After winning the team’s first Central State Collegiate Hockey League conference tournament title in three years the Illinois men’s hockey team returns home this weekend for its final home games of the season.

But the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s fourth-ranked Illini (27-5-1) won’t just return home with a first place trophy. Five different Illini players took home individual league awards after last weekend’s tournament.

Junior goaltender Mike DeGeorge walked away with the CSCHL tournament’s Most Valuable Player award and made the All-Tournament team for the second straight year in a row. DeGeorge and senior defenseman Andy Lubesnick were named first-team all-conference selections. Senior Mike Roesch and freshman Johnny Liang were named to the conference’s second team, while Liang also received Rookie of the Year honors. Roesch, Lubesnick, and junior Marshall Chubirka were also named to the league’s all-academic team.

“I was really happy for Mike,” head coach Chad Cassel said. “He’s been struggling a little this year but has been playing well for us at the right time. As far as the league honors, when the team does well the individual awards follow. But the important thing was that we were able to win the league tournament.”

It’s not just the star players who have been the key to the Illini’s success. The younger players on the team have been stepping up and doing their part for the Illini of late.

“Last weekend some of our younger guys carried the load for us,” Cassel said. “Freshman Jordan Pringle played outstanding for us all last weekend and sophomore Alex Park scored a couple of huge goals for us. When they play well it just adds to our depth.”

Even after the big wins last weekend the Illini know they still need to try to fine tone their game heading into the final home games and the national tournament.

“We can’t change much,” DeGeorge said. “We’re going to keep working on the same things in practice that we have been. We just have to try to work harder and just try to do everything even better.”

While the Illini know they are preparing for the national tournament in two weeks, they realize they still have to take care of business at home this weekend against the ACHA’s Division-II Minnesota Golden Gophers.

“I don’t think we’ll overlook them,” Cassel said. “It’s senior weekend for our three guys and they will be excited to play. I think it’s important that their teammates send them off in the right way, and hopefully that will be the case.”

The Illini will welcome the Gophers (12-14-1) Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the University of Illinois Ice Arena. The Illini defeated the Gophers in two games last season 9-0 and 3-2. The games will also be the last home games of seniors Roesch, Lubesnick and captain Steve Krates’ careers.

“I’m sure it will be tough,” Krates said. “These four years have really flown by. It hasn’t really fazed me yet, but I know when we go out there for the last time in front of the home crowd it will hit us. But overall it’s been a great four years, so we couldn’t ask for anything else.”