MALDEN, MA (February 21, 2025) – Freshman Will Soloway scored 3:07 into overtime to lift visiting Colby College to a 3-2 victory at Tufts University in a well-played NESCAC men's hockey contest on Friday night at Valley Forum.
With the victory, Colby (13-5-5, 8-5-4 NESCAC) locks down one of the top four seeds in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament which will allow the Mules to host a quarterfinal-round game. Tufts (9-12-1, 7-10) misses out on an opportunity for a top-four seed and will look to secure one of the eight berths into the conference tournament tomorrow.
Tufts sophomore
Jon Horn scored twice tonight, including with 1:21 remaining in the third period as the Jumbos played with an extra skater to tie the game at 2-2.
Into overtime and three-on-three play, Colby sophomore Jayden Grier retrieved his own blocked shot in the left corner. He sent the puck back to freshman Alex Keskintepe, who returned it to Grier behind the net. Grier found Soloway in the left circle and his shot into the top right corner gave Colby the win.
The Mules had taken a 1-0 lead on Grier's goal at 16:39 of the first period. Mule freshman Wyatt Schmidek sent a pass cross-ice to Grier entering the Jumbo zone down the left side. He swooped in on the goal and stuck a back-hander past Jumbo goalie Gus Bylin.
Tufts' power-play came to life and tied the game on Horn's first goal 5:27 into the second frame. From the top of the left circle, junior
Max Resnick fired a pass across to Horn on the far side of the right circle where he one-timed a shot into the net making it 1-1.
The game went to the third period tied at a goal apiece. Colby senior Jake MacDonald – open near the left post – would redirect a pass by junior Jayden Mullens into the net with 8:08 remaining in regulation. That put Colby up 2-1, a lead they held into the final two minutes.
Bylin was pulled for an extra skater with 1:41 on the third-period clock, and just 10 seconds later Tufts scored to tie it. Resnick from the left face-off dot sent a pass across the zone to Horn at the right dot, and he sniped one past Colby freshman goalie Cooper Rautenstrauch at 18:39 of the third and it was 2-2.
Colby would get the two points they needed to secure a top-four playoff berth with Soloway's goal three minutes into OT.
Tufts outshot Colby 41-34 in a fast-paced, hard-hitting contest. Rautenstrauch made 39 saves in the Colby net, while Bylin stopped 31 shots for Tufts.
The Jumbos host Bowdoin College tomorrow for Senior Day at Valley Forum. Colby travels on to Connecticut College for their regular-season finale.
--JUMBOS--
