No sport screams the holidays like skating on the ice. Stepping into the chilly arena and watching the Illini is a perfect wintertime activity in Champaign. Here is the nice and the naughty list for Illinois hockey.
Nice: Young hockey forward core
There was some concern about the future of the Illini offense heading into this season. After all, three of the five leading point-getters from last year’s team are either current seniors or have already graduated.
Those concerns have been wiped out by a strong freshman class and steady performances from key sophomores. This season, five of the seven players who have recorded multiple goals are either freshmen or sophomores. As a result, all of these young players qualify on Illinois Santa’s nice list.
Freshman forward Carson Mitchell is tied for the team lead in goals (10) and is the outright leader in points (20). Sophomore forward Anthony Varrassi shares the goal lead with Mitchell, while freshman forwards David Ras (7) and Roman Chaian (3) and sophomore forward David Etingen (6) also rank among the team’s goal leaders.
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Despite this new offensive wave, the team is scoring less than last season, averaging a dismal 2.72 goals per game. The Illini’s defense and goaltending have kept the team in contention, but a little luck could go a long way.
Naughty: Puck luck
It might be unfair to call dumb luck naughty since it’s not inherently good or bad for anyone. Whatever you might call it, though, the Illini have not had it as of late.
Since the beginning of November, the team holds a 3-3-2 record, which represents a similar stretch to the team’s overall 10-9-3 record. The difference is — of the team’s five losses since Nov. 1 — the Illini have outshot their opponents in three of them.
Hockey, as a sport, leads to outcomes like this quite often. But it’s still a tough run for the Illini to endure, especially as they try to climb to the top of a mid-division dogfight.
The most egregious example of bad luck for Illinois came on Nov. 15, when the team outshot Northern Illinois 51-29 but lost at the hands of junior goaltender Matthew Jurgens.
The Illini should be able to find success in the new year if they keep shooting this much. But, of course, they will need a little luck.
