Cj O'Neil and Ben Brandsen celebrate after netting a goal

The Illini opened conference play as a Division I squad for the first time since the 2007-08 season, and while expectations were high, the Fighting Illini really didn’t know what to expect from a semester of playing only the top teams in the Great Plains region. For their welcoming game into Division I, Illinois would square off against Lindenwood (26-1, Final 4 finish at Division I Nationals last season), who had beaten them by a combined score of 21-1 the past two seasons.

The game would start in typical Lindenwood fashion: obtain possession, run the breakout, and hit the other teams zone with speed and puck movement, and the rush normally ends with a 3-2 break and the puck in the back of the net. While the first period did mainly consist of this process, one thing was lacking: goals. While Lindenwood’s defense did a great job of beating Illinois forecheckers and carrying the puck into the zone while generating 3 on 2 rushes, the Illinois defense did a good job preventing most back door opportunities, and when they chances got through goaltender Jim DeGrado’s side to side movement was unbelievable, stopping multiple back-door opportunities as Illinois went in to the second only down 1-0.

The second period started with Illinois controlling the puck, and Justin Acton would eventually find himself down low in the corner. Without many options available, Acton decided to throw a shot low towards the net from a bad angle. The shot was looking as though it would go wide of the net, but Adam Corazzi, who was fighting for position in front with a Lindenwood defender, was able to get a stick on the puck as it was about a foot off the rink and deflect it in to the upper corner of the net to tie the game at one. The game would proceed tied for the next 5 minutes until Illinois was whistled for a penalty. Just 10 seconds later, a Lindenwood centering pass would deflect on an Illinois defender’s skate and ricochet past a hopeless DeGrado for a 2-1 Lion lead. Unfortunately for Illinois, this would spark a streak for Lindenwood where they would score 3 times in the next minute, and then add another right before the period ended for a 6-1 lead. Illinois would start the 3rd period ready to get back in the game, however, as Zack Wand would blister a slap shot past the goalie glove side 40 seconds in to make it 6-2. Two minutes later, Adam Corazzi would score again on a nice play with Ben Brandsen to cut the lead in half. However, Illinois would fall victim to another quick lapse, where they would see Lindenwood score 4 times in the next 3 minutes. Justin Acton would score twice in the final 3 minutes though as the final score ended with a 10-5 Lindenwood victory. For 31 of the 36 minutes, Illinois played Lindenwood to a great game. Had it not been for the 5 minutes of the ball rolling downhill, the game could have been a little more competitive.
Illinois Player of the Game: Jim DeGrado

The Illini were next slated to play Lindenwood Gold, which is Lindenwood’s top B team. After playing the Lions’ top team to a tough game the day before, Illinois was looking for a better outcome this time around.

The Illini’s second game started out with Lindenwood Gold winning the faceoff and setting up their offense from their own zone. From that shift on, it was evident that Gold was running the same system as the top Lion team. This time, however, Illinois was able to keep the Lions to the outside much more often than the game prior, and after DeGrado made a few big saves Ben Brandsen was able to give the Illini a 1-0 lead three minutes in after getting a pass from Adam Corazzi and scoring on a wraparound. Less than a minute later, Justin Acton would score a flukey goal while sliding the puck 5-hole off his backhand nearly from the goaline. Corazzi would add his own goal shortly after on the power play after his shot was blocked but took a crazy bounce up and over the Lion netminder. Acton would score his second shortly thereafter, and the Illini were up 4-0 before the Lions finally answered just before the end of the period.

Heading into the 2nd with a 4-1 lead, the Illini didn’t want to let up as it was evident the Lions had great offensive potential. The period started with Brandsen winning the faceoff, and a nice regroup to start the period by Anthony Lupo sent Brandsen and Acton in on a 2 on 1. As Brandsen looked off the defenseman, he fired a shot short side that bounced of the goaltenders arm and into the top corner for a 5-1 Illini lead 10 seconds into the 2nd. Just 20 seconds after that, DeGroot would cause a turnover in the Lions zone with the help of Brandsen and sent a low backhander through the goalie’s 5 hole for a 6-1 Illinois lead. However, Illinois quickly found out the Lions were not going away as two quick goals 30 seconds apart made the score 6-3. Acton would stop the Lions’ run 2 minutes later as he skated into the slot on a 1-1 and ripped a shot off the crossbar and in (glove side, of course) for a 7-3 lead. This only temporarily stopped Gold, though, as they would score twice more before the period ended to cut the Illinois’ lead to 7-5.

Illinois knew they had to relax and play their game heading into the third as all the momentum was swinging in favor of the Lions. The two teams played to a scoreless third until a nice pass by a Gold player split the Illini defense, leading to a breakaway goal to make the score 7-6 with 3 minutes left in the game. After a flurry of chances by the Lions and numerous stops by DeGrado, Zack Wand skated into the slot from left-side boards uncontested and sniped a shot off the far post and in, giving the Illini an 8-6 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

The Fighting Illini finished off the weekend with a showdown against Missouri State, who last season had beaten the Illini 9-2 in their only meeting. This season, however, would prove to be story of teams heading in two different directions.

