It was a very long weekend for Michigan men’s hockey goalie Andrew Godosian.

The Wolverine goalie faced an Illini team that was very well-rested and hungry for victory.

After a weekend off for Thanksgiving, the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s No. 1 ranked team pummeled Michigan 7-0 and 11-3 last Friday and Saturday night in its final games of the semester.

“Both nights we got off to a slow start,” head coach Chad Cassel said. “The first 5-10 minutes of both nights, Michigan kind of took it to us, but as the games went on we got a lot stronger.”

Friday, the Illini offense was clicking on all levels, scoring seven times with seven different players and outshooting Michigan 45-17.

“Our offense makes it very easy on a coach,” Cassel said. “We are very balanced. From night to night it changes among all of our lines that we play, because each line is balanced. You never know who is going to produce for you, and some nights all four lines come out and produce for us.”

Michigan hung in with Illinois for most of the first period, but the Illini were able to get on the board when freshman forward Jason Nemeth found junior defenseman Alex Tauchen for his first goal of the season. The Illini added to its lead when sophomore Nick Fabbrini beat Godosian for a powerplay goal and his 15th goal of the season.

From the moment the puck was dropped in the second period, the Illini dominated the Wolverines, allowing only seven shots on goal during the rest of game. The Illini defense turned away Michigan at every opportunity, while the offense continued to sizzle, taking 30 shots of their own and scoring five more times to give the Illini a 7-0 victory.

With the win, Illinois junior goaltender Mike DeGeorge notched his 16th victory of the season and his sixth shutout of the season. DeGeorge’s save percentage so far this season ranks among the top in the ACHA at 93 percent.

“It’s a nice benefit having Mike in net every night,” senior forward Mike Roesch said. “In my mind he is the best goalie in the league. You know that if you do happen to have a breakdown he is going to probably make the save. Some of the saves he makes are incredible, and with any other goalie those shots would probably go in.”

After getting off to a slow start in the early moments of Saturday’s game, the Illini regained their form and started to light the lamp with consistency once again, scoring four times in the first period and then adding seven more before the game was over.

“We were able to spread the scoring out which was nice,” Roesch said. “We have been working on scoring in practice. Every time we go out for a shift we try to get a shot on net, and when you get good shots eventually they are going to go in.”

While the offense continued to flourish, reaching double digits in goals for the second time this year, DeGeorge continued his magnificent play in net, stopping all 18 shots he faced in two periods of play.

“With our offense as good as it is it keeps me relaxed,” DeGeorge said. “I know if I screw up that the offensive players are talented enough to pick me up.”

It took until 6:57 into the third period of Saturday’s game for Michigan to get on the scoreboard. But the three third period goals would not come close to enough to catch the Illini and avoid the sweep.

“We have been having the habit of winning big on Friday night and then letting up a little on Saturday and letting teams stay in the game, so it was nice to see two solid wins,” sophomore forward Drew Heredia said.

The Illini weekend was highlighted by Roesch, who had six points, and freshman sensation Johnny Liang, who had three goals and two assists. Liang leads the team in goals this season with 19, while Roesch leads the team and the ACHA in points with 43.

The wins over Michigan improved Illinois’ record to a perfect 18-0. The streak is the best start to a season in Illinois hockey history.

“Even at 18-0, there have been some ups and downs,” DeGeorge said. “But the bottom line is when you get W’s you’re doing something right.”