Indiana club hockey defeated Indiana Tech in a 4-1 victory Friday night at Frank Southern Ice Arena.
Indiana football First-Team All-Big Ten linebacker Aaron Casey stepped on the ice to perform a ceremonial puck drop before the start of the game.
The club ranks No. 2 in the Southeast region behind Florida Gulf Coast University. The win against Indiana Tech situates the Hoosiers with a 19-3 record.
The game began with several opportunities for the Hoosiers. Junior forward Ithan DeLorenzo scored the first goal of the night 13 minutes into the first period with an assist from junior forward Drew Micheli.
Neither Indiana Tech nor Indiana managed to score during the second period.
Less than a minute into the third period, Indiana junior forward Andrew Chambers scored shorthanded to go up 2-0. Chambers’ goal was quickly answered by Indiana Tech freshman forward Austin Sawyer, who slid one past Indiana freshman goaltender Jack Stiles.
Senior defenseman Matthew McKay sent a pass to the middle three minutes later, where freshman winger Ben Rosenberg tapped it into the net, scoring on a power play and re-extending the Hoosiers’ lead to 2 goals.
Sophomore forward Nicholas Castracane scored a breakaway goal with 19 seconds left in the game, cementing the Hoosiers’ 4-1 win.
Indiana will not play again this weekend. The club will play its first game of the second semester Jan. 12 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
The Hoosiers will play eight more games in January and February before competing in the Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League Tournament, which will serve as an end to the regular season. Four of Indiana’s remaining games will be played at home.
If the Hoosiers retain their top-two regional ranking at the end of the regular season, the club can bypass regionals and receive an automatic bid to nationals.
The Southeast Regional will be held in Athens, Ohio, four hours and 30 minutes away from Bloomington by bus. The club would stay in Athens for three days, which would be costly in terms of hotel and travel fees.
“We really don’t want to go to regionals this year if we don’t have to,” club president Drew Micheli said. “That’s typically one of our more expensive trips out of the year.”
Nationals will take place March 11-15 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Follow reporter Molly Gregory (@mollygregory22) for updates throughout the Indiana club hockey season.