The Illini started the game off strong, earning a quick power play. Shortly after heading to the man advantage, Anthony Lupo would take a pass from Zach Wand and net the opening goal for Illinois. Wand would score just two minutes later, with Adam Corazzi assisting on Wand’s first of 3 goals. The Illini heavily outplayed the Bears for almost the entire period, but Missouri State would ride their goaltender and find a way to score 2 goals before the period ended with a 2-2 tie.

Illinois started out the 2nd by dominating play, forcing the Bears into obstruction penalties and putting the Illini back on the powerplay. Zack Wand would score his second of the game quickly off the first powerplay, and then 2 more Missouri State penalties gave Illinios a 4 on 2. After the Illini didn’t get a shot for the first 30 seconds or so, Wand decided he had had enough and sent a wrist shot in high off the crossbar and straight into the net, giving him a hat trick along with a 3-2 lead. Still on the man advantage, Adam Corazzi would score on a one-timer after receiving a nice pass across the slot from CJ O’Neil. Acton would round out Illinois’ scoring for the period with Wand assisting, giving the Illini a 6-2 lead before the Bears would score two goals at the end of the period to pull within 2.

The Illini, who had been dominating most of the game but were only up 2, knew they had to play a solid third period to skate away with the victory. Just 2 minutes into the 3rd, Corazzi would take a pass from Lupo and skate into the slot from the corner, wristing a shot far to the blocker side giving Illinois a 7-4 lead. The Bears would answer a minute later, but the Illini would control play for the rest of the third and add an empty netter, giving them an 8-5 victory and a 2-1 record to cap their 1st regular season weekend.

Rink for 2011-2012 NCRHA Nationals

The National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association proudly announces the 14th National Collegiate Roller Hockey Championships, to be held April 11-16, 2012 in Salt Lake City, UT. Games will be played at the Utah Olympic Oval, site of the long track speedskating competition during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. The event will bring 58 teams in 4 divisions (Division I, Division II, Junior College Division, and B Division) together to compete for the title of Collegiate Roller Hockey National Champion. The event will be hosted by the NCRHA, in conjunction with the Utah Olympic Oval, Visit Salt Lake, and USA Rollersports.

Teams will represent each of the seven Member Organizations of the NCRHA. Each Member Organization will receive an automatic bid to place one team in each division. The rest of the field will be selected at-large from around the country by the NCRHA Selection Committee on “Selection Monday,” March 5, 2012.

The format for the event includes three round robin games for each team, followed by a single elimination bracket round leading up to the National Championship games. A complete listing of the colleges and universities that will be represented, round robin pools and the game schedule will be available on the NCRHA website, www.NCRHA.org, in March 2012.

As the event nears, the NCRHA website will feature a dedicated section with event details. This will include block schedule, team invitations (bids), and travel information such as airport, hotel, rental car, local attractions, etc. The NCRHA and Visit Salt Lake will be working together to provide excellent local hotel options for teams and fans that will be available through an online booking system. Teams are advised not to book any hotels at this point, as all team hotel bookings must go through the official booking system for the event. More information on the hotel system will be available on NCRHA.org in early 2012.

The Utah Olympic Oval is a world class facility that features a huge open space with 2 hockey rinks situated end-to-end inside the speedskating track, full size locker rooms with showers, concessions and a retail store. Everyone will enjoy the large open space inside the building, with plenty of room to stretch your legs and enjoy the sponsor booths. The building is maintained at a constant temperature of 63 year-round, and has a dehumidification system designed to keep the humidity below 35%, rarely an issue in the arid climate. For the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Championships, the ice will be removed from the rinks and the tiles placed directly over the concrete.

Salt Lake City is an ideal location for an event such as the Collegiate Roller Hockey Championships. The city of over one million people features a vibrant downtown area and is just minutes from world class skiing, which can often be enjoyed in April. Home to a hub of Delta Airlines, there are over 800 scheduled daily flights serving over 100 cities with non-stop service. Located in a valley at 4,300 feet, the average daily high in April is 61 degrees, and the surrounding mountains soar to over 11,000 feet, providing striking scenery. Salt Lake City is also only a few hours’ drive from 21 national parks, such as Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Bryce Canyon, Arches, and the Grand Canyon. World famous ski town Park City is a mere half-hour away as well.

The 2011 National Collegiate Roller Hockey Championships were held in Madison, WI, at Capitol Ice Arena. In Division I, California State University Long Beach (CA) claimed its 1st NCRHA DI title by defeating California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo (CA) by a score of 4-3. University of Miami (FL) claimed its first ever Division II championship by defeating Florida Gulf Coast University, by a score of 4-3 in double overtime. In the Junior College Division, St. Charles Community College (MO) claimed the title by defeating St. Louis Community College (MO) by a score of 3-2 in overtime. In the B division, Lindenwood University B (MO) took home the B Division National Championship by defeating West Chester University (PA) in yet another overtime game, by a score of 7-6. You can view all of the results from the 2011 National Collegiate Roller Hockey Championships, as well as those from 2004-2010 at www.NCRHA.org.

