This weekend was Homecoming for the Redbirds, and they put on quite a show for our alumni, both at home and on the road! The D1 team played at home Friday against Roosevelt University and won 6-1. They traveled to Bensenville to play on Saturday and won 8-4. The D2 team played both of their games at home this past weekend against the University of Nebraska, winning their Friday game 3-1 and sadly losing their Saturday game in overtime 3-4. The D3 team played in the Route 66 Tournament this past weekend; they lost their first two games against the University of Arkansas 1-2 and the University of Kansas 3-9. The team played their final game of the showcase on Sunday and won 5-2.
The D1 team started their weekend at the Bloomington Ice Center facing off against Roosevelt University with a starting lineup of #13 Carson Pishkur, #18 Ryan Spreyne,#8 Lucca Weinkauf, #22 Jacob Swiatek, #39 Sam Truxaw, and goalie #30 Kason Yamada. The team started strong with an early lead, scoring their first goal with less than half of the first period left by #23 Jaycob Bland, with an assist from #29 Brody Neish. The team’s second goal came about five minutes later, scored by #16 Masen Kerr with an assist from #72 Caden Micheal. The final goal of the first period was from #22 Jacob Swiatek with assists from #10 Blake Becker and #39 Sam Truxaw. Going into the first intermission, the team was up 3-0! The second period was just as exciting, with two more goals from #23 Jaycob Bland with assists from #2 Ben Lechner and #92 Dominic Dager, and #22 Jacob Swiatek with an assist from #19 Hunter O’Neal. The Redbirds sealed the deal with one more goal in the third period from #29 Brody Neish with an assist from #19 Hunter O’Neal to secure a Redbird win! The final score of the game was 6-1.
D1 and D2 started their Saturday off walking in the Illinois State University Homecoming Parade! The teams loved showing their Redbird Pride and getting to engage with the community!
After the Parade, D1 got on a bus and headed to Bensenville to play Roosevelt University on their home ice. With a starting lineup of #13 Carson Bakhtin, #18 Ryan Spreyne, #8 Lucca Weinkauf, #2 Ben Lechner, #19 Hunter O’Neal, and goalie #35 Noah Van Herik, the team took an early lead with 2 goals in the first period. The first was from #22 Jacob Swiatek, assisted by #7 Logan Kral, and the second was from #18 Ryan Spreyne. Going into the 1st intermission, the Birds were up 2-0. In the second period, the Birds scored 2 more goals for the team! One was from #18 Ryan Spreyne, his second of the game, and the other from #25 Brian Buchholz. The Birds were up 4-2 going into the final period. The team put on quite a show during the third, scoring 4 additional goals, 3 of which were from #8 Lucca Weinkauf, all in the second half of the 3rd. The first goal by #8 Lucca Weinkauf was assisted by #25 Brian Buchholz. The second goal came from #19 Hunter O’Neal, with an assist from #29 Brody Neish. #9 Lucca Weinkauf scored the third goal of the period with only 24 seconds left. Lastly, the final goal of the game was also from #9 Lucca Weinkauf, with assists from #39 Sam Truxaw and #22 Jacob Swiatek, with no time left on the clock to complete his Hat Trick; the final score of the game was 8-4!
With a great weekend, we have some great players to shout out! #16 Masen Kerr gets our first shout-out for his first collegiate goal in Friday’s game. Next one goes to #18 Ryan Spreyne for all of his hard work over the weekend. #30 Kason Yamada is our next shout-out for his work in goal on Friday, with 30 shots on goal; Yamada only let 1 in! Our final shout-out goes to #8 Lucca Weinkauf for his hat trick in Saturday’s game. Congratulations to all! Next week, the team will play at home against Maryville University on Friday at 7:30 pm and Saturday at 6:30 pm!
The D2 team played both of their games at home this weekend, and they did not disappoint! The starting lineup for Saturday’s game was #13 AJ Kowalczyk, #27 Michael Ryndak, #7 Blake Kumor, #17 Jack Mitchell, #11 Michael Egan, and goalie #45 Cooper Darovic. The 10:15 p.m. game got off to a slow start, with the first Redbird goal not being scored until about 3 minutes left in the 1st period by #9 J.P. Teichman. However, the team began to gain momentum, and the Birds came out after the 1st intermission with a fighting spirit! The second goal of the game was scored by #2 Ryan Badger, with an assist from #96 Mason Buchanan about halfway through the period. Going into the 2nd intermission, the team was up 2-1. The final goal of the game was scored by #7 Blake Kumor, with assists from #27 Michael Ryndak and #13 A.J. Kowalczyk, giving the team a Redbird win; the final score of the game was 3-1.
After the parade, the D2 team reported to the rink to play their second game of the weekend against the Huskers. With the energy from the parade in the air, the team got off to a great start with a starting lineup of #14 Connor LeBeau, #6 Zack Dawson, #65 Will Grinton, #9 J.P. Teichman, #12 Nate Maxwell, and goalie #45 Cooper Darovic. The Huskers scored the first goal of the game, taking the lead, but this didn’t last long; 25 seconds later, #96 Mason Buchanan scored the first Redbirds goal to tie it up! The Birds were tied going into the first intermission. The second period brought the Birds 2 more goals. The first scored by #15 Jake Sulek, with assists from #13 A.J. Kowalczyk and #96 Mason Buchanan, and #37 Nathan Galvan with an assist from #39 Logan Skocaj. After a scoreless third period for the Birds, the game went into overtime. The Redbirds fought hard for almost the full 5 minutes, but unfortunately, the game slipped away from them; the final score of the game was 3-4.
Even after a tough loss, we still have some talented players to shout out! Friday’s shout-out player goes to Cooper Darovic for all of the hard work he does between the pipes each weekend! Saturday’s game was huge for our D2 rookies- all goals from Saturday’s game were scored by them! Congratulations to Mason, Jacob, and Nathan! Also, shout-out to Michael Egan, who has been a force all season! We are so proud of all of you; keep up all the good work! Next week, the team will play at the Ponds of Brookfield arena in Wisconsin, facing off against Marquette University at 6:35 pm on Friday and 9:15 pm on Saturday!
This past weekend, the D3 Birds played in the Route 66 Showcase in Springfield, Missouri! For a weekend breakdown, read our article titled “The D3 Redbirds Shined in the Route 66 Showcase” on our website! The team is off this Halloween weekend but will resume their road trip in November.
Looking ahead to next week, the D1 Birds will play at home against Maryville University on Friday, 10/30 at 7:30 pm, and a very spooky Halloween game on Saturday at 6:30 pm. The D2 team will travel to Wisconsin to play against Marquette University on Friday, 10/30 at 6:35 pm and on Halloween, 10/31 at 9:15 pm! Finally, after a long weekend at the Route 66 showcase, the D3 will have the weekend off but will continue their road trip and head to Lincolnwood to face off against Loyola University-Chicago on Friday, 11/6 at 8:50 pm and Saturday, 11/7 at 8:50 pm. We wish all of our teams good luck and a happy Halloween! Go Redbirds!