In what was set to be a competitive weekend series between Illinois (3-3-0) and Iowa State (2-0-0), only one game ended up being played, which Iowa State took handily by a score of 6-1.
The Illini arrived in Ames all set for the first game of the weekend late Friday night, but no hockey ended up being played. The ice was deemed to be unplayable after a Zamboni malfunction earlier in the evening prevented rink staff from properly preparing the playing surface. As a result, Saturday night became a “winner take all” game for the weekend.
Illinois came into the game after a rough weekend against Purdue Northwest where it was held scoreless through six periods while surrendering nine goals on the other end. Unfortunately, this trend continued into Saturday night’s matchup as the Cyclones had no trouble getting their shots off.
Defense has been a struggle for the Illini all season, but head coach John Opilka made sure to note that their struggles on that end are not solely on the defensemen.
“We have to be more accountable in our defensive zone,” Opilka said. “It’s not just our defensemen. Our forwards have to be more willing to block shots and sacrifice for the better of the team. In a game as demanding as hockey, you have to be willing to pay the price in order to win.”
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Illinois has also developed a habit of playing shorthanded, as it once again racked up a slew of penalties. Being forced to play special teams early and often leads to an exhausted penalty kill and frustrating goals hitting the back of the net. No one is more frustrated about the amount of shots on goal than the Illini’s star tender tandem of senior Ben Mazurek and junior Nolan Woodring.
Both saw time in this game as Mazurek started, but got roughed up early allowing four goals on 26 shots while Woodring allowed two goals on 23 shots after coming on in relief. As good as they are, trying to win while facing 49 shots in a game — the Illini had 23 for comparison— is never a recipe for success.
“The accumulation of power plays and sustained pressure leads to Ben and Nolan seeing a lot of rubber, but our goaltenders have proven they are the backbone of this team,” Opilka said. “When you have good goaltending, you always have a chance to win on any given night.”
The one bright spot for the Illini was the lone goal scored by senior defenseman Atticus Helfer. It’s not often you see a defender put one past the tender, but Helfer took it upon himself to make sure Illinois’ scoring drought came to a close.
“I saw Doorsy (junior defenseman Joe Dorion) setting a perfect screen in front of the goalie, glove side was open and felt the best play was to shoot the puck,” Helfer recounted. “I think we don’t shoot the puck enough, you can’t score a goal without shooting.”
With the win, the Cyclones improved to an impressive 3-0-0 record. Iowa State is back in action as they host struggling Waldorf University (0-8-2) in two weeks.
As for the Illini, they drop their third straight game and fourth out of five as they fall to 3-4-0 on the young season. Illinois will look to turn it around on the road in Pelham, Alabama next week as it takes on the Alabama Crimson Tide (2-8-0).
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