This will be the 14th consecutive year that college roller hockey will crown national champions, going back to 1999. It is first time that the event has been held in Utah, and the only the third time in the “mountain west.” Ft. Collins, CO, hosted the event in 2005, and Colorado Springs, CO, hosted the event in 2008.

The NCRHA is the recognized national governing body of collegiate level roller hockey in the United States. Organized into seven regions, over 190 teams represent 140 colleges and universities at the club sports level. The NCRHA is sanctioned by USA Rollersports.

The NCRHA would like to thank the following partners and sponsors for their continued support of this event and the growth of collegiate level roller hockey: Mission Hockey, Revision Hockey, Ace Jerseys, Rocket Puck, Utah Olympic Oval, Visit Salt Lake, and USA Rollersports.

For more information, stay tuned to www.NCRHA.org throughout the season.

Forwards Justin Acton and CJ O'Neil celebrate after netting a goal

Illinois Roller Hockey is back in season, starting off the 2011-12 campaign with the Second Annual Illini Invitational in Homer Glen, Illinois.  Both the Diteams were action, playing the maximum 5 possible tournament games and capping off the weekend with back-to-back championship victories over Bethel University.  The D1 team finished 4-1 on the weekend, while the B team’s championship victory pushed their record to 3-2. Overall, both squads showed tremendous improvement from the first game through their last, and there are plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about the Illini Roller Hockey Club heading into the first weekend of regular season play.

The Fighting Illini opened their pre-season against a familiar opponent in DePaul University (Division II), who they went up against in last year’s quarterfinals of the Illini Invitational. This year’s Illini squad, featuring six new players in Tommy Short, Anthony Lupo, Matt DeGroot, Russell Feathers, Ryan Musa, and Adam Corazzi, was slow out of the gate as there were some obvious adjustments that needed to be made playing on the much bigger Megaplex rink. DePaul came out hustling, and both teams battled to a scoreless tie to start the first period. About halfway through the first period, the Illini were in the midst of a solid shift in the DePaul zone when Lupo found himself with a clear shooting lane from the point. Firing a low slap shot, he found Adam Corazzi for the re-direct, giving the Illini their first goal of the season. Later in the first period, DePaul would tie the game on a 3 on 1 rush as Justin Claxton fed a teammate with a back-door saucer pass. The game would remain tied into the second period until CJ O’Neil ripped a nice wrist shot right under the crossbar on an Illini powerplay for a 2-1 Illinois lead. However, shortly thereafter DePaul answered again when an Illini turnover lead to a clean breakaway. The Illini would quickly regain the lead when Ryan Musa calmly tucked in a back door pass from Matt DeGroot, and the 2^nd period ended with a 3-2 Illini lead. The third period would be a much different story, though, as Illinois finally found their rhythm offensively and netted 3 more goals, skating away with a 6-2 victory over a very gritty and determined DePaul team.

Illinois’ next game was against Bethel, who many of the returning players feel was the best team they played at nationals last season. Even though the Illini had beaten the Wildcats 6-3 then, they went in knowing just how good Bethel is expected tough game. Bethel only reaffirmed Illinois pregame thoughts as they jumped out to a 1-0 lead less than 15 seconds into the game off a broken play that led to Bethel’s top scorer being left alone in the low slot against Jimmy DeGrado. The Wildcats would control play the rest of the period, and only the play of DeGrado, who was the Fighting Illini’s best player all tournament, kept the deficit at 1. The second period started the same as the Illini couldn’t muster much of anything offensively and were smothered by Bethel backcheckers. The Wildcats would double their lead when a Bethel forward picked up a loose puck off a faceoff and wristed in a sneaky shot right off the far post and in. The Illini didn’t have much of an answer all period, but Zack Wand was finally able to get Illinois on the board when he skated into the Wildcat zone, weaved through a defender and then fired a wrist shot against the grain to the goalie’s stick side. Bethel would quickly answer Wand’s great play when an Illini defender in-avertedly redirected in a Wildcat pass past DeGrado, and a tough luck play reestablished the Bethel two goal lead. The Illini went down a man at the end of the period, and Bethel started the 3^rd with a man-advantage, quickly passing through the Illini box and netting their 4^th goal on a one-timer. Illinois never mustered much offense the rest of the period, but DeGrado was able to make enough stellar saves to keep the score much more respectable than it could have been. Bethel skated off with a 4-1 victory, improving to 2-0 while dropping Illinois to 1-1.

The Illini would finish off pool play against Illinois State University (Division II), who they had beaten 10-0 twice last season. The Fighting Illini were also playing with a chip on their shoulder after being outworked and outplayed by Bethel, and this had the making of a runner from the beginning. The Illini were able to beat the Red Bird defenders all game, with plenty of crisp passing while breaking out, re-grouping, and especially in the offensive zone. Plenty of Illini players got in on the offensive action, and Illinois breezed to a 10-0 victory after two periods, setting up a rematch with Illinois State Sunday at noon.

