In a weekend doubleheader that saw Illini hockey (3-1) face off against Purdue Northwest (2-2), Illinois was shut out and lost by a combined total of 9-0. Friday night was Illinois’ first away game of the season, traveling to Kube Sports Complex in Indiana after picking up a combination of in-state and conference victories to start the season. The Illini’s most recent appearance was a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Michigan State compared to Purdue Northwest’s most recent pair of 5-0 losses to Adrian College.
It was a tough start for the Illini on both ends of the ice, and by the end of the first period, they trailed 3-0. Although Illinois contained its opponents more effectively in the second period, Purdue Northwest tacked on another goal after eight minutes. Illinois was unable to get past Purdue Northwest’s goalie, sophomore Cooper Olson, who made 15 saves on 15 shots. Despite the scoreboard, the Illini goalies were not making it easy, as senior Ben Mazurek and junior Nolan Woodring spent time in front of the net and racked up 28 saves each.
When it was all said and done, Purdue Northwest shut out Illinois en route to a 6-0 victory. Fortunately for the Illini, a shot at redemption in front of the home crowd was just 24 hours away.
However, early into round two, Illinois was in another hole after giving up a goal within the first three minutes of the game. That ended up being the lone goal of the first period, but Purdue Northwest put an incredible amount of pressure on Illinois’ net and totaled 19 shots by the first buzzer.
Halfway through the second period, Illinois and Purdue Northwest traded power plays. Illinois was the first to be one man up but was unable to capitalize on the advantage. A penalty on junior defenseman Nick Andersen flipped the script and gave Purdue Northwest its own power play. Within seconds, Purdue Northwest scored to increase its lead to 2-0.
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Missed opportunities on special teams continued to pile up for Illinois in the third period, and Purdue Northwest ultimately tacked on a late third goal to end with a score of 3-0.
Purdue Northwest improved to 4-2 on the season and will face Indiana Tech next week, while Illinois dropped to 3-3 and is gearing up for a two-game slate at Iowa State next weekend.
@Jon_Mathew23
