Illinois (2-1-0-1, 3pts.) and Michigan State (6-3-3-0, 6pts.) traded results in a whirlwind two-game set at the University of Illinois Ice Arena this past weekend. Illinois fell 5-4 on Friday but bounced back with an 8-1 win on Saturday. Friday’s game marked the Illini’s season opener. 

Junior forward and team captain David Etingen explained that this weekend highlighted strength in the Illini roster. 

“We saw that every guy on our team is capable of playing and competing at this level, and that’s really important for us,” Etingen wrote. 

Mitchell lights the lamp

Friday’s match was an even pairing in all aspects. Michigan State took control of the puck early with no doubt in its offense. Though unafraid to apply pressure to the Illini defense, the Spartans lacked scoring opportunities. 

After a scoreless first period, it was junior forward Carson Mitchell who struck first, earning the first goal of the game and Illinois’ season. It was an ample confidence boost to set the tone for the year, yet he felt the venue truly elevated his excitement.

“It always feels good to get the first goal of the season out of the way,” Mitchell wrote. “You don’t want to let it go a couple games and start the year off slow. It’s good to build confidence early, and scoring in front of the best fans in the ACHA is always one of the best feelings.”

Heavy hits, heartbreak 

Quickly after Mitchell’s goal, the Spartans sank one. Michigan State sophomore forward Philip McCarthy — one of its top goal scorers — slipped the puck just past sophomore goaltender Grady Sulkin’s pad as he sprawled out to make the save. Michigan State knew how to set up its offense to keep Illinois on its toes but left an opening in the slot for junior forward Nicholas Scavone to blast a one-timer into the back of the net.

Heading into the third period with the Illini up by one, sophomore forward Nolan Kaminski, another of Michigan State’s top scorers, snuck a tip past Sulkin less than two minutes in. Frustrated, the Illini elevated their physicality, laying heavy hits across the ice. 

Junior forward David Ras sank a solo shot, forcing the Spartans to increase their intensity. Less than a minute later, the Spartans responded, giving the Illini minimal time to celebrate. Scoring once more, Michigan State left Illinois scrambling to equalize. 

With bated breath, the crowd watched as the last minute of regulation dwindled. With less than 40 seconds left to play, Mitchell sent one home in the nick of time to tie the game, leaving Illini fans buzzing with excitement. 

Despite Sulkin’s big saves in regulation, the Spartans took Game 1 5-4 with a quick snipe less than three minutes into overtime. 

Illini find their stride

Although the team suffered a disappointing overtime loss on Friday, Illinois entered Game 2 with equal parts confidence and determination. Those qualities were apparent, as the Illini smothered the Spartans with a slew of goals, skating away with a final score of 8-1. 

The Illini’s offensive onslaught commenced after a scoreless first period. Etingen fired off 2 goals, clearly hungry for a hat trick. However, McCarthy crushed the Illini’s hopes of a shutout, scoring late in the second period with six seconds left on the clock. 

The third period of Game 2 was completely controlled by Illinois, robbing Michigan State of any scoring attempt. Junior forward Jacob Rozanski kicked off the Illini annihilation with a solo goal within the first three minutes. 

After a scoring lull, Etingen capped off his 4-goal haul with late power-play strikes, fueling the Illini’s momentum. Etingen’s goals sparked a scoring frenzy. Less than 30 seconds later, sophomore forward Tomasz Lulinski struck twice, with exactly a minute between his goals. Scavone made the Illini scoresheet an even 8, sneaking in a shot with nine seconds left on the clock. 

Etingen humbly commended himself for the 4 goals in Game 2 but was more interested in praising his teammates who also appeared on the scoresheet early in the season. 

“It was definitely nice to see a couple go in,” Etingen wrote. “That always helps with confidence. But I’m a lot happier with seeing a lot of other guys that we need to be key offensive players for our team this year get on the score sheet throughout the weekend and get their confidence up as well. Makes me really excited to see what’s in store for us the rest of the season.”

Blueprint for improvement

The difference in scores between Friday and Saturday is stark, but both Etingen and Mitchell explain that, as team leaders, it provided essential insight. This past weekend highlighted strengths to build on and areas of improvement to hone in on in preparation for upcoming matches. 

“I think our biggest adjustment was just our mindset going into the second game,” Etingen said. “We needed to knock some rust off, and that’s what happened. The rest was having the confidence to go out and perform like we know we can.”

Echoing the sentiment, Mitchell is pleased with the team’s depth scoring and lines this early in the season. Having multiple lines with confident scorers will be crucial for the Illini as they brace for tougher matches down the road. 

“I think all the lines looked good over the weekend,” Mitchell wrote. “The defensive pairings were solid. I think we need to keep them consistent to give everyone a chance to build chemistry as the year goes along.” 

In practices this week, Etingen and Mitchell intend to focus on cleaning up puck management, explaining that the defense could’ve been stronger. 

“The areas we need to clean up are just puck management in important areas of the ice,” Mitchell wrote. “We had way too many turnovers inside of the blue lines and in our defensive zone.” 

The Illini will be back on their home ice for a Homecoming matchup. They will compete against Waldorf (5-4-1-0, 8pts.) on Friday and Saturday. Puck drop for both games is set for 7 p.m. 

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