With the Division 1/II bracket only consisting of 4 teams, the #2 seeded Illini played the #3 seed ISU Redbirds in a rematch for a chance at the championship. Much like their previous game, Illinois was simply better in all facets of the game and skated away with another 10-0 victory after two periods, but Kulbersh was in net this time and made a few key saves late in the 2^nd period to preserve the shutout. Bethel also went on to defeat DePaul, setting up another rematch for the championship.

Working their way to a 3-1 tournament record, Illinois was slated to play against 4-0 Bethel University in a rematch for the title game. After the Illini’s poor offensive effort in round robin play, they changed up their mentality heading into their final game, but how big of a difference could it make? At first, it didn’t seem like much. Bethel won the opening faceoff and proceeded to make their way in to the Illini zone, where they immediately caused trouble for the Illini defenders. Just 25 seconds in to the game, a Bethel player was left all alone in front of DeGrado and would pick up his own rebound to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead on the first shift of the game. However, this time around the Illini would call for a quick line change and prove today was going to be much different from their previous game.

After winning the faceoff the Illini entered the zone, giving Ben Brandsen the chance to corral the puck and fire a nice pass from the hash marks to Tommy Short in the high slot, who quickly one-timed the pass and watched with the rest of the Illini team as the puck nicked off the crossbar and dropped in to the goal for a vital answer to Bethel’s quick start.  Illinois wasn’t done, however, as the same offensive duo would win the faceoff and establish possession again for the Illini, where Chris Corazzi would carry the puck in after some nice passing. Looking to the slot where Anthony Lupo had found time and space, Corazzi found him with a soft pass and Lupo let a wrist shot fly low glove, giving the Illini a 2-1 lead just 1:30 into the game. Illinois would continue solid play the rest of the period, but a hooking penalty late gave Bethel a chance on the powerplay. After winning the faceoff, Bethel established control in the Illini zone and kept looking for the cross-rink pass, but the Illini penalty killers did a good job of covering the slot. Finally, the top man of the Bethel diamond decided to shoot it himself, and a quick wrist shot found its way into the top corner of the net and past a screened DeGrado, knotting the game at two heading in to the second period.

The second period started and continued at the pace of the first – with the Illini possessing the puck more and slowing the game down, helping to subside the quick and potent Bethel offense. Most of the Wildcat’s opportunities came on rushes up the rink, and the Illini defense did a good job of keeping them to the outside – but when Bethel did find a path to the net, DeGrado was there to knock away any scoring opportunity. Midway through the 2^nd after working the puck around in the offensive zone, CJ O’Neil would find Russell Feathers cutting across the upper slot with a crisp pass. Feathers cradled the pass and wristed a shot low and on net, and the puck would deflect off the Bethel defenseman and end up in the back of the net for a 3-2 Illinois lead. However, just a few minutes later the Bethel possessed the puck in the Illini zone with a chance to tie the game. Illinois was keeping the Wildcats to the perimeter, so a Bethel forward decided to put everything he had into a slap shot from the outside top of the circle, and it was an absolute bomb. DeGrado didn’t have a chance as the puck sailed in right off the corner of the crossbar and side post, and it appeared the 2^nd period would end in a 3-3 tie. However, with just 10 seconds left in the period, Illinois would find themselves with a golden opportunity to take the lead as O’Neil caused a Bethel turnover which led to a 3 on 1 Illini break in front of the Wildcat cage. Matt DeGroot ended up with the puck in the high slot and found Chris Corazzi with a back door feed to give the Illini a 4-3 lead heading into the 3^rd period.

The 4-3 lead to start the period was sharp contrast from the 3-1 hole the Illini remembered from the night prior. As this game was neck-and-neck through two periods, it was only fitting the game would come down to a thrilling third period. Illinois continued to play their game, and the increased time of possession lead to many more scoring opportunities, but the Bethel netminder kept the score 4-3. With 7 minutes left in the 3^rd, the Illini were whistled for a high sticking minor, giving Bethel a shot at tying the game on the powerplay. Once again the Illini penalty killers focused on keeping the Wildcats to the outside and preventing the cross-rink pass through the penalty kill triangle. However, after working the puck around and not finding the one-timer, the top man of the Bethel diamond simply fired a shot on net that was beautifully tipped in front, giving Bethel their second powerplay goal of the game and tying the game at 4 with less than half a period to play.

