Illinois Fighting Illini men's ice hockey
| Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Ice Hockey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
| Conference | CSCHL |
| Head coach | Nick Fabbrini[1] 6th season, 142–87–9 |
| Arena | University of Illinois Ice Arena Capacity: 2,000 |
| Location | Champaign, Illinois |
| Colors | Orange and blue[2] |
| ACHA Tournament championships | |
| 2005, 2008 | |
| ACHA Tournament appearances | |
| 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 | |
| Conference Tournament championships | |
| 1986, 1988, 1992, 2003, 2006, 2008 | |
| Conference regular season championships | |
| 2003, 2008, 2013 | |
The Illinois Fighting Illini men's ice hockey team is a college ice hockey program that represents the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. The Illini play on campus at historic[3] 2,000-seat University of Illinois Ice Arena.[4] They are a member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) at the ACHA Division I level.[5] The team is a member of the Central States Collegiate Hockey League (CSCHL) within the ACHA. The team operates as a registered student organization (RSO) at the University of Illinois. The University does not currently have an NCAA varsity team, and thus the club team is the highest level of hockey offered by the University.[6] A feasibility study published in March 2018, and commissioned by the NHL, NHLPA, and College Hockey, Inc., found a high probability of success for the hockey program to transition to NCAA Division I. [7][8]
History[edit]
Organized ice hockey came to Illinois in the 1930s and played its first official season in 1937 as an independent NCAA team.[9] The first head coach was Ray Eliot, who coached the Fightin' Illini from 1937-1939.[9] The team went winless in the 1937–38 season, going 0–4 before winning their first game in the following season.[9] Vic Heyliger, a former All-American at Michigan and professional player with the Chicago Blackhawks, took over as head coach for the 1939-40 season.[10] In this second year as Illini head coach he led the team to a 17-win season, the most successful season of the Illini NCAA ice hockey team. The team recorded a 10-win season in 1941-42 and a 9-win season in 1942–43 that included only a single loss.[9] The program was ended after the 1942–43 season during World War II; that same year in 1943 Heyliger came out of retirement for 1943–44 season to fill in the team's depleted war time roster.[10]
The current Fighting Illini men's ice hockey team formed in the post-war era during the mid-1950s.[11] The team joined the CSCHL in 1975, only 5 years after the league formed, making the Illini the longest on-going CSCHL members.[12]
Facility[edit]
Notable events[edit]
- Undefeated season in 2007-2008. Record of 38-0-0.[13]
- 2 ACHA Division I National Championships. Won in Bensenville, Illinois in 2005. Won in Rochester, New York in 2008.
- 48 game winning streak spanning from September 28, 2007 to October 25, 2008.
Season-by-season results[edit]
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points
| Champions | NCAA Frozen Four | Conference Regular Season Champions | Conference Playoff Champions |
| Season | Conference | Regular Season | Conference Tournament Results | National Tournament Results | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference | Overall | |||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | T | Pts* | Finish | GP | W | L | T | % | ||||
| Ray Eliot (1937–1939) | ||||||||||||||
| 1937–38 | Independent | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | ||
| 1938–39 | Independent | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 | ||
| Vic Heyliger (1939–1943) | ||||||||||||||
| 1939–40 | Independent | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14 | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | ||
| 1940–41 | Independent | – | – | – | – | – | – | 21 | 17 | 3 | 1 | .833 | Western Intercollegiate Champions | |
| 1941–42 | Independent | – | – | – | – | – | – | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | .688 | Western Intercollegiate Champions | |
| 1942–43 | Independent | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | .833 | Western Intercollegiate Champions | |
| Totals | GP | W | L | T | % | Championships | ||||||||
| Regular Season | 77 | 43 | 31 | 3 | .578 | |||||||||
| Conference Post-season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |||||||||
| NCAA Post-season | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |||||||||
| Regular Season and Post-season Record | 77 | 43 | 31 | 3 | .578 | 3 Western Intercollegiate Championships | ||||||||
* Winning percentage is used when conference schedules are unbalanced.
Awards[edit]
- Big Ten Conference Championships; (3)" : 1941, 1942, 1943
- ACHA National Championships; (2) : 2005, 2008
- ACHA Final Four Appearances; (10) : 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2018
- ACHA National Tournament Appearances; (23) : 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
- CSCHL Regular Season Championships; (2) : 2003, 2008, 2013
- CSCHL Tournament Championships; (6) : 1986, 1988, 1992, 2003, 2006, 2008
Fighting Illini in the NHL[edit]
| = NHL All-Star Team | = NHL All-Star[15] | = NHL All-Star[15] and NHL All-Star Team | = Hall of Famers |
Notable alumni[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit] |