From The Hoosier Network
By Isabella Gaipa
After opening the season with two losses, the Hoosiers responded with three straight wins and returned to Bloomington with a 3-2 record.
A rough opening weekend in Wisconsin quickly became water under the bridge for Indiana hockey. After starting the season with back-to-back losses, the Hoosiers responded with three wins in three days at the Trine American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) D2 Showcase in Angola, Indiana, outscoring their opponents 24-3 and improving their record to 3-2 before returning to Bloomington.
Indiana came into the 2026-27 season after finishing last year’s season with a 19-6-2 record, placing third in the Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League (TSCHL) and 29th overall in the ACHA Division II. This season, however, started with a challenge on the road in Wisconsin.
On Sept. 18, Indiana faced off against Wisconsin for the first of two games to open the season. The Hoosiers struggled to generate offense and were held scoreless in a 3-0 loss. On the following day, Sept. 19, the Hoosiers took another opportunity against Wisconsin, but the rematch ended in another defeat, 6-3.
Indiana left Wisconsin 0-2 and had been outscored 9-3 through its first two games. With an entire season still ahead, the Hoosiers had an early opportunity to show how they would respond.
They responded with 14 goals.
Indiana opened its three game weekend Sept. 25 against Wittenberg, and the offense that struggled to break through against Wisconsin came ready this time. The Hoosiers went into a 14-0 victory, scoring nearly five times as many goals in one game as they had throughout the entire opening series. The dominant performance gave Indiana its first win of the season and quickly shifted the direction of its early season start.
Less than 24 hours later, the Hoosiers were back on the ice, this time against Trine. Indiana’s offensive success carried into the second game of the weekend, while its defense continued to limit the opponent. The Hoosiers defeated Trine 6-1, evening their record at 2-2 and putting themselves one win away from a perfect weekend.
Indiana had that opportunity Sunday against Lake Superior State.
Unlike the first two victories, Sunday brought a closer game for the Hoosiers. Goals from Charlie Vincent, Ren Huter, Lucas Opdycke and Colin Ruffner helped Indiana secure a 4-2 victory. The win completed a three-game sweep and gave the Hoosiers their first winning record of the season at 3-2.
The difference between Indiana’s first and second weekends was hard to miss. After being outscored 9-3 by Wisconsin, the Hoosiers came back by outscoring their next three opponents 24-3. Indiana went from averaging 1.5 goals per game during its opening series to eight goals per game across its three victories.
After playing its first five games away from Bloomington, Indiana will now have the chance to bring that momentum home. The Hoosiers are next set to face Ohio on Oct. 2 and 3 for their first home series of the season.
(Originally published at https://www.thehoosiernetwork.com/article/2026/09/indiana-hockey-wisconsin-trine-showcase)