The stage was now set for a memorable championship finale, as the next team to score would most likely skate away as the second annual Illini Invitational Champion. Back and forth action continued, and the Illini established good possession in the Bethel zone that led to a shot on goal but a Wildcat save. The ensuing faceoff was to the left of the Bethel goalkeeper with O’Neil slated to take the draw. He won the face-off forward and to the left towards DeGroot, who quickly grabbed the loose puck and fired a deceptive shot that would never leave the rink surface. The Bethel goalie never saw it coming and was left looking on in shock as DeGroot gave Illinois a 5-4 lead. Unlike their previous game, Bethel was now forced to take chances late in the game in a desperate attempt at a comeback. Illinois played to the same strengths that had gotten them their lead, and the Illini possessed the puck for much of the final minutes of the game, nearly taking a two-goal lead on multiple occasions only to be denied by the Wildcat goaltender. Bethel finally was able to establish control in the final minute with the goalie pulled, but a desperate rally was shut down when DeGrado made a save on a slap shot with 10 seconds left and Zack Wand cleared the rebound toward the corner, allowing time to expire. Plenty of pushing and shoving ensued as both team were still quite heated from such a competitive and even-played game, but things would eventually settle down and the Fighting Illini celebrated a thrilling, well-earned 5-4 victory over an extremely talented Bethel squad. It was a fantastic finish to the second Illini Invitational Tournament, and one can only hope that these two teams will meet again given how exciting and intense the games are each time Bethel and Illinois compete.

Weekend notes:

The Illini are 4-1 on the season as opposed to a 3-2 start last year. However, three of their four wins were against Division II opponents as the Illini are Division I this season…Anthony Lupo and Adam Corazzi racked up hat tricks against ISU but were only a small part of the offense as the Illini are now 4-0 with 40 goals scored and zero goals against in their last four games against ISU…In the finale against Bethel, four of the five goal scorers were new additions to the team as Tommy Short, Anthony Lupo, Russell Feathers, and Matt DeGroot all potted goals, with DeGroot netting the game winner…goaltender Jim DeGrado was 2-1 on the weekend with a stellar 2.67 GAA and was Illinois’ best player down the stretch. Marc Kulbersh went 2-0 with a 1.00 GAA.

Second Annual Illini Invitation will take place Columbus Day Weekend in Homer Glen, IL

Get your feet wet before the games start going in the wins and loss column’s! This will be a Pre-Season Kick-Off event to the upcoming 2011-2012 NCRHA season.  It will take place Columbus Day weekend of October 8^th and 9^th at the Homer Glen Megaplex. The Megaplex is located at 15301 S. Bell Road, Homer Glen, IL 60491. The early October weekend was set in place so your club can get your preliminary rosters set and to allow you multiple weeks before the regular season starts to make adjustments. The Invitational is targeted towards all teams in the NCRHA. The tournament will be divided into upper and lower divisions based upon the teams competing. Divisions are subject to change based on the amount of pending teams committed to each bracket. Confirm your team’s entry today to guarantee a spot in the tournament!

Tournament is as follows:

* Each team is guaranteed a minimum of 3 games plus playoff advancement
* Games will be played via the NCRHA rules, except they will be played with three 15-minute periods with running time
* Participating teams receive an Inline Warehouse 10% Off Team Discount!
* In addition to trophies, 1st place teams in each division are awarded:
$100 Gift Card and Under Armour gear compliments of Inline Warehouse!
* Registration fee is $375
* A club with 2 teams receives a $50 discount. Two Referees and scorekeeper costs are included.

Email Tom Fussner at tomfussner@yahoo.com to register by the deadline below. If paying by check, include a note in the envelope with your name, team, email address and phone number. Feel free to contact us anytime via email or at 314 503-4467.

Location:
The Homer Glen Megaplex
15301 S. Bell Road, Homer Glen, IL 60491.

The deadline to register is Friday, September 23rd, 2011.

The Illinois Roller Hockey Club is looking for a coach for the 2011-12 season. The Fighting Illini play in the Great Plains Region of the NCRHA and travel to Saint Louis 3 times a semester for regular season games. The team also will be traveling to Homer Glen, Illinois on Columbus Day weekend to host the 2nd annual Illini Invitational. The team will practice 2-3 times per week, with practice times yet to be determined. However, they will most likely be very similar to last year, which were Monday nights from 10 to midnight and Thursday nights from 7-9, and then occasional Saturdays from 1-3. Anyone interested should contact Marc Kulbersh (marckulbersh@illinoisrollerhockey.com) or Justin Acton (justinacton@illinoisrollerhockey.com). Also, visit either Illiniosrollerhockey.com or greatplainshockey.com to learn more about this opportunity.

Prospective Players,

The 2010-2011 campaign has come to a conclusion with the both teams having one of their best seasons in history! To highlight the year, the “A” team concluded with an Elite Eight finish at Nationals and a remarkable 19-9-1 record!

It is now time to get ready for next season! If you’re looking to play for the University of Illinois Roller Hockey Team in the 2011-2012 season and want some more information, feel free to contact the President at JustinActon@IllinoisRollerHockey.com or fill out the form below to have your questions answered:

Look forward to seeing you in Champaign,
Justin Acton

Zack Wand skating against California - Berkeley

Sophomore defenseman Zack Wand has been named to the NCRHA 2011 All-Tournament Team!

