The Colby men’s hockey team has not had the most successful season this year, but the Mules’ recent play is helping to build confidence for next year, as the Mules nearly swept their homestand this past weekend. The weekend total brought Colby to 3-1-1 in its last five games.

Captain Mike Doherty ’12 was, to no one’s surprise, a key contributor once again on Friday night against Trinity College. He netted a goal and had assists on scores by fellow co-captain Dan Nelson ’12 and defenseman Scott Harff ’13 in a romp that ended with a 7-4 victory for the Mules. The three points on the night put Doherty over 90 career points with 37 goals and 55 assists in his four years.

Colby took a 2-0 lead after the first frame on goals from Harff, getting assists from Ray Zeek ’15 and Nils Martin ’15, who put one in unassisted with just over a minute to go in the period. Trinity scored to cut the lead in half, but the Mules stampeded the Bantams with three straight goals. Doherty, from Nelson, and then Nelson, from Doherty and Chris Buonomo ’12, both scored in the second stanza to put Colby up 4-1 entering the third. The rout continued as Harff put home his second of the game off of Doherty’s pass on a power play 56 seconds into the final period.

But Trinity wouldn’t go away as they answered with three goals of their own, cutting the lead to 5-4 with under nine minutes to play. Colby would not be denied revenge on this night, however; Nate Morgan ’15 scored the sixth Mules’ goal at 13:23 on assists from Zeek and Jack Bartlett ’14. Buonomo added a little icing at the end with an empty-netter to bury the Bantams 7-4, perfectly flipping the result of the first game these two teams played this season in Hartford, Conn.

Colby was feeling good heading into its final home game of the season against Wesleyan University on Saturday. Wesleyan established itself early with a goal at 6:23 of the first period to take a 1-0 lead. Colby knotted it at 1-1 10 minutes later when defenseman Tom McGinn ’12 scored in his final appearance in Alfond Rink. Ben Chwick ’14 and Anthony Raymond ’14 assisted on McGinn’s goal. The teams remained deadlocked through the remainder of the first and the entire second frame. Both goalies played well, as Matt Delaney ’13 finished with 38 saves for the Mules, and Wesleyan’s netminder finished with 30.

For the first 12 minutes of the third, the teams remained tied, but Cory McGrath ’13 put the Mules up 2-1 at 12:07, and it looked like Colby might escape with the victory. That was until Wesleyan managed to sneak one in with just over a minute left to play to tie it at 2-2. Predictably, the score held, and the Mules had to settle for a tie.

But a tie is better than a loss, and the Mules did finish the weekend undefeated and on a bit of a hot streak, having only lost one of their last five games.

Colby will play the final two games of its season this weekend at Connecticut College on Friday and Tufts University on Saturday. Both games are winnable, and Colby could have a finish to be proud of this season if it can take one or both games to build momentum for next year.