Senior forward Chad Himley felt butterflies in his stomach before putting on his pads for the Illinois hockey team’s game against Oklahoma last Friday. The game would mark the first time Himley has played defense in nearly 14 years.

While the Illini lost 4-1 and eventually got swept, Himley was one of the few bright spots Illinois had all weekend.

“I honestly thought Himley was one of our best players this weekend,” head coach Nick Fabbrini said after Saturday’s contest. “He stepped right in at a position he was inexperienced at and did a great job.”

In Himley’s 15 games at forward this season, he managed to score two goals and nab three assists. He said the switch was beneficial to both him and the team.

“After (the 7-1 loss to) Ohio, Coach wanted to see what would happen with me back there,” Himley said. “I haven’t been producing like I’ve usually been able to in the past, so I was really open to the change.”

One of the biggest changes for Himley was the amount of ice time he received and will continue to receive as a defenseman. On a team stacked with forwards, finding time on the ice on offense has been a challenge for Himley. Out of the 23 games played this year for the Illini, he played sparingly as a forward in only 15 of them.

Himley said he was not ready for the dramatic increase in ice time during his debut on the blue line.

“The first game, I wasn’t really used to it, I played a lot more than I was used to,” he said. “In the second game, I didn’t run around as much trying to do too much. I conserved my energy a bit more, and I think that it didn’t really become an issue by the second game.”

Himley’s defensive pairing for the weekend, sophomore J.T. Turner, was once himself a forward. Turner played that position throughout his high school career and was converted to a defenseman once he joined the Illinois program.

“Turner’s just a good player,” Himley said. “He doesn’t say too much, but I try to communicate with him as much as possible because he’s also an offensive-minded player since he used to be a forward.”

Himley gives credit for his preparedness in large part to his fellow defensemen and assistant coach Chris Peter, who played defense for Illinois from 2008-11.

“All the guys on defense gave me tips and helped me out,” Himley said. “Chris Peter has been working with me a lot. My roommate (senior defenseman Kent Kovalsky) gives me little pointers here and there too.”

Skating ability is Himley’s biggest weapon, he said. Like fellow smooth-skating defenseman Mike Evans, Himley’s abilities allow him to become an extra attacker on offensive rushes, creating mismatches for the other team.

“Skating is something I’ve always worked really hard at, and it’s one of the things I’d say I’m better at,” he said. “My skating allows me to push forward on rushes and gives me enough time to get back and play defense.”

Himley’s play against Oklahoma seems to have cemented the two-way player’s role — one that he plans on keeping for the rest of the season.

Blake can be reached at [email protected].