Check out the the other players named to this prestigious team:

Division I

1st Team:
Paul Anderson – California State University, Long Beach
Travis Noe – University of California, Santa Barbara
Brian Ganz – Arizona State University
Vince Massamimi – Rowan University
Erik Long – California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

2nd Team:
Ryan Burrows – California State University, Long Beach
Michael Inouye – Lindenwood University
Alex Dodt – Arizona State University
Chad Spezia – Central Michigan University
Cory Jones – California State University, Long Beach

Most Valuable Player: Ryan Burrows – California State University, Long Beach

Most Valuable Goaltender: Erik Long – California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Playmaker: Travis Noe – University of California, Santa Barbara

Division II

1st Team:
Josh Foote – Bethel University
Joshua Shuman – University of Miami
Matthew Wokcik – University of Pittsburgh
Zach Wand – University of Illinois
Aaron Yurkovic – Florida Gulf Coast University

2nd Team:
Bobby Iannuzzelli – East Carolina University
Evan Ptachick – Florida Gulf Coast University
Andy Kowalewski – Slippery Rock University
Josh Newton – Slippery Rock University
Paul DeSilva – University of Miami

Most Valuable Player: Joshua Shuman – University of Miami

Most Valuable Goaltender: Paul DeSilva – University of Miami

Playmaker: Evan Ptachick – Florida Gulf Coast University

Junior College

1st Team:
Bryan Lowe – St. Louis Community College
Tommy Wilson – St. Charles Community College
Joe Landholt – St. Charles Community College
Ryan Vick – St. Louis Community College
Pat Woodling – St. Louis Community College

2nd Team:
Eric Dauernheim – St. Louis Community College
Ryan Riker – Suffolk County Community College
Bubba Costa – Santa Barbara City College
David Demerest – Schoolcraft College
Joe Colmo – St. Charles Community College

Most Valuable Player: Todd Hoeferin – St. Charles Community College

Most Valuable Goaltender: Pat Woodling – St. Louis Community College

Playmaker: Tommy Wilson – St. Charles Community College

B Division

1st Team:
Patrick Fuist – Lindenwood University B
Jeffrey Stern – Arizona State University B
Ryan Boehmer – West Chester University B
Joshua Hackman – Lindenwood University B
Brandon Daiber – St. Charles Community College B

2nd Team:
Marcelo Galperin – University of Central Florida B
Matthew Han – Saddleback College B
Ryan McDade – Suffolk County Community College B
Eric Von Der Linde – West Chester University B
Andrew Cornish – Lindenwood University B

Most Valuable Player: Joshua Hackman – Lindenwood University B

Most Valuable Goaltender: Brandon Daiber – St. Charles Community College B

Playmaker: Ryan Boehmer – West Chester University B

CORAZZI’S CORNER: NATIONALS EDITION – VOLUME III

Forwards Justin Acton and CJ O'Neil celebrating after a goal.

Heading into their final round robin games, both Illinois and California both knew they could not change their overall seeds pool play regardless of the outcome. Illinois had locked up the 1 seed with their previous victory over Slippery Rock, and California couldn’t move out of 4^th even if they won. However, this did not mean the game wouldn’t go down to the wire, as parity has been the word all weekend.  Jimmy DeGrado got the nod in net for the Illini.

The game started with California winning the faceoff and immediately establishing control. However, after slowly regrouping in their own zone, California had the puck knocked away at center while trying to enter the Illinois zone. Justin Acton picked up the loose puck and entered into the Golden Bears’ zone on a 2 on 1 with CJ O’Neil. Acton waited out the defenseman and slid the puck over to O’Neil, who took it back against the grain for a 1-0 Illini lead just 26 seconds into the game. Less than 5 minutes later, Jeremy Dombro found Acton streaking in back door with a slick pass, and Acton redirected it home to double the Illinois lead. From that point on, California knew it couldn’t come back playing a run-and-gun style against Illinois, and they started to slow the game down and hold the puck in their own zone, patiently waiting for a strong breakout opportunity. With just under two minutes left, the Golden Bears set up in the Illini zone and started to work the puck around the outside. Some nice passing led to some in-close opportunities, and DeGrado came up with multiple big saves, but the Illini defense couldn’t clear the puck out. It was only a matter of time before another rebound shot went in, and the Illini lead was cut in half going into the 2^nd.

Again, the second period was more of the same with California winning most of the face-offs and taking the puck back into their own zone to set up. Illinois wouldn’t budge on defense, however, and with just over 4 minutes left their strong play would be rewarded. Mickey Salva looked possessed as he back checked a California forward. With one swipe of the stick, Salva came in and took the puck the other way with a f full head of steam. Barreling in on the defenseman, Salva used his speed to cut to the slot to the right and fired a slap shot low and to the left, beating the goaltender blocker side for a 3-1 Illinois lead. Just under two minutes later, Salva would pick up a pass from Acton and head into the Golden Bears zone on a 3 on 2 with Acton and Corazzi. Salva slid the puck over to Corazzi to his left, and a quick pass right back saw Salva rip a one-timer right under the crossbar, again blocker side. In a matter of minutes, Salva had given the Illini a 4-1 lead to take into the 3^rd period.

