Indiana club hockey won two games against Ohio State on Oct. 6 and 7 at Frank Southern Ice Arena in the first home series of the season.
The club took an 8-1 win Friday and secured its sweep with a 6-0 shutout Saturday. Indiana’s record now stands at 7-1.
The starting lineup Friday had senior Matthew McKay and sophomore Ray Meiers on defense. Freshman Ryan Berke and juniors Andrew Chambers and Drew Micheli came on as forwards.
Junior forward Aidan Simoneau scored the first two goals of the game early in the first period. Berke scored the third, earning his first collegiate goal.
Ohio State forward Sam Gaffney scored the away team’s first and only goal halfway through the second period.
With five minutes left in the second period, an altercation broke out in front of the Ohio State goal. Ohio State forward Dillan Smith pushed Indiana freshman forward Colin Ruffner into the net. Indiana freshman winger Ben Rosenberg shoved Smith to the ground in response.
Simoneau joined the huddle and wrapped his arms around Ohio State defenseman Andrew Chanfrau, pinning him against the boards. Two linesmen and one referee came together to break up the tussle.
The referee sent Simoneau and Chanfrau to the penalty box, where they continued to shout at each other from their respective sides.
The American Collegiate Hockey Association does not allow fighting, however this altercation does not qualify as a fight under the ACHA definition.
An ACHA rule memo from 2021 says a punch thrown delineates a fight from simple shoving or pushing. The penalty for fighting is disqualification for the remainder of the game.
The referee gave Simoneau and Chanfrau minor penalties and also sent sophomore winger Luke Slaven to the box for Indiana. Play returned to normal numbers with three minutes and 30 seconds left in the period. Slaven scored shortly after, bringing the score to 4-1.
Junior forwards Ithan DeLorenzo and Will Gerami scored in the first eight minutes of the third quarter, increasing Indiana’s lead to 6-1. DeLorenzo and Slaven scored again in the last minutes of the game.
Saturday’s game was scoreless throughout the first period. Several more penalties were seen on both sides following Friday’s tussle.
Five minutes into the second period, DeLorenzo scored his third goal of the weekend. Freshman winger Ian Smith scored his first collegiate goal three minutes later, giving the Hoosiers a 2-0 lead.
Gerami scored the third goal of the game with two minutes and 24 seconds left in the second period. Rosenberg slotted the puck in the top shelf not long after, ending the period at 4-0.
Rosenberg completed his brace and DeLorenzo finished his hat trick late into the third period. The Saturday game ended with a 6-0 shutout, senior goaltender Sammy Bilis’ first of the season.
Indiana head coach Andrew Weiss was pleased with his club’s performance.
“I thought we played well and had contributions from every player this weekend which is a testament to our depth,” he said after the game.
The club will attempt to defend its six-game winning streak next weekend in a home-away series against the University of Louisville. They will play in Louisville, Kentucky, at Iceland Sports Complex on Oct. 12, then return to Frank Southern Ice Arena on Oct. 13.
“We still have some things to clean up, but to be 7-1 at this point in the season is very encouraging,” Weiss said.
Follow reporter Molly Gregory (@mollygregory22) for updates throughout the Indiana club hockey season.
