WATERVILLE, ME. – A late goal scored by Isabelle Allieri '25 with less than three minutes in regulation brought the Wesleyan women's ice hockey team within one goal, but it wasn't enough to tie the game up as third-seeded, No. 10 Colby College walked away with a 3-2 NESCAC quarterfinal victory, ending Wesleyan's season, on Saturday afternoon from Colby's Jack Kelley Rink.

The Mules (17-7-1 overall, 8-7-1 NESCAC) took off running from the opening faceoff, controlling much of the first five minutes of action as they managed a flurry of six shots on Cardinals goaltender Rei Halloran '23. The Cardinals responded in kind, picking up the pace with three shots from Caroline Kee '26 and Shannon Burke 25, but the Mules' offensive push gave them their first lead of the game at 8:15. Meg Rittenhouse opened the scoring, her shot sending the puck between the legs of Halloran after several attempts to bat the puck over the line after it came around the back of the net.

Refusing to allow the Mules to hold their lead, Dylan Green '26 tied the game with her seventh goal of the season less than a minute after Rittenhouse. At the far boards, Sam DeLeo '25 made the cross-ice pass to Green in the neutral zone before Green rushed the Mules' zone, taking her shot from out above the left circle. Green's wrister sent the puck between Mandy Busky's blocker and left pad.

The second period saw the Mules take another lead, posting two goals in three minutes. Megan Martodam struck first as the Mules won the faceoff down in the Mules' zone, skating the puck down to Halloran on her own as she deked around Joyce Sun '24 before sending the puck over Halloran's shoulder. With the Cardinals called for a hooking minor at the halfway point of the second period, the Mules tallied their second goal on the power play thanks to Breanna Studley. Busky sent the puck out to Studley at center ice before a wrister from down front put the puck behind Halloran.

At the eight-minute mark of the final regulation period, the Cardinals had several opportunities as several players attempted to shove the puck over the goal line at the left post but Busky kicked it away every time. Another hooking call gave the Cardinals their own man advantage with five minutes remaining in the game.

With Green and DeLeo at the top of the power-play, Green made the short cross pass to DeLeo before DeLeo took the initial shot on Busky. The puck deflected into the left corner off  Allieri's stick to bring the score within one goal. But with less than three minutest to go, the Cardinals could not tie the game and the Mules advanced to the NESCAC semifinal game.

Kee led all Cardinals with six shots on goal while DeLeo finished the game with two assists. Kee also won 10 draws off the faceoff.

In goal, Halloran finished the afternoon with 38 saves while Busky made 28 saves for the Mules at the opposite end of the ice.

The Cardinals finish their season with a 12-10-3 overall record, going 7-7-2 in the NESCAC in their best season since the 1998-99 team went 15-8-2. Through 25 games, the Cardinals won five games against nationally ranked teams, downing Amherst on the road for the first time in 22 years before sweeping Middlebury for the program's first sweep of a ranked opponent.

Leading the team in scoring, Christina Tournas '25 scored nine goals and added five assists for 14 points. Brigitte Goeler-Slough '23 was the Cardinals assists and points leader with 11 assists and six goals for 17 points. Goeler-Slough ends her career with the Cardinals with 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points. Jenna Stevens '24 led the team with 31 blocks and ends her career with eight goals and 20 assists for 28 points.

Halloran went 8-10-3 this season, making 613 saves. Halloran ends her career as a Cardinal with a 25-36-5 record, making a total of 1,754 saves with a .924 save percentage and 2.20 goals against. Halloran collected eight career shutouts.