Hoosiers to face state rival in series

A well-rested hockey team, now with its all-time leading scorer back in the fold, will face off against Purdue in a conference home-and-home series this weekend. The action begins tonight at Purdue's home ice in Fishers before coming to Bloomington at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Frank Southern Center, 1965 S. Henderson Ave.\n"I think it's going to be a good time playing Purdue," junior forward and captain Dan Hauck said. "I think that we need to start out well and play two solid games against them to get the semester going on the right foot."\nIU does not claim to take Purdue lightly, although in past years the Boilermakers have not done well in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey League conference. But assistant coach and general manager Alex Kyrias said the schedule only gets tougher after Purdue.\n"We have four weeks after this one that are probably the toughest in the entire country," Kyrias said. "I don't think anyone else has that type of schedule."\nFollowing the Purdue series, the hockey team faces weekend series against conference rivals Miami (OH), Division-II heavyweights Michigan State, MCHL leaders Michigan and the Illinois' Division-I team. The Hoosiers defeated the Illini in the finals of the Chicago College Classic Thanksgiving Tournament Nov. 25.\nWhile the Hoosiers have not finalized their goaltenders for the series, Kyrias said he is confident senior Justin Wojtowicz will start at least one of the games this weekend.\nAlthough history shows IU defeats Purdue twice a year like clockwork, Purdue is confident it will give the Hoosiers a good series.\n"We're a very young team," said Purdue coach Gary Goldberg. "I'm aware of how good they are, but because of the rivalry, I hope we'll be motivated and play well."\nIn the teams' Jan. 14 and Jan. 15, 2000 matchups, IU defeated Purdue by a total score of 19-3. The most notable aspect of IU-Purdue matchups during the past few years has arguably been the players' tendencies to become involved in intense and dramatic fights. \nEarlier this week, the IU hockey team announced its all-time leader in points and penalty minutes, defenseman Brad Lutsch, has returned to the ice for his final semester of eligibility. \n"Brad's a great player, and he's tended to make the guys he plays with better," coach Rich Holdeman said. "His accomplishments really speak for themselves"