It was a tough weekend last time out against Illinois State, but Illinois (6-7-0) went into the weekend looking for redemption at home against McKendree University (5-6-0). The Illini dropped game one by a score of 3-2 after a failed rally but were able to jump out early in game two and pick up their own 3-2 win for the series split.
The Illini were back at full strength in the goaltending department, as they went with their usual split with senior Ben Mazurek starting on Friday and junior Nolan Woodring starting on Saturday. Both of the backstops stopped over 90% of the shots they faced in their respective starts.
In game one, Illinois went down 2-0 in the second period before crawling back into it with goals from freshman forward Anthony Varrassi and senior utility Atticus Helfer. However, McKendree snuck one past Mazurek in the seventh minute of the third period, a goal that it never looked back from.
In game two, the Illini jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on goals from graduate forward Alek Bogdonoff, senior forward Peter Campisi and senior forward Alexander Matveev. Despite a third-period rally from the Bearcats, McKendree was never able to fully claw back as Woodring stood on his head when the team needed him most.
Special teams played a huge factor in both games, as they usually do, but the Illini overall held the scoring edge over the course of the weekend. Head coach John Opilka expressed the belief that Illinois may finally get over that scoring hump that hampered it early this year.
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“I think we are starting to understand what it takes to be successful on special teams,’’ Opilka said. “On the power play, we have to take what they give us and shoot the puck. On the penalty kill, we need to protect the middle of the ice, have good sticks and a willingness to block shots.”
Despite not hearing his name called in the goal department, there was still plenty of involvement from the Illini’s leading scorer, sophomore forward Gregory Etingen. Finishing the weekend with three assists on his team’s five goals, Etingen has no trouble putting his teammates in a position to succeed even when he’s not finding the back of the net.
Opilka had plenty of praise when it came to the sophomore and his true impact on every single game.
“Greg can push defensemen back and create space with his speed,” Opilka said. “His skating allows him to find time and space to make plays. He has great chemistry with his linemates and is able to find them in scoring areas.”
The long break between games differs from normal collegiate sports since a club sport operates differently than those affiliated with Illini Athletics. It just makes practice that much more important, according to Opilka, as Illinois plans to make the most of its time off.
“Compete every day in practice,” Opilka said. “We have to push each other every day to get better and not take a step back. Take the opportunity to work on some things in our game and build on what we have been preaching.”
Illinois (7-8-0) steps onto the ice one final time this semester as it welcomes Purdue back to Champaign, this time in the form of its Division Three team. Illinois will look to avenge the brutal sweep it suffered at the hands of the Purdue Division One team back in October. Both games take place at the Ice Arena on Dec. 1 and 2, with 7 p.m. puck drop on both nights.
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