Illinois (6-4-0-2, 10pts.) will face Illinois State (9-5-4-0, 10pts.) in Bloomington, Illinois this weekend. The Illini had home-ice advantage for the past three weeks; this game against their in-state rival kicks-off their three-week stretch of away games.  

Illini rolling

The Illini are hot off their sweep of the Iowa State Cyclones (7-2-4-0, 5pts.), and confidence gained will be crucial facing an aggressive team like the Redbirds.

Illinois limited Iowa State to just 1 goal in Game 1, outworking its opponent physically and offensively. The Illini were outstanding on the penalty kill, scoring 2 shorthanded goals and wearing down the Cyclones, leading them to a 5-1 final score. 

“We were playing extremely fast and hard, beating Iowa State to the puck and having full zone control,” wrote junior forward Louis Iandoli in a text message.  

While the scoresheet of Game 2 may not match that of Game 1, it showed Illinois’ persistence and identity. The Cyclones and Illini were neck and neck the entire night, matching each other’s physicality, energy and pressure.    

Tied 2-2 going into the third period, fans expected the Illini to have their third overtime match in three weeks. However, Iandoli broke the tie as he netted a pass from senior forward David Etingen, notching his first goal of the season. 

“It was super relieving to finally score not just for myself but for the team in such a close game,” Iandoli wrote. “We were outplaying them for the entire third period and being able to break the tie was such a relief.”

Illinois rode out the remaining time on the clock and celebrated its first sweep of the season with a 3-2 win in Game 2.  

Penalty problems

The matches in Bloomington carry more than bragging rights. It’s a chance to reveal how well the Illini handle the pressure of playing on the road.

In their last visit to Bloomington, the Illini allowed a total of 5 Redbird power-play goals between Game 1 and Game 2. Illinois also took the brunt of the penalties between the two games, serving 15 compared to Illinois State’s 11. Many of the penalties were for roughing, elbowing and slashing, suggesting the Redbirds know how to get under the Illini’s skin. 

Keeping its composure against a physically aggressive team like Illinois State will be key for Illinois. Staying disciplined will keep the Illini out of the penalty box and away from spending extensive time shorthanded. Illinois had a taste of that aggressiveness against Iowa State this past weekend, but senior defenseman Emmitt Joy believes the team is improving its ability to compete with poise. 

“We are getting better at staying out of any trouble the other team is trying to drag us into such as avoiding retaliating from dirty hits, playing through missed (or) bad calls, and staying out of unnecessary post-whistle conflicts,” Joy wrote in a text message. 

In full flight

Illinois State enters this weekend with heads held high with a three-game sweep — and tournament championship win — under its belts. This past weekend, Illinois State competed in the Stephen Russell Memorial Championship, where it defeated North Carolina (12-6-6-0, 12 pts.), Farmingdale (7-4-2-1, 9 pts.) and Alabama (9-7-2-0, 14 pts.) for the championship.

Across the three games, one name was consistent on the scoresheet: freshman forward Brody Neish. He tallied 11 points at the tournament and has 20 points in 9 games played this season. Right behind Neish is sophomore forward Giovanni Barghini, who has 18 points in 12 games. 

Barghini and Neish will likely find themselves matched up against junior forward David Ras and Etingen for much of the weekend. Neither Illinois forward appears to fear getting involved in physical puck battles. Further, Ras’ physicality and assertiveness should give the Illini the upper hand in puck retention and forcing turnovers.    

Illinois knows it will need to match Illinois State’s intensity from the opening puck drop. The teams are familiar rivals, and the past games have been physical and close in scoring. 

“It’s going to be a hard weekend as ISU is one of our biggest rivals and past games have always been very intense,” Joy wrote. “Our plan is to play our game and worry about ourselves.” 

The Illini and Redbirds are set to face off Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Both matches will be played at Bloomington Ice Center. 

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