IU club hockey sweeps Wright State in brawl-filled weekend

The fans who packed Friday’s game picked a good night to experience IU hockey.

The biggest crowd of the season witnessed the most intense fighting of the fall, including a near bench-clearing brawl at the end of regulation.

Tension between the two teams escalated the entire night, finally coming to a head late in the third period. With the Hoosiers leading 3-2 a few minutes before the end of regulation, an interference penalty was called on IU, putting them at a disadvantage. Wright State managed a game-tying goal on a power play, sending the contest into overtime.

As the buzzer blared at Frank Southern Ice Arena to summon the end of regulation, a nasty fight broke out between the two teams. The officials were unable to break it up for several minutes.

Then the goalies came in.

IU goalie Sal Calace flew down the ice to take on the opposing goalie in defense of his teammates. Even more time passed before the smoke cleared.

Overtime didn’t last long, as Keith Koorsen scored the game-winning goal for the Hoosiers in the sudden-death period.

Though they took the win 4-3, four players from each team were suspended for fighting. Junior Adam Logue was suspended for three games for his role in the skirmish, while the other seven players involved were suspended for Saturday’s game.

“I blacked out. I saw the other goalie throw punches at one of our guys, so I immediately ran down there to stick up for my teammates,” said Calace, the goalkeeper in Friday’s game until his ejection before overtime. “I would’ve never thought in my wildest dreams that would have happened. I’m just happy we got the win.”

Calace said the fight started when forward Adam Fishbein was hit near the Wright State corner as time expired. Logue came to his defense, and Calace into the fold when the Raiders goalie hit defenseman Brandon Dornish. Sophomore goalie Dan Ivory took over the net during the overtime win.

These two teams played for the first time ever last month, with IU winning both games. This could have been one reason why the rematch was much more aggressive.

“They had a little bit more emotion in it,” said senior Nick White. “They have a grudge, and they came out and showed it, but we showed our heart and grinded it till the end.”

While Koorsen was happy his game-winning goal gave his team the victory, he knew the brawl was on everybody’s mind.

“Whenever a goalie fights, it’s definitely going to be one of the best fights you’re ever going to see,” he said. “I’m just glad we got out with a ‘W.’ We almost blew it by getting those penalties with a couple of minutes left.”

Koorsen said he felt the referees in the game were inconsistent with calls.

“They let a lot of stuff go, and then all of a sudden they’d call a lot of crazy calls,” he said. “It’s inconsistent is all that you can say.”

Despite the battle, IU coach Tom Orr is trying to keep his team focused on the big picture.

“We need to get the wins. I need to keep them focused on that,” he said. “Everybody’s excited about all the stuff that happened after the whistle, and all the fighting and stuff, but we need to stay focused on winning. It’s obviously the thing the rating committee looks at. We need to go to nationals, we’re not the taekwondo club or anything, we need to win hockey games. So as a coach, I’m trying to keep them focused on taking care of the scoreboard.”

The four suspended players for the Hoosiers, Tyler Bohman, Adam Logue, Calace and Travis Montembeault, all sat out Saturday’s game. All but Logue will be eligible for next week’s games against Ferris State University. Logue’s three-game suspension was for excessive roughness.

In Saturday’s game, the Hoosiers won 3-2 to pull off the weekend sweep. The game lacked the hostility of the night before, but Nick White was in the one and only fight of the game. Dan Ivory was the starting goalie. The team is now 8-4 after snapping a four-game losing streak.