Final exams came early for the Illini hockey club. The results? Six out of 8 points.

A goal by senior forward Jim Rogers with 20 seconds left sent Saturday’s game into overtime. The Illini lost in a shootout, but combined with the 3-2 win Friday, the Illini swiped six points from defending national champion Ohio.

In the race for a league title, the Illini now control their own destiny, but Illini head coach Chad Cassel said he wasn’t satisfied.

“Our goal from the beginning was to win all eight points and we obviously came up short, which is disappointing,” Cassel said.

But Cassel said he was proud of the effort and hard work the team has shown so far this season.

The Illini led Ohio for most of Friday’s game and headed into the third period tied 2-2 – a time when special teams would prove to be the difference. A power-play goal by senior forward Brian Coleman gave Illinois the lead with just over five minutes left.

They then killed off two penalties to maintain the lead and the victory.

With teams as evenly matched as Illinois and Ohio, Cassel said, special teams are what make the difference.

“(Friday night) we scored two on the power play, they score one – we win by a goal,” he said.

Saturday, special teams played a huge role again when a questionable call gave Ohio a power play.

Sophomore forward Marshall Chubirka was called for kneeing when he and an Ohio player collided in the corner in what appeared to be accidental. Chubirka tore his ACL on the play and left the game.

The Bobcats scored on the resulting power play to tie the game.

“It looked like the guys just collided,” Rogers said. “Honestly, I don’t think it should be up to the referees to decide the outcome of a game.”

With 3:17 left in the third, Ohio took the lead. An Illini turnover in the neutral zone during a defensive line change led to a Bobcat breakaway.

“Ohio’s a very good team,” Cassel said. “You make an errant pass, they pick it off. A quick transition the other way and we’re caught.”

Cassel called a timeout and pulled sophomore goaltender Mike DeGeoge with 56 seconds left in favor of the extra attacker. It paid off.

Rogers didn’t get everything on his shot, but it was enough to send the game to overtime.

Despite the opportunities for both teams, the five-minute overtime solved nothing and the game went to a shootout.

“I’ve been there before, so I wasn’t as nervous as everyone else, but your heart pounds,” DeGeorge said. “You get used to being under pressure being a goalie.”

DeGeorge played well all weekend and has been excellent in previous shootouts, but he couldn’t stop Ohio’s final chance, giving the Bobcats the win. Cassel placed the blame on the shooters.

“You’re not going to win very many shootouts without scoring any goals,” Cassel said.

Despite the disappointing finish, the Illini are happy with the way the season has gone so far and are emphasizing the positives.

“Ohio’s a good judge of how good we can be and when we were playing 5-on-5, we controlled the game for the most part,” Cassel said.

This weekend paves the way for the Illini to win the league championship if they win the rest of their conference games – which is not unrealistic.

The Illini are now 14-1-2 overall and 9-0-1 in the league, but Cassel believe the Illini still have not realized their full potential.

“We have a long way to go and a lot to learn, and we can definitely play better,” he said. “But our guys never give up, and we win games when we’re not playing our best. That’s the sign of a good team.”