After Illinois hockey scored to even a game against Roosevelt in early October, senior forward Greg Etingen was quick to join his teammates in celebration. 

They were crowded around Greg’s brother, junior forward David Etingen, who scored the goal after a series of tic-tac-toe passes that Greg started. On top of being teammates, the brothers are also linemates. 

“Being able to play hockey on a line with my brother is super cool in general,” Greg said. “We’ve dreamed of this moment since we were kids playing mini sticks in our basement, so to finally be able to actually live it out is pretty much a dream come true.”

While skating past the bench, the Etingens fist-bumped their teammates. Among them were twin sophomore defensemen Zack Rupich and Nick Rupich. 

A little further behind the celebration, head coach John Opilka watched alongside his brother, assistant coach Tyler Opilka.

Tyler is a program alum, playing for the team for five seasons between 2015-16 and 2019-20. John, who never played for Illinois at the dimensionally unique University of Illinois Ice Arena, appreciates having Tyler around, not only as a brother but also as a mentor. 

“It’s amazing,” John said of being able to coach with his brother. “Tyler played here for five years. I’m newer to the program, but him being able to help me out — it’s a blast. I love being able to talk with him, work with him, spend some time together.”

The Opilka brothers lead an Illinois team that jumped out of the gate to a 4-0-0 start this year. A big part of that early winning streak was the strong play of the Etingen brothers, who are each among the team leaders in points early this season. 

The Etingens also guide the Illini off the ice, with Greg serving as team president and David as treasurer. 

In a way, the team consists entirely of brothers. They travel together, play together, win together and lose together. Greg said that while the team shares a strong familial bond, playing with David is on a different level. 

“Our entire team is so close, and we have great chemistry,” Greg said. “However, when you play with your brother, it just seems like there is someone that can read your mind and knows what you are going to do with the puck before you even think of doing it.”

John agreed that the Etingen brothers work well together. He put Greg and David on the same line and often plays them together during power plays. 

He said that not only do they have a special connection but that their play styles complement each other. David plays more physically, while Greg relies on speed. 

“I think they do a really good job reading off of each other,” John said. “They’re both different kinds of players. When you’re putting a line together, it’s nice to have two players that have a little bit of a different playing style.”

On defense, Zack and Nick are just beginning their time at Illinois. As twins, they’ve played together at nearly every step of their hockey journey.

The Rupich brothers had grown up playing offense but have made the transition to defense in recent years. Tyler, who coaches Illinois’ defense, has been guiding the brothers into their new roles. 

John said that even though the Rupich brothers are both right-handed shooters, they’ll share the ice together at some point. They have lined up together before, but their brotherly banter has sometimes interfered with their play. 

“The bickering is definitely there,” Nick said. “Sometimes (the pairing) works out. Maybe giving it one more try might not be a terrible idea.” 

In spite of their squabbles, Zack is grateful that he’s been able to spend his career beside his brother, whom he also calls his best friend. 

“It means a lot, but it’s also kind of at this point the expectation, just because we played with each other forever,” Zack said. “I couldn’t see it any other way.”

@BrendanGallian

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