If there was ever a time for the Illini (16-9-3, 35 pts.) to be playing their best hockey of the season, it’s right now. Their final ranked games of the season approach, but the Illini are ready. The team is undefeated in the new year, having won six consecutive games. They’ll carry that into the series against the No. 18 Purdue Northwest Pride (13-7-2, 30 pts.) this weekend.
Offensive explosion
The Illini scored a season-high 11 goals this past weekend in their series against the Huskies. It was somewhat surprising, considering the team still has one of the lowest-scoring offenses in the division.
A balanced ambush from the top-heavy offense saw eight players light the lamp. Senior forward Bailey McCarthy notched his first point of the year. Junior defenseman Matthew McDonald added to the fun and scored his first goal of the season.
Senior forward Alexander Matveev and freshman forward Carson Mitchell also earned their share of points. Both had multi-goal weekends.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“We did a lot better job of moving the puck low to high and changing sides in the o-zone,” Mitchell said about the offense’s play in the series. “If we want to have the same type of success moving forward, we have to force other teams and goalies to defend that type of system.”
Something has to give
For as hot as the Illini have been playing as of late, one stat still haunts the team ahead of this series: their 0-6 record against ranked opponents.
Illinois played extremely well in its early-season matchup with No. 1 Minot State. It then got completely dismantled by No. 5 Jamestown. In the final series of the three, Illinois was just plain beaten by No. 18 Purdue Northwest.
Heading into their previous tangle with the Pride, the Illini rode a two-game winning streak. Now, the team has won their last six in a row. The Pride succeeded in the previous series by beating senior goaltender Nolan Woodring and the defense in game one. They won game two in shutout fashion.
Illinois’ offense is now enjoying an almost unprecedented level of success. Woodring is playing as sharp as ever following his second shutout of the season.
The Illini will put their winning streak on the line against their No. 18 ranked opponents at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Kube Sports Complex. The series ends at 7 p.m. on Saturday at home.
@BrendanGallian
