Friday night was everything the Illini (18-11-3, 39 pts.) could have hoped for. The team shut out its in-state rivals, the feisty Illinois State Redbirds (15-16-3, 34 pts.), 3-0.
“It felt great, obviously, because it’s an in-state rival,” said freshman forward Mason Kading. “To shut them out 3-0 is pretty good. Nice win there for the team.”
That win, the team’s seventh straight at home, propelled Illinois over Illinois State in the Midwest College Hockey division standings. Illinois then owned the No. 2 seed and was two points ahead of Illinois State with one more game to play.
“Friday night was awesome,” said freshman forward Carson Mitchell. “It was a pretty good, solid, dominating performance for us.”
However, Saturday night was a disaster.
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“Friday night, I thought we all played really well, and we were excited to keep things rolling,” said senior forward Alexander Matveev. “Saturday didn’t really work out as we would hope.”
Senior Night celebration turns sour
The pregame atmosphere was one of celebration. Balloons filled the arena, and orange streamers flanked the railings above the rink. It was a party, and the guests of honor were the team’s nine seniors.
Illinois State spoiled that party with three goals in a six-minute span to close out the first period. It was the first time senior goaltender Nolan Woodring had surrendered three goals in a period in nearly four months.
“You spot anybody three goals in the first period, it’s going to be pretty tough to come out on the right side of it,” said head coach John Opilka.
Try as they might to dig themselves out, the Illini only found one goal in the second period, courtesy of Matveev. The team entered its final period of regular season hockey down by two.
However, Illinois refused to go down in vain. Mitchell scored his third goal of the weekend just minutes into the period. Shortly after, freshman forward David Ras lit the lamp to even the score, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
A Redbird regulation win was the only result that could force the coveted No. 2 seed from the Illini. Down 3-0, it seemed a likely prospect. Now, with the teams tied heading into the final 10 minutes, anything was possible.
The newfound hope that filled the air proved short-lived. Redbird senior Will Tricarico scored his 19th goal of the season just a minute after Ras. Then, he netted his 20th soon after.
The 5-3 hole was too much for the Illini to overcome. They were on the penalty kill with just under two minutes left when a Redbird player was knocked unconscious after a big hit. The medical emergency ended the game right there. It was the right call, according to Opilka.
Woodring said that the incident was about more than just hockey, and he hopes the injured player makes a quick and full recovery.
1 more game
The two rivals shook hands after time expired. A few Illini exchanged hugs before returning to the locker room. A few stayed out a little longer, seemingly reminiscing on their overall careers.
“It was not the way you wanted the night to go,” Matveev said after Saturday. “But the way the game works out, sometimes is you don’t get it the way you want it.”
The mood inside the locker room was tough to describe. Mitchell struggled to pin down exactly what it was.
“A lot of the guys were … not sad, but it was kind of a weird feeling,” Mitchell said. “Just knowing you’re never going to step foot back in that locker room in front of the home crowd.”
The Redbird victory delivered them the No. 2 seed, while the Illini are stuck with the No. 3. That brings a matchup with No. 5 Jamestown this Friday in Bloomington.
“We still have one more game left,” Matveev said. “We’re focused on preparing for that and working on fixing the mistakes of this weekend and making sure we don’t make them again next weekend.”
@BrendanGallian
