The No. 25 Illini (7-7-0, 14 pts.) have had a busy week, and they have yet to even play a minute of hockey.
Illinois was ranked in the latest American College Hockey Association poll, appearing for the first time this season. Illinois is one of six teams to debut in this week’s poll, which was the first to be determined by computer rankings rather than league coaches.
The team also showed off a new powder blue uniform that they will wear in both games this weekend against the McKendree Bearcats (6-7-0, 12 points). This weekend, the Illini take to the ice on Friday and Saturday with hopes of maintaining their strong momentum.
A familiar foe
The Bearcats are the first repeat opponent for the Illini this season.
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Illinois last played McKendree in the opening series on Sept. 13 and 14. Illinois won the opener in a 7-3 blowout, while division-rival McKendree returned the favor in a 5-1 game two victory.
The two foes meet again in similar positions, with just two points separating them in the standings. The Illini, however, occupy third place, while the Bearcats are in sixth. This means that this weekend’s games could provide a major shift in the division.
In its last meeting, Illinois’ offense netted eight goals across the two-game series. Junior forward Gregory Etingen recorded a hat trick in game one. The team goal-leader, freshman forward Carson Mitchell, notched his first.
Can the offense continue to thrive?
The Illinois offense has proved to be somewhat inconsistent so far this season. Right now, the unit is buzzing coming off of one of their best performances of the season from its recent series against Toledo.
Mitchell, who scored short-handed this past weekend, not only leads the team in goals (8), but is tied for 16th-most on the ACHA Division 1 leaderboard. Mitchell also leads the team in points (16), while senior center Alexander Matveev (14) and Etingen (13) are just behind.
Freshman forward David Ras will be a major factor, as well. Ras broke a cold stretch this past weekend by deking two Toledo defenders en route to his fifth goal of the season.
McKendree’s goaltending has played slightly better than Toledo’s tandem. Illinois’ offense will need to play with the fire it found against Toledo in order to keep playing hot.
“We need to practice throughout the week with the same intensity we played with on Saturday,” said senior defenseman Nick Andersen, who netted the shootout-winning goal in game one against the Rockets. “If we can do that, we’ll put ourselves in a position to keep this streak rolling.”
Puck drop for both of the father’s weekend games is 7 p.m.
Brendan Gallian
