From Iowa State Daily
By Aleigha Bailey
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Iowa State D1 Club Hockey (2-4-0-1) earned a break from its conference foes with a series against Illinois (4-0-2-0). Against an unfamiliar opponent, the Cyclones got swept in their second straight series.
The series was decided by an explosive performance from Illinois forward David Ras, backfiring on the power play and a Cyclone defense still in development.
“It comes with experience, right?” head coach Jonas Hostovecky said. “The more games we play, they are going to learn what they can and cannot do. That’s really what’s gonna help.”
The Cyclones will switch their attention to Colorado State ahead of their series Friday and Saturday.
No rein on Ras
Coming into the series, Illini forwards David Etingen and Arthur Pawlik were the team’s point leaders. Forward David Ras had other plans as he tallied six points in the series.
Of the six, four of them came in game one of the series. Ras awaited his return to the ice as he did not play in Illinois last series against conference foe Waldorf due to injury.
“The team played great, I couldn’t have done it without them,” Ras said on game one’s broadcast. “It’s good to get my feet back under me.”
Ras took over game one, as he had four of the five Illinois goals. Behind the star-studded performance was a goal and three assists.
Of the points, Ras found success with assists on both even-strength and short-handed goals. This continued with Ras wrapping up game one with an unassisted goal of his own.
Game two saw Ras opening the scoring in the first period before assisting a goal halfway through the second period.
Iowa State plummets on power play
After the Cyclones found their success on the power play against Midland, the odds quickly changed against the Illini. With four power play opportunities across the series, Iowa State profited on none of them.
“They’re definitely one of the fastest teams, and hardest teams we’re gonna play this year,” Illinois Anthony Varrassi said on game two’s broadcast. “We gotta bring our A game. We can be faster and stronger.”
Against the frequently dubbed “fast team,” Illinois turned a disadvantage into an opportunity, extending its lead not once but twice. With three of the four power play opportunities for the Cyclones coming in game one, the Illini scored on two of them.
Goaltending remains an experiment
Heading into this series, who earns the starting goaltending role has been an experiment. Against the Illini, that continued as both Ty Tanton and Lennart Critzmann got their starts on the road.
Game one saw Tanton taking the starting job, which carried over from game two against Midland in the Cyclones’ last series. While occupying the crease, Tanton faced 30 shots and saved 25.
Of the five goals allowed, the Illini’s shorthanded goals fell on the underdeveloped skaters’ defense rather than on Tanton himself.
“Stick to our game plan,” Ras said. “We’re a good team as long as we play into our strengths, don’t lean into what they’re doing and focus on what we have to do.”
Being able to capitalize on those opportunities quickly gave Illinois the advantage in the first game. Game two saw a tuned-up defense, but not one to avoid getting swept.
Critzmann, a key goalie for the Cyclones Division III team, saw his return to the Division I team in game two. The second game of the preseason opening series saw Critzmann get his start before getting pulled.
Against Illinois, Critzmann retained his role all of game two. Of 39 shots faced, Critzmann stopped 36 to maintain a .92% save percentage.
(Originally published at https://iowastatedaily.com/345865/sports/highlights-fighting-illini-contain-cyclone-storm-to-earn-series-sweep/#)
