Men's hockey team travels to Kalamazoo

Opposite ends of the standings spectrum will face off this weekend when the Illini hockey club goes on the road for the second time of the season to face Western Michigan.

Along with the equipment, the Illini will be taking a 9-game winning streak with them to Kalamazoo, Mich. The Stallions, however, are on a streak of their own. They haven't won a game all season - losing 12 straight while being outscored 56-25.

But senior forward Brian Coleman won't be taking the Stallions lightly. When Coleman was a sophomore, Western Michigan was the worst team in the league but still came within two goals of beating the No. 1 Illini in Champaign.

"We're a pretty smart team," Coleman said. "We know what's on the line, and we can't afford to lose four points either night. It can make or break winning the (Central States Collegiate Hockey League) regular season."

Illinois will once again be without their best defenseman, junior Andy Lubesnick, who is out for two more weeks with a dislocated shoulder.

"(Lubesnick) is a workhorse and has some big shoes to fill," senior forward Scott Kohler said. "But guys are ready to step up and fill in for him."

Sophomore Alex Tauchen took over for Lubesnick last weekend and had a goal and an assist against Kent State.

"Tauchen's been doing really well back there," Lubesnick said. "Our team won't miss a beat."

With such a young team, the younger players have had to carry as much weight as the veterans.

Sophomore forward Marshall Chubirka said he knew that the younger players would need to step up. For this season and beyond, he has been lifting weights to become a bigger and better player, and head coach Chad Cassel said Chubirka's gray line has been the most consistent line on the team.

"Yeah, Chad said that, but our line isn't going to win games," Chubirka said. "We play hard, but it's the team that wins games."

The team mentality also lives in Coleman, who is one of three players about to move up on the Illini's all-time scoring list - from 15th to 14th. But Coleman said it's all a consequence of doing the most to help the team.

"That's just stuff to look back on and not something to focus on now," he said.

Coleman said the focus is on winning two more games.

"No matter how bad a team may be," Coleman said. "It's tough to win two games on the road."