Courtesy of Brian Beard/Bowdoin Athletics

After a string of victories in January, Bowdoin Men’s Hockey fell to the Colby Mules at home by a score of 3-1.

In front of a packed crowd in Watson Arena, the Polar Bears quickly fell behind 2-0 in the first seven minutes before Chris Brown ’23 scored a goal with five minutes remaining in the first period. Despite controlling the puck for the majority of the second and third periods, the team was unable to find the back of the net. A Colby power-play goal late in the third period put the game away as the Polar Bears fell to 5-6-4 (5-4-3 NESCAC) with the loss.

After being swarmed by the Colby offense early in the game, Head Coach Jamie Dumont wants his players to learn from this experience and be ready right out of the gate.

“We have to play complete hockey games. When the game starts at seven o’clock, it starts at seven o’clock. It does not start 10 minutes into the game,” Dumont said.  “We have to be ready to go right off the drop of the puck until the 60-minute mark.”

The team’s loss to the NESCAC-leading Mules came after an impressive record of 5-1-3 in its previous nine games. This stretch moved the Polar Bears towards the top of the league standings after a tough start to the season.

Despite the disappointing loss last Friday, Dumont maintains a positive outlook on the team’s progress this season.

“We had a really good run in January. Getting down 2-0, we could have folded, but I was proud of the way we responded and took it to them,” Dumont said. “We just have to find ways to come together and generate more offense. Obviously, I was not very happy with the result, but I was happy with our response and how we came back.”

Although Bowdoin lost the game, the team dominated in shots with 39 compared to Colby’s 14. The Polar Bears were able to control the offensive zone but struggled to generate quality chances and shots at the goal.

Chris Brown ’23 believes that the team needs to convert on more of their opportunities.

“Finding the back of the net has been something we’ve struggled with,” Brown said. ”We are third or fourth in the NESCAC in most shots. We just need to bear down and finish our rebounds and chances. We definitely wish we could get some of the bounces back and end up finishing stronger at the net.”

This game was the first that allowed student attendance this semester as the college attempted to mitigate COVID-19 infections. After receiving an email announcing the policy change, students packed Watson Arena and created a lively atmosphere behind the glass screens.

Brown captured the team’s sentiment towards student support.

“It was awesome—especially since the announcement came a couple of hours before the game,” Brown said. “Coming out for the second period, we were talking about how a third of the bowl was filled. It was awesome to have the support again.”

With only six games remaining, the Polar Bears are entering the final stretch of their season. The team has postseason aspirations and will need a strong finish for that dream to become reality.

“We want to go 6-0,” Brown said.

The Polar Bears return to the ice on Friday, February 4 at 7 p.m. against Hamilton College in Watson Arena.