Facing its toughest matchup of the year, the Illinois hockey team was able to come away with a split against No. 2 Ohio (12-2-0) in front of a home crowd.

Despite the difference in rank, the No. 8 Illini (10-3-2) matched the intensity of the Bobcats in both games, with each game coming down to a matter of bounces.

Friday’s game was the most complete effort Illinois has played all year, as it played flawless defensive zone coverage en route to a shocking 5-0 victory over Ohio. Senior forward Scott Barrera led the team with two goals and junior goaltender Nick Clarke pitched his first shutout of the year, stopping all 23 shots that came his way. Saturday’s contest saw the Bobcats take a close one 3-1.

“This is right up there in my top-three wins of my career,” Clarke said. “This one was huge, especially at home. That was the biggest crowd we’ve had all year; the fans were into it, it was awesome.”

The key to Illinois’ dominant Game One victory was the shot blocking in the defensive zone, as the Illini blocked over 20 shots from getting to the net.

“That’s how we’re going to play every game going forward,” head coach Nick Fabbrini said. “Good teams are going to play in your end, they’re going to get chances to shoot. If you got guys blocking shots and willing to sacrifice their body, those pucks aren’t going to be able to go in.”

Ohio was able to beat Clarke for three goals on Saturday, while a flurry of chances from Illinois led to a series of near misses that could have resulted in a sweep for the Illini. Freshman forward John Olen scored the only goal of the game for Illinois, firing a one-timer past the Bobcats’ goaltender late in the first period.

Questionable officiating late in the third period resulted in a no-call on a potential Illini penalty shot that would have put the team within one goal. Junior forward Eddie Quagliata was pulled down from behind on a breakaway chance, which resulted in a missed shot taken from his knees.

“Sometimes you’re going to get the calls and sometimes you’re not,” Quagliata said. “It seemed to go their way a little bit this game, but I’m not going to complain about it or anything like that.”

When asked about the officiating, Fabbrini said the refereeing of the game was “a shame.”

“It’s unfortunate when refs try and make the game more about them than the players on the ice,” he said. “I think that’s kind of what (referee) Flynn did tonight.

Fabbrini did not directly attribute the officiating to his team’s loss.

“The ref is not the reason we lost the game,” he said. “We had plenty of chances, even with everything that went on, to be in the game and tie the game. I don’t think he helped us at all but he wasn’t the reason we lost.”

Blake can be reached at [email protected] and Twitter @BlakeP.