Senior goaltender Joseph Schmid last saw the ice on Feb. 24, 2023. Six hundred and twenty-four days later, this past Saturday, Schmid returned against the Iowa State Cyclones (3-10-1, 7 pts.).
Schmid celebrated the occasion with a 37-save shutout. Saturday was the first time this season that someone other than senior goaltender Nolan Woodring started in the net. Given Schmid’s recent performance, it may not be the last.
“The win in front of a home crowd like that is something I won’t forget,” Schmid said. “It’s something special.”
His best performance of the night came in the second period. The Cyclones fired 15 shots on the net and played with a 5-on-3 advantage for over a minute, but Schmid proved a brick wall through it all.
“I wasn’t trying to do too much on the three-on-five,” Schmid. “We were already doing a good job defensively, and [were] killing the first penalty well, so I just tried to keep the momentum going.”
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A series of firsts
Schmid’s performance marks not only his first collegiate career shutout but also the first time he’s played a full game of college hockey. The senior had appeared in just two games prior, both in early 2023. He had posted a 3.80 GAA and .913 SV% across 32 minutes.
Schmid wasn’t the only one to record a first in Saturday’s 2-0 victory. Sophomore forward Aidan Andrews and freshman forward Thatcher Beauchamp provided the goals. Both athletes lit the lamp for the first time in their collegiate careers this weekend, which is a huge accomplishment for the two.
Andrews scored in the final minutes of the second period. He grabbed a loose rebound and lifted it over Iowa State’s junior goaltender William Pinney. Three minutes later, Beauchamp also beat Pinney up high and scored from a tough angle at the side of the net.
Four Illini tallied their first assist of the season, as well. Freshman forward Nicholas Scavone and junior defenseman Matthew McDonald recorded assists on Saturday. Senior defensemen Nick Andersen and Luke Alpe also earned helpers during Friday’s 2-1 victory.
Andersen’s and Alpe’s assists helped goals by sophomore forward Anthony Varrassi, who now leads the Illini in goals outright (10). Varrassi has scored five goals over his past four games, doubling his season total.
The sophomore credits the team’s approach at practice to his offensive explosion.
“There is a new level of competition and attitude to win,” Varrassi said. “It’s been beneficial for me to treat every rep in practice just like a game.”
Varrassi is now tied for fifth on the Midwest College Hockey Division goals leaderboard. Freshman forward Carson Mitchell (8) is tied for 12th.
See you next year
Illinois (9-7-2, 20 pts.) wrapped up its six-game homestand this weekend. The team went 4-0-2, recording at least one point in all six games.
The Illini won’t play their next home game until January 2025. The team will travel to play cross-state rivals Northern Illinois and Illinois State before and after their Thanksgiving weekend bye before beginning their holiday break.
