Illini stuck in icy rut
History repeated itself as the Illini hockey
team was beaten this weekend by the Iowa State Cyclones for the sixth
and seventh consecutive time in Ames, Iowa.
The Cyclones beat the Illini by a score of 4-3 Friday night and 7-3
Saturday night.
The Illini played well the first period Friday night, jumping out
to a 1-0 lead. The score was tied 2-2 at the end of the first period.
"Their rink is a lot smaller and we knew they would pressure so we
wanted to get the puck out of our zone quickly," said senior forward
Steve Cichocki.
Cichocki scored on a breakaway goal while sophomore forward Luke Carlson
added the second goal in the first period.
During the second period, however, Illinois fell apart. ISU scored
two more goals and controlled the pace of the game.
Despite Matt Katsaros' goal in the final period, the Illini were not
able to recover from the 4-2 deficit.
Saturday night the Illini again struggled to play competitively all
60 minutes.
The Illini played well through the first period and a half, but then
lost focus, they said.
Perhaps most devastating to the Illini were the penalties. ISU was
able to score four power play goals. The Cyclones added two shorthanded
goals and one even-strength goal.
The only Illini scoring came from freshman defender Kyle Zabrin who
had two goals and Carlson who scored one.
Illinois has experienced problems playing all three periods in every
game so far this season, Samis said.
"I think (that ability) comes with experience. We have a lot of young
guys on this team. I think it's the veterans' job to make sure we
go out there and work for 60 minutes," said Samis. |
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