The Illini hockey team isn’t out of troubled waters yet, but at least they’re swimming.

Weighed down by the toughest month in one of the most difficult schedules of any hockey team in the nation, the Illini (7-6-1) have dropped seven of their past eight games after starting the season with six straight wins.

No. 16 Illinois’ losses have all come against top-15 teams such as No. 1 Arizona State, No. 3 Robert Morris, No. 7 Iowa State and No. 13 Lindenwood.

Despite losing most of their games over the past month, the Illini began to wake up last weekend against No. 13 Lindenwood. Prior to the series, Illinois was on a six-game losing streak in which it was outscored 29-5 by its opponents and shutout in three of the games.

But this past weekend, the team scored more goals than it had in the previous three weeks, burying six goals and splitting the series with its conference rival.

The Illini offense was producing for the first time in nearly a month and kept the team in the game for most of each night, even earning a 3-2 comeback victory Friday night. Illinois’ loss Saturday night wasn’t from a lack of goals but instead from its poor penalty kill, another area of play that has crippled the team this season.

Illinois allowed three power-play goals to the Lions, as well as a shorthanded goal, which became the difference in the game.

The Illini welcomed 12 freshmen to the roster just three months ago. Senior winger John Scully said as the young team continues to mature together, the wins will come sooner rather than later.

“As long as we kind of keep stepping in the right direction, I think we’ll be OK,” Scully said. “We’re definitely not hitting the panic button yet.”

Although the Illini aren’t where they want to be in the rankings, head coach Nick Fabbrini said it’s early in the season and the team still has a chance to climb back up in the polls.

“Losing as many games as we did in the way we did definitely doesn’t help our cause, but we have plenty of time to get back to where we want to be and where we need to be,” he said.

The Illini still have series against No. 3 Robert Morris, No. 7 Iowa State and No. 13 Lindenwood left this season, which offers an opportunity for redemption against the teams who beat them early on. The team also still has a chance to make a statement against No. 2 Minot State, the defending ACHA national champions, as well as No. 5 Central Oklahoma, No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 11 Ohio.

Even after falling eight spots in the national polls in two weeks, Fabbrini said the team is focused on controlling what it can control on the ice.

Illinois’ special teams is still holding the team back from its full potential, having given up 11 power-play goals and three shorthanded goals in the past eight games. But as the team’s goal scorers begin to produce, they begin to slowly solve the issue of poor offensive production by starting to play with the intensity expected of them at the beginning of the season.

“I think we’ve gotten our confidence back,” Fabbrini said. “Friday night was probably as good as we’ve played all year, but we’re still working to find that consistent level of energy and effort.”

Sean can be reached at [email protected] and @Neumannthehuman.