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Twenty penalties. Nine game disqualifications. Several spots of blood on the ice. Two goalies fighting. One penalty for abuse of officials. The men's hockey teams from the University of Illinois and Eastern Michigan University show us all what a late-third period line brawl should look like.

All of this hell broke loose at 18:12 of the third (and yet no Tchaikovsky on the soundtrack). Loved how this fight seemed on the verge of ending a few times, before players would skate back into the fray to ignite it again. The camera work isn't exactly Kubrickian in its composition, but it was rather wonderful when it suddenly jerked away from the action in that classic "Hey, look, a goalie fight!" haste.

According to the box score, the star of the brawl was No. 14 Joe Schweiger of EMU, who received penalties for fighting, grabbing the facemask, abuse of officials and two different game disqualifications. Which is weird, because the Daily Illini reported that he was supposed to be suspended after a fight in the teams' game the previous night.

The Daily Illini has a photo gallery from the fight, and had this review of the brawl:

It started with a couple of late hits after the whistle, including a slash to the hand of junior defenseman, and team assist leader, Brad Hoelzer. He slammed his stick to the ice in frustration and was doubled over in pain.

"It's frustrating just because when you do get up like that the other team starts to get frustrated, and that's understandable, but when they started to get cheap and some slashes before the whistle or after the whistle it just kind of escalated," senior captain Jordan Pringle said after Saturday's game.

The teams play in the Central States Collegiate Hockey League, which is a Div. I league of the American Collegiate Hockey Association comprised of non-varsity club teams without NCAA sanction. Having spent many a night watching friends play on club teams back in college, there's always been a delightful "Slap Shot" aesthetic to that level of hockey. In case you couldn't tell from the video.

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50 Comments

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  1. tmr
    1. Posted by tmr Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:04 pm EDT

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    The two-players-and-a-ref-on-one is what made matters worse. You can't leave your teammate in a situation like that - no matter who started it.
  2. Dave Y
    2. Posted by Dave Y Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:45 pm EDT

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    A goalie fight in college hockey?
    Did I miss Patrick Roy getting hired to coach at one of these places?
  3. ArrogantBastard
    3. Posted by ArrogantBastard Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:32 pm EDT

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    Go eagles!!
  4. tmr
    4. Posted by tmr Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:04 pm EDT

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    Don't you mean "Hurons'? (Their true name)
  5. Death by Leafs
    5. Posted by Death by Leafs Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:16 pm EDT

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    Won't someone please think of the children?!?!!?!??
  6. FrmBostn
    6. Posted by FrmBostn Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:03 pm EDT

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    Any wonder they are playing club hockey?
  7. Sobu
    7. Posted by Sobu Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:31 pm EDT

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    I love it. Minor hockey of all levels, with all of the HORRIBLE play and poor reffing, always seems to have a ton more energy than the NHL.
  8. ~jai~
    8. Posted by ~jai~ Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:21 pm EDT

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    Nice job Hurons! (I'm with you TMR, screw their PC name)
  9. HockeyJoe
    9. Posted by HockeyJoe Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:24 pm EDT

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    Nice trickeration headline Wysh - collegiate club hockey is the college version of beer league hockey.
  10. Darth P
    10. Posted by Darth P Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:37 pm EDT

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    When they were trying to figure out a new name, I was really hoping they'd go with "Emus".
  11. Icers Fan
    11. Posted by Icers Fan Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:06 pm EDT

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    ACHA hockey rocks. The fans are rabid, the hockey is raw energy, and the rink's only four miles from home (and it's only 7.50 a game). What's not to love?
    Go Icers!
  12. Mr. Smith
    12. Posted by Mr. Smith Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:58 pm EDT

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    for people to say that ACHA D-1 club is crap couldn't be more wrong. I currently play d-1 in the acha but i used to play NCAA DIII and played juniors in the NAHL. The ACHA is some of the bes hockey i have played. Fans come out in droves. my team routinely gets 4 to 5 thousand people at our games and that is no joke. ACHA is legit, people go pro from it. so next time you wanna knock something make sure you know a little about it.
  13. Anthrax Jones
    13. Posted by Anthrax Jones Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:42 pm EDT

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    I thought Michael Moore was a Michigan State guy, not Illinois.
  14. David
    14. Posted by David Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:19 pm EDT

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    ACHA is legit. go Cortland
  15. Mark Norman
    15. Posted by Mark Norman Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:19 pm EDT

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    Looks like U. Illinois shares a jersey designer with the Dallas Stars. Really, couldn't Dallas do better for a third jersey? Just because they've been playing like a worse-than-NCAA team doesn't mean that they have to look like one.
  16. Icers Fan
    16. Posted by Icers Fan Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:06 pm EDT

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    No NCAA makes better hockey. No scholarships, no corruption. My university is trying to go NCAA, but they have to build a new rink, and plans have been in the works for some time, but there are more projects ahead of it. And with no NCAA, there's no idiocy from Myles Brand to put up with.
  17. tmr
    17. Posted by tmr Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:04 pm EDT

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    @ Jbird...
    Hockey team??? When the hell did Illinois get a university??
  18. matt m
    18. Posted by matt m Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:19 pm EDT

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    the only reason they play club hockey is because thats all we (illinois) has genius. their win streak ended at 47 this year, they belong in the ncaa.
  19. sirhofh
    19. Posted by sirhofh Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:24 pm EDT

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    If you think this is beer league, you should see ACHA d-3
  20. joe h
    20. Posted by joe h Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:26 pm EDT

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    pretty solid goalie fight!
  21. Wyshynski
    21. Posted by Wyshynski Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:21 pm EDT

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    @ HockeyJoe --
    C'mon now, the NCAA doesn't have a monopoly on college sports. Oh, wait, sorry ...
  22. The Malkinator
    22. Posted by The Malkinator Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:50 pm EDT

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    I love beer league hockey, there's something magical about it: i should know, i run the clock for a local league here in Portland ,OR. These guys aren't going pro, they drink way too much and play hockey instead of paying their ex-wives alimonies, all they want to do is rock balls. GO UNPROFFESSIONAL HOCKEY
  23. Olaf
    23. Posted by Olaf Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:05 pm EDT

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    Now that is some Old School Hockey right there, we need to do more of this in NHL... get rid of some of these crappy rules and MAN THIS GAME UP!!!
  24. The Fearless Freep
    24. Posted by The Fearless Freep Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:38 pm EDT

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    I remember going to these games when I went to U of I...about twenty years ago. Back then Illinois didn't even have a good club team, but now they have one of top rated club teams in the nation. I recall one game when Illinois knocked off Drake 22-2, mostly because Drake had a short bench due to disciplinary suspensions from the previous weekend.
    I-L-L!
    Long live the Chief!
  25. Rick
    25. Posted by Rick Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:59 pm EDT

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    ACHA takes it's knocks but most people not familiar with it are not aware of the caliber of hockey. The top 10-15 teams would be very competitive with NCAA D-3 or D-1 teams. That Illinois team, without making any changes to it's roster, would easily fit that category. With the top teams such as Illinois, Penn State, Delaware and URI often the only difference is the budget support from the school. All have school owned buildings and many players on all of the rosters either did or could have played Varsity hockey. Hockey has grown dramatically in the US and the NCAA opportunities available has not grown in the same proportion.

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