Illini hold undefeated home record as fists fly
A general melee ensues during the third period of the Saturday game versus Eastern Michigan. Several players on both teams were ejected from the game and the Illini won 10-1. Brennan Caughron
December 8, 2008
After the Illini had their intensity questioned in the 5-0 loss to No. 2 Lindenwood on Nov. 22, they exuded it in the sweep of an Eastern Michigan team that wouldn’t go down without a fight.
On Friday, the Illini kicked off the series with a 3-0 win against the CSCHL cellar-dwelling Eagles, as Mike Burda recorded his fifth shutout of the season. As the 10-1 victory on Saturday came to an end, an all-out brawl broke out with all players on the ice, including the goaltenders, getting in the mix.
“It’s unfortunate,” head coach Chad Cassel said about the fight. “I think it was just a little frustration on (Eastern Michigan’s) part.
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“It was getting a little chippy, and the refs just lost control of the game a little bit. Had they been calling a lot of the stuff after the whistle I don’t think it would have happened,” Cassel added.
It started with a couple of late hits after the whistle, including a slash to the hand of junior defenseman, and team assist leader, Brad Hoelzer. He slammed his stick to the ice in frustration and was doubled over in pain.
“It’s frustrating just because when you do get up like that the other team starts to get frustrated, and that’s understandable, but when they started to get cheap and some slashes before the whistle or after the whistle it just kind of escalated,” senior captain Jordan Pringle said after Saturday’s game.
After all was said and done, eight players were ejected, resulting in minimum one-game suspensions. The Illini disqualifications were defensemen Brandon Goldblatt and Andy Betourne, forward Adam Goldblatt and goaltender DJ Kohler.
“The good thing about our team is that we’re really deep and have a lot of guys that would be playing on other teams that, unfortunately, have to sit in the stands for us,” Pringle said. “So it will give them an opportunity to hop in and show what they’ve got.”
Despite the rash of penalties at the end, the Illini only gave the Eagles a man advantage seven times and killed every one. After a disappointing 0-for-6 conversion on power plays Friday, the Illini extended a sizeable lead Saturday by converting 8-of-11 chances.
Pringle led the offensive charge with three goals on the weekend for 18 in the season, and Hoelzer pitched in with three assists.
Senior forward Jason Nemeth continued his climb up the Illini career points list with two goals and two assists, passing former teammate Mike Roesch at 192 for fifth all-time.
“That was pretty cool,” Nemeth said. “He was an unbelievable player and passing him was just a great experience in itself.”
Now, the Illini head into a month-long break with a record of 16-2-0 overall and 9-1-0 in the CSCHL. The team returns Jan. 9 for a two series against Western Michigan and No. 3-ranked Penn State. Even with the top ranking, Coach Cassel isn’t pleased with the inconsistent play of the team, leaving the players happy to end the first half with a sweep.
“We had a bitter taste in our mouth from Lindenwood, and guys definitely wanted to leave the semester,” Pringle said. “We’re off for almost a month so it’s good to go out on a note like this.”
