Indiana club hockey won three games in a row Oct. 20-22 at a showcase in Louisville, Kentucky. This moves the club’s record to 11-2, the strongest start the program has had in 15 years.
The Hoosiers also played at the University of Louisville in a home-away series the weekend before. Indiana took the win Oct. 12 at Louisville but fell Oct. 13 at home, ending the club’s prior winning streak.
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A new winning streak has begun in the wake of last week’s loss. The club took wins against the University of North Carolina, Virginia Tech and North Carolina State University at the Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League-Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League showcase.
The TSCHL-ACCHL showcase is an annual batch of games that match Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League teams against Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League teams.
Last year, Indiana played the same teams. The club won against Virginia Tech and North Carolina State, but suffered a 10-6 loss against North Carolina in the 2022-23 season. In this year’s match against North Carolina, the Hoosiers took a 7-3 win.
The second period saw goals from junior forwards Patrick Brandeburg and Aidan Simoneau, as well as freshman forward Ryan Berke. North Carolina freshman forwards Cam Glonek and Matt Grady scored once and twice respectively in the second period.
Brandeburg scored again in the third period, finishing out the game with a Hoosier win.
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The next day, Oct. 21, Indiana played its closest game of the weekend against Virginia Tech, where the club managed a 6-5 win.
Neither club scored within the first 20 minutes. In the second period, junior defenseman Will Kiecker scored the game’s first goal, which was quickly countered by three goals from Virginia Tech.
The Hoosiers took back the lead with four goals in the last eight minutes of the period. Junior forward Ithan DeLorenzo, sophomore defenseman Ray Meiers, Simoneau and senior defenseman Matthew McKay all scored. The second period ended at 5-3.
The last 20 minutes saw a hard effort from Virginia Tech to even the score with two more goals, but Indiana’s Gerami scored late in the game, securing the win.
On Sunday, Indiana played North Carolina State, taking home a 3-1 win and finishing its trifecta.
The club scored one goal in each period. Sophomore forward Nicholas Castracane scored first, then Simoneau in the second, and lastly freshman winger Davis Jegers scored his first collegiate goal in the third period.
With a 11-2 record, Indiana has made a confident start to the season. Senior goaltender Sammy Bilis has been instrumental in the Hoosiers’ success, playing all three games this weekend. Simoneau still leads the club with 15 goals.
“We gave up only two goals even strength, which is a pretty big deal for us,” head coach Andrew Weiss said.
Indiana will play Kentucky Oct. 27 and 28 at Frank Southern Ice Arena. The club split its games against Kentucky last season.
Follow reporter Molly Gregory (@mollygregory22) for updates throughout the Indiana club hockey season.
