At least one Illinois team in helmets and pads had no trouble scoring this weekend.

This weekend the Illini Hockey Club hammered Ferris State, 4-1 and 10-2 – improving their record to 5-1.

Even though Friday night’s game showed shades of last week’s 4-3 loss against Michigan, sophomore goaltender Mike DeGeorge played well to keep the game out of reach for the ClubDawgs.

Illinois dominated the entire game, scoring three times in the first two periods and holding Ferris State to 16 shots the entire game. After the scoring bursts in the first two periods, Illinois coasted to a victory.

Half of Illinois’ goals came from rookies Nick Fabbrini and Drew Heredia, who have been producing early and often for the Illini.

Senior forward Scott Kohler said it is great to see the rookies battling hard and playing well this early in the season. But head coach Chad Cassel said he still thinks the young squad has plenty of room for improvement.

“Our entire freshman class has played well, but they have also made a lot of mistakes,” he said. “We have a long way to go.”

Saturday, the Illini took control early, battered Ferris State along the boards and never looked back.

Senior forward Brian Coleman led by example, playing physical from the start and scoring three goals in a row – a power-play goal, a shorthanded goal and an even strength goal – for a natural hat trick.

“I really got lucky on the first two,” Coleman said. “I just kind of threw it on net, and the goalie helped me out. It just felt good to finally help the team out a little.”

The Illini never let up, scoring seven more times in the game, and it was 9-0 before Ferris State got on the board. Four of Illinois’ goals came on the power play, which has been virtually unstoppable so far this season.

“The guys are just moving the puck well, shooting the puck, keeping it simple, not trying to do too much out there,” Cassel said. “We’re doing a great job getting traffic in front on both power plays and even strength, so the goaltender is having a tough time seeing the puck, and that’s the key.”

On Friday, the Illini were scoreless in four power plays. On Saturday, they turned it around, scoring four times in seven chances.

It’s an ominous trend gathering steam this season – flat on Friday, sharp on Saturday.

Of the 45 goals the Illini have scored this season, 33 have come on Saturdays. The team is 6.67 percent on the power play Friday nights, but 54.2 percent on Saturdays. The last time the Illini scored a power-play goal on a Friday night was Oct. 1, their first game of the season.

“I wish I had the answer, but I think it’s more mental than anything,” Cassel said. “It’s definitely been a pattern, and it’s something we’ll have to get over.”

Now the Illini will head west to Ames, Iowa for two of their four straight conference games against rival Iowa State.

“We’re in for a battle,” Cassel said.