Illinois hockey defeated Michigan State 3-1 despite committing nine penalties on Saturday. After shutting out the Spartans 4-0 Friday, the weekend marks their first sweep since mid-February, when they outscored Alabama by a total of eight goals.
Senior goaltender Nolan Woodring played the hero for the Illini this weekend, stopping all but one of the shots he faced; no small feat against a Michigan State team featuring two returning 20-goal scorers.
“It comes down to trusting my preparation and focusing on the details,” said Woodring of his play. “I had some spurts when I wasn’t that busy thanks to the defense, but talking to myself during those times helped.”
Woodring’s play is even more impressive considering that he spent 24 minutes of game time this weekend with just four men in front of him. The Illini were called for three penalties on Friday in addition to their nine on Saturday.
In Friday’s contest, the team battled through a scoreless first before forward John McLaughlin gave the Illini the lead early in the second with his first goal of the season. Forward Carson Mitchell lit the lamp less than four minutes later. Then, 60 seconds after that, sophomore forward Anthony Varrassi scored the third Illini goal in less than five minutes. In the blink of an eye, Illinois led 3-0.
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Sophomore forward Aidan Taylor added another goal for good measure, putting the Illini up 4-0 which would ultimately be the final score. Woodring was a perfect 15/15 on saves in the net.
On Saturday, the Illini found themselves in trouble early. A series of penalties and defensive misplays gave the Spartans several golden opportunities, but Woodring made highlight-reel saves to keep the game 0-0.
It wasn’t until the closing minutes of the first that the Spartans netted their first goal of the series. Nicholas Borchardt scored on the power play through heavy traffic in front of the net.
When the horn sounded at the end of the period, the Illini had committed four penalties. There were several scrums as well, demonstrating a very physical game. The team also had a tough time getting through the Spartan defense, mustering only a few weak shots.
After a rough first period, Illinois looked much improved to open the second. They evened the score midway through the period after forward Nicholas Scavone scored his first goal of the year on a power play.
Early in the third, controversy erupted after Anthony Varrassi scored off the crossbar for Illinois’ first lead of the night. Michigan State goalie Connor Benoit threw his mask off to argue with the referee, however, his efforts proved futile.
The Illini clung to their one-goal lead through three more penalty kills until Alexander Matveev buried an empty netter in the closing seconds to seal the win. The Illini went 8/9 on the penalty kill, and Woodring stopped 22 of the 23 shots he saw.
“The ice made it difficult to hold onto the puck,” said senior defenseman Joe Dorion. “It forced us to be quick when deciding where and when to move the puck, and we had to utilize the boards and glass more to find success.”
Illinois (3-1-0, 6 pts.) now leads the Midwest College Hockey Conference. They are two points ahead of both Jamestown (2-2-0, 4 pts.) and McKendree (2-3-0. 4 pts.). Illinois is also the only team in the conference with a positive goal differential.
Minot State will visit the Illinois Ice Arena next weekend, seeking their first win of the season.