Once again, Illinois was heading into the third period with a comfortable lead. However, in the previous two games Illinois had surrendered three unanswered goals to allow teams back into games. Illini simply tried to keep playing the same way, but just 2 minutes into the 3^rd California would score on a nice cross ice one-timer to cut the Illini lead to two. Once again, Illinois was finding it difficult to keep up their defensive flow from the 1^st two periods, and California would score again with just over 6 minutes left to play. However, Illinois was determined to end their unfavorable trend and just twenty seconds later Corazzi picked up a loose puck and found himself all alone in the slot. A nice wrist shot low to the stick side beat the goalie, and Illinois’ two-goal lead was restored. California still continued to be patient with their breakout, however, and did a good job of spreading the Illini out. However, Jim DeGrado came up with clutch saves throughout the third to keep the game 5-3. With just over a minute left, California would pull their goalie and maintain heavy pressure inside the Illini zone. Working the puck to the top, a California wrist shot seemed to have eyes as it made its way through an Illini defender, off another Illinois stick, and sailed past a screened DeGrado, careening off the post and in to make the score 5-4. Illinois would lose the ensuing faceoff, and California once again set up inside the Illini zone. However, the Illini defenders would keep the Golden Bears to the outside, and DeGrado would take care of the rest, allowing CJ O’Neil to pot his second goal of the game into an empty net and giving the Illini a 6-4 victory. With a 3-0 round robin record, Illinois then played 4^th seeded University of New Orleans from pool C in their first elimination game.

3 Stars:

1.     Justin Acton

2.     CJ O’Neil

3.     Mickey Salva

CORAZZI’S CORNER: NATIONALS EDITION – VOLUME II

With over 24 hours between games, Illinois was itching to get back to action at the NCRHA Championships. Slippery Rock, their next opponent, (CJ O’Neil would like to point out that there is, in deed, a slippery rock there) also had a long break since their 10-5 victory of California-Berkley. As with most games at nationals, the game was sure to go down to the wire. Marc Kulbersh would get the start in goal for the Fighting Illini.

Zack Wand skates past Slippery Rock player.

The 1st period started with instant pressure from both teams, with Illinois creating numerous in-close chances on Slippery Rock. After a couple of quality chances turned aside by the Pride goalie, Justin Acton found himself on an in-close one on one with the goalie after receiving a pass from Zack Wand. A quick shot rifled past the goalie, netting Illinois a 1-0 lead. Play continued to go back and forth, and Kulbersh made plenty of saves for the Illini to keep the game 1-0. Late in the 1st period, the Pride found themselves in penalty trouble, but their goaltender made some fabulous saves to keep Illinois off the board. Another penaly led to a 4 on 2, but the Pride goalie would deny Illinois on multiple point-blank opportunities. Finally, with less than 5 seconds left in the period, Zack Wand had had enough and decided to take it himself. Breaking past the high man, he rifled a shot from about 30 feet out right off the crossbar and in, giving the Illini a 2-0 lead on yet another impressive snipe.

Illinois started the 2nd period with more pressure in the Pride zone, and with slightly more than a minute gone, Wand hit a streaking Chris Corazzi, who was coming off the bench, with a tape to tape pass. A well-placed, low, blocker-side slap shot from 30 feet out would then give the Illini a 3-0 lead. However, just under a minute later Slippery Rock would get a lucky bounce off an Illini defender to bring the game back to within 2. Just twenty seconds later, though, CJ O’Neil would take the puck hard to the net and Acton would put in the loose puck, making the score 4-1. It was more back-and-forth action thereafter until Slippery Rock would net their second of the game when a rebound trickled off an initial Kulbersh stop and right to a forward sitting back-door. A penalty to the Illini just 2 minutes later would give the Pride a chance to make it a one-goal game, but Kulbersh would deny all shots. About halfway through the kill, Zack Wand found himself on a 1-on-2 with the Slippery Rock defense. A quick move and some speed saw Wand dangle his way through, followed by a slick move to the backhand and an elevated shot up and over the goalie, giving the Illini a 5-2 lead. Just over three minutes later, Wand would once again find himself on the scoresheet by threading a needle with a pass to CJ O’Neil, springing him alone for a breakaway. Bearing down on the goalie, O’Neil would fight through a hook and put some nice moves on the goalie, giving the Illini a surprising 6-2 lead heading into the third.

