating Colby College 7-2 on Friday night at Norway Savings Bank Arena. Aaron Higgins and Sam Foley each scored twice and Isaac White made 36 saves in relief to spur the Mustangs to the win against a team that has also earned a bid to back-to-back ACHA national tournaments, and last year pipped Central Maine for the top spot in the NECHA Colonial North division.
"This will go down as a quality win this season," said head coach Jordy Knoren. "Colby is a very strong team, but tonight all our guys bought in from top to bottom. We got good goaltending, timely scoring, plus our blocks and special teams were outstanding. This is something we can build off going forward."
The Mustangs took a 1-0 lead after the first period courtesy of Foley's third goal of the season. Higgins started the play carrying the puck for a lap around the offensive zone before dropping it off to Cullen Rafford at the point. The defenseman ripped a shot from the left circle that was stopped by goaltender Cooper Steinborn, but Dylan Blue was there to knock the rebound through him. Foley reacted quickest to the loose puck in the crease, tapping it in at the 8:48 mark.
Colby did have the advantage in shots through the first period, 18-14, and appeared to have the mental edge as well after Central Maine starting goaltender Cam Wickens picked up a lower body injury on his final save of the frame at the horn. The freshman from Revere, MA, who had played every minute of the season up to that point, did not return, leaving Isaac White to come in the rest of the way.
CMCC gave him some goal support less than five minutes after the intermission. Higgins tallied his first of the night on the power play, wiring a shot off the top of the goalie's left pad from the right circle only nine seconds into the man advantage.
The Mules pulled one back with 3:55 remaining, literally a second after a penalty to Blue expired. Spencer Lee set up the play, dishing a feed from behind the net to Riley Van Son for a point-blank finish. However, that was only the first in a flurry of goals to end the frame.
Just 23 seconds later, Foley tallied his second of the game. Higgins led the rush into the zone down the left wing, dropping a pass behind for Blue. The Lewiston, ME native put a shot up high off the shoulder of Steinborn and Foley chipped in the rebound before the netminder could seal his post, making it 3-1.
The fourth line next came through with a goal 32 seconds after that, with three minutes remaining. Emmit Sullivan fed Will Galligan through center ice, who bounced off a hit from the defenseman at the blue line, setting up a two-on-one into the zone. Lucas Laforest elected to shoot from the right circle and buried his shot past the blocker side.
The visitors did get back into the game before the end of the period, with Lee once again the catalyst. The forward took a pass from Aiden Kwon below the goal line, setting the table for Connor Roach to snap a shot up under the crossbar from the left circle. That made it 4-2 heading into the final 20 minutes.
Things had gotten feisty between the two rivals in the second period with nine total penalties being called. That carried over into the third. The Mustangs made the most of it with three powerplay tallies to put the game away.
Blue scored the first at the 12:19 mark. Higgins took the puck away at the top of the zone catching the Mules' penalty kill trying to get up the ice too quickly. He fed fellow alternate captain Michael Belleau in the slot with the center sliding a backhand pass to the left circle for a quick one-timer from Blue.
An interference penalty on Max Vieira put the game out of reach less than two minutes later. Higgins put on a show with a phenomenal individual effort, holding possession through a tie-up along the left wing boards, deking through two Colby penalty killers, and putting a shot low off the pads of Steinborn before slamming in the rebound. It was the seventh goal of the season for the Falmouth, ME native and ACHA All-Athletic team selection.
The hosts still had one more in the tank to take a +5 goal differential from the game. With Vieira once again in the box in the final minute, this time for hitting from behind, Belleau punched in the team's seventh goal of the game, and fourth on the power play, with two tenths of a second left on the clock.
It was CMCC's second straight home win against Colby with the two schools quickly developing a rivalry after meeting in the postseason each of the last two years. Last year, the Mules avenged their loss in the 2024 NECHA playoffs by beating the Mustangs 4-1 in the conference championship. But Central Maine got the last laugh with a 5-4 overtime victory at the ACHA National Championships in St. Louis, MO. The two sides meet again in Waterville, ME on February 12th.
CMCC continues its ten-game homestand with a visit from the University of New England Nor'easters on Halloween night. Puck drop on Friday is scheduled for 8:00 pm.
