Nick Fabbrini wants more.

Last season, the Illini head coach led the hockey team to a 26-12-2 record in his first season behind the bench and captured the CSCHL conference championship, while Illinois found itself just a few wins away from an ACHA National Championship appearance. But it was how the season ended that left a bitter taste in the coach’s mouth.

Despite the success of his inaugural season, Fabbrini said he was frustrated with the Illini’s quarterfinal exit from the ACHA National Tournament.

“I’m expecting us to build on last year,” Fabbrini said. “The end of the year was a little bit disappointing, but I think we’re going to be a lot deeper this year and our guys that are coming back are going to be hungry.”

While you were out

Over the summer, Fabbrini continued to change things up by adding assistant coach Blake Sorensen to his staff and in July, the team revealed new jerseys for the 2013-14 season, featuring a classic look modeled off the Boston Bruins’ logo. The Illini last switched their sweaters in 2010.

But senior Matt Welch’s jersey will look different in another way. The forward was appointed the third captain slot this offseason, after netting 11 goals and 12 assists last year, and will have the honor of wearing an “A” on his sweater this season.

What to watch for

Sophomore John Olen is coming off a breakout freshman year in which he led the team in goals (25) and points (48). The 2013-14 season should see the forward’s hot streak continue, while teams across the ACHA try and figure out how to stop the sophomore’s offensive production, especially on the power play, where he scored 11 of his 25 goals. 

While Olen injects a youthful punch to the Illinois lineup, the Illini are very much a veteran team with eight returning seniors. Captain Austin Bostock will look to leave a lasting mark on the Illinois hockey program entering his senior year after scoring 18 goals and 21 assists in the 2012-13 season, sitting second in points (39) only behind Olen.

Illinois’ 2013-14 schedule is packed with memorable match-ups, including a two-game series in Chicago at Johnny’s IceHouse — the practice facility for the 2013 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks. It’s fitting that Illinois’ most anticipated series of the year will come with the opportunity for revenge against Arizona State, the team who sent the Illini home early in last year’s ACHA quarterfinals.

Fabbrini said he is most looking forward to the Arizona State series and Alumni Weekend, when the Illini host reigning national champion, Minot State.

“It will be exciting,” Fabbrini said. “Getting to play them on home ice is a great opportunity for us.”

Just two weeks later, conference rival Lindenwood will visit Champaign to take on the Illini and there is sure to be a lot of fight in both teams when they take the ice. With a brutal history between the two, physical play will be expected. In a single game last season, eight players were ejected for fighting and four Illini were suspended for a total of five games.

As defending CSCHL conference champions, the Illini face high expectations heading into 2013-14. With a veteran roster, led by eight returning seniors including Bostock, second team All-American goaltender Nick Clarke, and first team All-CSCHL defenseman Mike Evans, Illinois is not only poised to retain the conference title, but is considered to be a serious contender for the ACHA National Championship.

But winning back-to-back championships in arguably the toughest conference in the ACHA will be harder than it sounds.

Having five CSCHL teams in the top-ten of the national rankings last year provides a tough road for the Illini, but Fabbrini said it also makes for some entertaining regular season match-ups.

“All the CSCHL teams are always great games,” Fabbrini said. “They’re exciting and generally really physical.”

Fabbrini said the tough competition plays into the high-level of intensity that each conference game brings.

“There’s long-standing rivalries between us and the other CSCHL schools,” Fabbrini said. “Obviously, all the schools in our league respect each other, because they’ve all had a lot of success in our level, but I don’t think that any of the schools really like each other very much, so that makes it a lot of fun.”

Last year, two CSCHL teams advanced to the ACHA Final Four (Lindenwood and Ohio), but this season it’s Fabbrini’s goal to not only be one of them, but to win it all.

Sean can be reached at [email protected].