After giving up 3 unanswered goals in the first game, Illinois was to make sure that their defense would tighten up with the big lead. However, with less than a minute into the final period, a Pride forward would make a nice back-door pass to his teammate crashing hard, making the score 6-3. Exactly a minute later, another Slippery Rock forward darted into the slot and ripped a wrist shot through a cluster of bodies in front. Kulbersh never saw it, and all-of-the sudden it was a 2 goal game. Illinois would continue to try to bring the puck back and maintain possession, but never would really manage to gain possession while in the Pride zone. With 5:30 left in the 3rd, a Pride forward let another wrist shot go from the top of the circle, and the seeing-eye shot found the back of the net, bringing Slipper Rock all the way back to 6-5 and only a one goal deficit. Play continued to go back and forth, but now it was Slippery Rock holding on to possession and creating more opportunities. Kulbersh would come up big, however, and as time wound down, the game would get more and more intense, creating a true playoff type atmosphere. Illinois continued to be unable to move the puck out of their zone, and their keep-away style simply didn’t work while on their own half of the rink. Slippery Rock would continue to press, but Kulbersh maintained composure and made a the big saves he needed to, including a magnificent glove save off a streaking Pride forward from the right side. Illinois would hold on by a thread, winning 6-5. The game was much closer than it needed to be, but it turned out to be an extremely exciting finish, and another victory for the Illini.

3 Stars of the Game:

1. Zack Wand
2. Justin Acton
3. CJ O’Neil

CORAZZI’S CORNER: NATIONALS EDITION – VOLUME I

Jeremy Dombro and Ben Lyons celebrating at center ice. (Photo by Michael Gallagher | http://mgpixonline.com/)

Well, the Fighting Illini have finally made it to luxurious Madison, WI, where the rinks are bigger and the weather is still just as dreary are Champaign. Illinois has three games in three days, all against the other teams in their pool (Bethel, California, and Slippery Rock). Tournament play began with a 9 AM game against Bethel, who has the second leading scorer in the nation. The Illini only have 7 skaters for pool play, and Jimmy DeGrado got the start in goal.

The opening shift saw a lot of flash as Bethel immediately maintained possession and raced into the Illini zone, taking a quick shot of the far side that was deflected wide by Zack Wand. From there on out, Bethel would continuously hit the Illini zone with speed, but Illinois’ defense would be up to the task of keeping them to the outside. With just over a minute gone in the first period, Bethel attempted a long stretch pass to a breaking forward behind the Illini defense. However, Illini forward Mickey Salva read the play, picked off the pass out of mid-air, and came down on the Bethel defense with a 1 on 1. After making a quick move to the outside, he rifled a slapshot far-side, hitting right inside the post for a quick 1-0 Illinois lead. Bethel would continue to attack the Illini zone thereafter, but the Illini defense would hold together, which goaltender DeGrado acting as the glue. With 7:30 left in the 1^st, the Illini defense would come up with another big stop, causing a turnover at the top of the circles. Jeremy Dombro skated the puck up with Acton on an odd-man break, and a lucky bounce saw Dombro giving the Illini a 2-0 lead, which the Illini would hold going into the 2^nd.

Bethel came out to open the second with plenty of pressure, starting with a powerplay. Once again, though, the Illini defense would keep them to the outside, and when the puck made its way into the slot, DeGrado was there to smother any Bethel opportunity, coming up with some huge saves to keep the Illini lead at 2. This penalty kill may have been the turning point of the game as the Illini would go on to score again less than 2 minutes later on a goal by Justin Acton, his second of the game. CJ O’Neil would come up with huge offensive zone faceoff win, and Wand move the puck over to fellow D-Man Chris Corazzi. A low slapshot then produced a rebound, and Acton would be there to bat the bouncing puck past the startled goaltender for a 3-0 Illinois lead. Less than 20 seconds later, the Illini defense would thwart another Wildcat rush, producing an odd-man break the other way. CJ O’Neil would take a pass from Wand, walk into the slot and hit the breaks, letting the Bethel defenseman slide right by. A quick snipe right under the crossbar by O’Neil would then give the Illini a 4-0 lead, which they would hold going into the 3^rd thanks to some big time goaltending from DeGrado.

The third period would start by featuring more of the same, as Bethel would continue to attack the Illini zone but be repeatedly smothered by the Illini defense and DeGrado. Just over 4 minutes into the 3^rd, Justin Acton would net his second of the game, with assists to Jeremy Dombro and Zack Wand, to give the Illini a suprising 5-0 lead. Just less than a minute later, Acton would receive a pass from CJ O’Neil, and on yet another Illini odd-man break Acton’s shot nestled right under the crossbar for a 6-0 Illinois lead. From that point on, Bethel would bring everything they had at a very exhausted Illinois squad. With 4 ½ minutes left in the 3^rd, Bethel would finally beat Jim DeGrado on a 3-on-2 rush to make the score 6-1. The Wildcats would add two more powerplay goals before the game would end, but by that point it was too little, too late, and the Illini skated away with a win over an incredibly skilled Bethel team which was, in fact, probably the best DII team Illinois has seen all season.

Corazzi’s 3 stars of the game:

1.     Jim DeGrado
2.     Justin Acton
3.     Zack Wand

Check out the stats from today’s win: http://ncrha.org/game.php?game_id=92935