After sweeping Marquette last weekend, the NIU hockey team kept its record at .500 after a split with a tough Illinois State team.

The Huskies suffered a 7-1 defeat in Game 1 of the weekend’s home match on Friday. Peter Alfano scored the Huskies’ lone goal.

Game 2 was a different story for the Huskies, as they posted a 4-3 win over the Redbirds.

Brandon Colello stoned the Redbirds for 40 saves on 43 shots on goal. His save percentage for the game was 93.

“The team as a whole played our best game of the season so far,” said freshman goaltender Kenny Schatz. “Brandon Colello played phenomenal in the net. The team really developed a lot this weekend.”

Mike Strumberger had two goals on the night to lead the Huskie attack. Greg Bahnsen scored the game winning goal to send NIU to 3-3 on the season.

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The NIU women’s rugby team picked up another win with a 37-12 victory over the University of Chicago.

“Basically, we beat them on speed this weekend,” said NIU women’s rugby President Christine Hanley.

NIU will travel to DePaul to play an 11 a.m. match Saturday. Hanley said she expects the team to hit the Blue Demons while continuing to play as a team, which has led to their success this season.

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The NIU equestrian team will start its season on Saturday at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

The Huskies will be joined at Carbondale by their two biggest rivals, SIU and Washington University-St. Louis, along with 14 other schools in their region.

The Huskies will bring 18 riders to the show and will be looking to win their third consecutive regional title, while also looking for a berth in the national competition at season’s end.

Lenard said he expects the Huskies to perform well at SIU, as well as throughout the season.

“We’re coming off of back-to-back regional championships, so I’m expecting big things,” Lenard said.

He added that many of the riders are new to the team this season, so the first show will be used to gauge how well they perform.

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