Hockey team upsets top Division I teams

Christmas came early for IU hockey fans last weekend.\nComing off a three-game losing streak, including a sweep by Life University at the Frank Southern Center, the Hoosiers bounced back to upset two top-ranked Division I teams. The Hoosiers defeated No. 11 Rhode Island Friday and No. 9 Illinois Saturday to win the Chicago College Classic Thanksgiving Tournament.\n"To come away winning the whole thing was pretty satisfying," head coach Rich Holdeman said. "We played well and made ourselves hard to score on, which was a big turnaround from the week before."\nThe Hoosiers defeated the Rhode Island Rams 4-1. IU jumped out to an early lead in the first period as junior forward and captain Dan Hauck scored the period's only goal, giving the Hoosiers a permanent advantage in the contest.\nHauck and junior forward/assistant captain Bryan Grant each had a goal and an assist. Six other Hoosiers each had one point, including sophomore forward Rhys Anderson, who scored his first goal of the season in the second period.\nSenior goalie Chad Whitlock stopped 30 Ram shots in a full 60 minutes in the net. The Hoosiers outshot Rhode Island 37-31.\n"(I was) extremely happy with Whitlock's performance," assistant coach and general manager Alex Kyrias said. "He made 30 saves out of 31 shots. We really wanted to win the second game, so I said 'Let's play him again.'"\nThe Hoosiers faced Illinois, ranked No. 9 in Division I, Saturday for the tournament championship. The Illini defeated Lake Forest College's junior varsity program to meet the Hoosiers in the finals.\n"Going into that game (against Illinois), I was pretty nervous," Whitlock said. "But after we got our first goal and got up on them 1-0, I thought we had a pretty good chance to beat them."\nWhitlock stopped 44 of 47 shots against Illinois in a triple overtime thriller, as the Hoosiers slid past the Illini 4-3.\nIU had a 2-1 lead entering the third period, but the Illini fought back and forced the game into overtime. The first two three-minute periods ended without scoring.\nBut with just 43 seconds into the third overtime, the Hoosiers initiated a two-on-one breakaway against the Illini. Junior forward and assistant captain Brandon Phillips lofted a pass to Grant, who shot past the Illinois goaltender for a Hoosier victory.\n"After the losses we had, we needed something to get our confidence back," Holdeman said. "I think this kind of thing helps us tremendously as we go through the season, so the guys can draw encouragement from what we've done."\nJunior defenseman Adam Federman led the Hoosiers with two goals Saturday. Grant and freshman forward David Dassell each had a goal, and Dassell had an assist. Phillips and freshman defenseman Justin Peck each had two assists, and Anderson had a third-period assist.\nWhitlock allowed three goals in his 66 1/2 minutes of ice time, escaping with a victory, although the Illini outshot the Hoosiers 47-35.\n"If there had been a tournament MVP, (Whitlock) would have been it," Holdeman said.\nThe Hoosiers return to conference play this weekend in a two-game homestand against the University of Dayton.