Finally, they’re back in blue.

“It’s good to be back,” senior forward Jim Rogers said. “It was a great experience playing against European hockey teams.”

The Illini Hockey Club’s coach Chad Cassel, along with five starters, will return this weekend against northern neighbor Robert Morris College at the Ice Arena. It’s the first time since Dec. 4 the Illini will have a full roster, and with everyone, the Illini are 13-1-2.

Since the starters left the team shorthanded, Illinois is 3-3 and Rogers said the team is looking to win-out the rest of the season.

“After playing over there with the best players from other teams, we can just go right into the league playoffs and roll right through to nationals,” Rogers said.

But before nationals, the Illini are focused on a regular season championship. They have lost control of their own destiny, and would finish second to Ohio University if both teams were to win out. The standings aren’t a two-horse race, however. Central States Collegiate Hockey League newcomer Robert Morris College can beat both teams for the title if they can beat the Illini twice this weekend.

“We’re more confident now with our guys back from Austria, and also while they were gone, the other guys bonded a lot,” senior forward Steve Krates said. “So with all that it’s going to take us to a whole new level.”

The last time these two teams met, Illinois owned the Eagles, winning 6-1 and 9-2 in 2002. But since then the Eagles have gotten much better. They have the lowest number of goals scored against them in the league and have beaten No. 3 Ohio this season.

With conference play wrapping up in the next two weeks, everyone wants to have a better seed going into the playoffs, and the Illini are no exception.

“Now we have all our wheels rolling,” Rogers said. “We have a great team with everyone back.”