Before the puck dropped Friday night, the Illinois hockey team sat in fourth place in the CSCHL standings. When the final horn sounded Saturday, the Illini were regular season conference champions.

No. 9 Illinois completed a weekend sweep of No. 4 Robert Morris in its last conference games of the year, winning 3-1 Friday and 4-1 Saturday. The Illini vaulted past idle No. 5 Ohio, No. 7 Lindenwood — which was swept by No. 13 Iowa State — and Robert Morris in the conference standings with the victories.

“I would bet at the beginning of the year, no one would have thought we would be regular season champions,” head coach Nick Fabbrini said. “We’ve really stepped it up a notch second semester.”

With the team knowing it needed a sweep to earn the conference crown, the Illini lit the lamp early Friday. After getting on the power play just 28 seconds into the first period, the Illini wasted no time with the man advantage. Freshman John Olen found the back of the net from the point nine seconds into the power play to start off the scoring for Illinois.

After exchanging goals later in the first to make it 2-1, the Illini would endure penalty trouble in the second period. After Eddie Quagliata picked up a holding penalty a little over 16 minutes into the period, the Illini would lose another man when Nick Stuercke was called for hooking 47 seconds later. 

Illinois would kill the 5-on-3 penalty but went right back to being down two men when there were too many players on the ice during a shift change. Yet the Illini would kill all the penalties once again and get out of the period unscathed.

“5-on-3’s are a big momentum swing one way or another,” Fabbrini said. “It breaks them a little bit to have two extended 5-on-3’s, and they didn’t even get very many good looks.”

While the game was close throughout the third period, center Matt Welch was able to get the insurance goal the Illini needed to put the game away. 

Not too long after Illinois went up 3-1, the PA announcer read off that Lindenwood had lost to Iowa State — a loss Illinois needed to have a shot at the CSCHL title — eliciting a roar from the Big Pond crowd.

With the conference title on the line Saturday, the Illini came out apprehensive, giving up a goal three minutes into the game and only mustering six shots on net. The team would find some energy at the end of the period, when forward Scott Barrera dropped the gloves in a fight with Robert Morris’ Brett Moser. Both were ejected and will face suspensions from the ACHA.

“I was personally frustrated with how we were playing, and (Moser) gave Welch some shots after the whistle,” Barrera said. “I don’t regret it because it turned out well.”

In 4-on-4 action at the beginning on the second, the Illini seized control of the game. Defenseman Mike Evans put home a rebound 41 seconds into the period and Olen went top shelf barely a minute later to take a lead the Illini would not relinquish. Forward Kyle Varzino and Olen buried two more goals in the same period to reach the 4-1 final, while the celebration was on from there.

After the final buzzer and handshakes, Fabbrini was doused in an ice water bath in celebration. If history holds true, the Illini won’t be done celebrating. The last two times Illinois won the conference outright (2005 and 2008), they went on to win the national championship.

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