Hockey team ends year on home ice

The hockey club finishes its semester this weekend with two games at home. The Hoosiers play host to the University of Illinois Division II team today and an alumni team in the Indiana Alumni Classic exhibition game Saturday.\nThe Hoosiers (10-4-1, 7-0-1 Midwest Collegiate Hockey League) are coming off a home series against the University of Dayton, in which they were disappointed and shocked by a tie Friday. The team doesn't expect tonight's game to be much easier.\n"They are on the outside looking in right now in the Central Region, and I think Illinois was a team that missed out of nationals by one vote last year," assistant coach and general manager Alex Kyrias said. "They're going to be hungry that they're going to get a chance against a bigger team."\nIllinois (10-6-2), not to be confused with the University of Illinois' D-I team, which the Hoosiers defeated Nov. 25, is ranked fifth in the Central Region of DII hockey. Playoff spots will go to the top four teams.\n"For (Illinois), playing us is one of their biggest games of the year," junior forward and captain Dan Hauck said. "We expect them to come out and play hard, and we have to play our systems well in order to beat them."\nThe Hoosiers will be missing several regular players this weekend. The team's second-leading scorer, junior forward and assistant captain Brandon Phillips, will miss tonight's matchup, as will sophomore forwards Rhys Anderson and Joe Miller. Junior defenseman Adam Federman will be out all weekend.\nThe Hoosiers will start senior goalie Justin Wojtowicz against Illinois Friday. Wojtowicz yielded three goals on 25 shots Saturday in the second Dayton game, an IU win.\n"We played their D-I team and beat them, so I think we're going to come out and be pretty good," Wojtowicz said. "As long as we play our game strong, we should be capable of beating them. We have to play like we're capable of playing."\nPlayers said the exhibition game against the alumni is a chance to have fun. \n"It's a good time," Hauck said. "It's good to see the guys we've played with or against the last couple years, so it's a lot of fun."\nBoth games begin at 7:30 p.m. The Hoosiers return to action against Purdue Jan. 13, at the Frank Souther Center.