With 6:38 gone in the first period in the first of a two-game series against Lindenwood, the Illinois hockey team was feeling confident. Junior Jacob Matysiak had just buried a go-ahead goal to put the Illini up 2-1 in a hostile road environment in Wentzville, Mo.

Things would sour quickly for the Illini, as they gave up a goal 19 seconds later and two more in the period en route to a 7-4 Lindenwood victory Friday night. While Friday was a high-scoring affair, the defenses came to play in the finale, which resulted in a 2-1 overtime win for Illinois.

“Friday’s game was a disappointment for us with the effort we gave in such an important game,” head coach Nick Fabbrini said. “There was just a lack of energy and intensity on our part, and (Lindenwood) came to play.”

There was a playoff-like intensity to the games, as the two teams are extremely familiar with each other. In their first meeting this season Nov. 9-10, the Lions and the Illini spawned a full-fledged brawl that led to multiple suspensions for players on both sides. Although the gloves didn’t drop this weekend, the teams were extremely physical on the ice.

“It was a very, very physical game between the whistles,” forward Scott Barrera said. “Everything was legal, and there was a lot of hitting.”

Despite the physicality, the Illini couldn’t keep Lindenwood off the scoreboard at all on Friday — so much so that Fabbrini was forced to pull starting goaltender Nick Clarke in the first period. Backup Rob Schmidt entered the game and made 31 saves in the crease, which Fabbrini called a “bright spot” in Friday’s game, but Lindenwood had too much firepower, stifling any comeback hopes.

The volume of shots that Lindenwood threw on net was a problem for Illinois; the Lions fired 49 shots in each of the games, compared with just 36 and 31 for Illinois, respectively.

“I think we left Clarke out to dry on Friday,” Fabbrini said. “There’s not a whole lot he could’ve done on those goals. We’ve done that a lot to him this year.”

Clarke, along with better help from the defense, would turn things around Saturday. The goaltender recorded 48 saves in the game, and Barrera provided the offense for Illinois, notching both goals to eke out a 2-1 win in the extra period.

While the team’s flat play on Friday could have been attributed to the holiday break, Fabbrini said he wasn’t buying it.

“I think the break may have played a bit of a role, but that’s just an excuse, to be honest with you,” he said. “I think it’s just a mental thing for us … giving up a goal 30 seconds into the game is showing you’re not ready to play.”

Stephen can be reached at [email protected] and on twitter @steve_bourbon.