IU hockey sweeps 2 with Wright State to hit 4-0

The IU club hockey team swept Wright State in Dayton, Ohio. Over the weekend, moving them to 4-0 on the year.

On Friday, the Hoosiers got behind early, but came back to win 7-4 with a strong third period.

Adam Logue and Dan Keeney both exploded, notching two goals and two assists each.

IU dominated the ice with 35 shots on goal, compared to 18 for the Raiders.

On Saturday, the game was closer, with the Hoosiers coming out on top 4-3 after a wild second period.

“Our guys showed a lot of improvement being shorthanded compared to last week,” coach Tom Orr said. “Winning close games shows the type of chemistry we have, and it’s a good sign the team is heading in the right direction.”

Though Keeney and Logue had big games individually, Orr said he believes the team as a whole came together well.

“There was a lot of balance on the team,” he said. “It’s a lot different from last year, when Dan Karlander was the star every week. This week, everyone was the star.”

Sal Calace was the starting goal keeper in Friday’s win, and then Justin Lincoln took the ice as the netminder on Saturday to complete the sweep.

Lincoln said he struggled to keep focus at times on Saturday, as Wright State failed to send many shots his way.

“It’s the hardest thing to stay focused,” Lincoln said. “I wasn’t stopping nearly as many as I would have liked.”

While Lincoln is happy his team started the season 4-0, he said he believes there is room for improvement.

“I think we are a lot stronger team than what we showed,” he said. “I was happy, but not too impressed.”

With Wright State trailing by one goal late in the third period, things became hectic.
The Hoosiers got in some trouble with penalties, and the Raiders looked to score.

As a player for Wright State skated the puck toward IU’s goal, Keeney hooked the player, forcing him to miss the goal completely.

The player then turned and took a retaliatory swing at Keeney, breaking his stick over Keeney’s right arm.

The player received a five-minute major even though only a few seconds remained in the game.

“I was going to do everything I had to do to keep him from scoring,” Keeney said. “It was the most intense hit I’ve ever taken.”

It would have seemed the Hoosiers had dodged a bullet, but Wright State won the faceoff and took a last-second shot caught by Lincoln with 0.8 seconds left in the game, finally subduing the Raiders.

“It was a pretty good save,” Lincoln said. “It kind of made up for some others. I had a pretty rough game.”

Despite that close call, Orr said he feels good about the team’s start to the season.

“We’ve really come together this year as a team, and we overcame each others' mistakes,” he said. “It’s really nice to be 4-0.”