Dads Weekend debuted a new look for Illinois and brought Ice Arena’s largest crowd this season. To the dismay of the large crowds, Illinois (7-7-2, 16 pts.) fell short of finding a win against McKendree (8-7, 16 pts.)
Illinois lost Friday’s game in overtime 4-3. It was déjà vu on Saturday with another McKendree overtime victory by the same score. Both game-winning goals came in the closing minutes of overtime, crushing Illinois’ hopes of a victory. Illinois has fallen to No. 6 in the division as McKendree squeaks by.
Unlucky weekend to start the month
It was a frustrating loss for the Illini in Friday’s game. They were in control for the majority of it, but multiple unlucky scenarios arose. The Illini seemed far away when there were loose puck opportunities or were victims of wild saves made by the Bearcats’ senior goalie, Chad Purdy.
Illinois senior goalie Nolan Woodring took a seat for the first time this season. Head coach John Opilka decided to put in freshman Grady Sulkin in the third period of game one and the overtime period.
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Sulkin played a good game for the most part. His only mistake came at a crucial moment when he misplayed the overtime-winning goal. Also, Woodring had a moment where he misplayed a goal he usually blocks. Woodring couldn’t gain control of the puck, and it slid on by to give McKendree another goal.
Frustration started to settle with Illinois, which resulted in a very rare full-blown fight between Illinois freshman forward Roman Chaian and McKendree freshman forward Isaac Fuller. Real hockey fights are almost unavoidable in the American Collegiate Hockey Association.
Both players had their helmets off and threw a few punches. Fuller was disqualified from the game, but Chaian remained.
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take
The Illini have repeatedly preached they need to win the shots-on-goal battle. They want to take as many shots as possible, and eventually, they will start finding the bottom of the net. Illinois won the shots-on-goal battle on Friday 35-29.
The Bearcats had the same plan going into Saturday’s game as they won the shots on goal matchup 42-36. They ended up tying with 71 shots on goal for the weekend, showing how tight the games were.
Sophomore forward Anthony Varrassi took advantage of this weekend. He scored three goals, which brought his season total to eight. Varrassi and freshman forward Carson Mitchell now lead the team with the most goals scored this season (8).
Illinois is now out of the top 25, but fans can expect a major bounce-back this weekend. Illinois will prepare for Iowa State (3-8-1, 7 pts.) this week at home. With two very winnable games, Illinois can get back to its winning ways and back up the division and rankings.
@Jon_Mathew23
