CHICAGO— The Club Ice Hockey program at Indiana University had dropped their last three games that ended in shootouts, that changed Saturday night against the DePaul Blue Demons after Indiana secured a 6-5 win.

Indiana (2-0), for the first time since the 2014-15 season, swept their season-opening series. 

Indiana 6- DePaul 5 (Shootout)

Five different players scored for Indiana in the win over the Blue Demons on Saturday.

A Colan Fitzgerald power-play goal lit the lamp for Indiana to open the scoring for at the (mark) in the first period. 

DePaul responded with a Dale Putas goal midway through the first period against starting netminder Cameron McNamara. 

The Blue Demons took a 2-1 lead heading into the second after fellow freshman Jackson Leptich scored his first career goal with one minute remaining in the first.

It didn’t take Indiana long to tie the game; entering the second on a power-play, Socrates Raftis netted his first collegiate goal 15 seconds into the middle frame to tie the game 2-2. 

Following multiple DePaul minors, Indiana retook the lead 3-2 on a Colan Fitzgerald goal while on a 5-on-3 power-play with 15 minutes remaining.

The multi-goal performance for Fitzgerald marked the third Hoosier to register multiple goals to begin the season. 

The Blue Demons matched the score minutes later when Chris Tran tied the game at 3-3.

The game’s third lead change belonged to Indiana after Khrushch recorded his third goal of the series to give IU a 4-3 lead. 

The Latvian-born forward scored five goals last season over 20 games. Dating back to the 2018-19 season, he has scored in his last three games (four goals). 

Indiana doubled their lead midway through the second on Adam Offenbach’s first collegiate goal to push the lead to 5-3.

Leading by two after as many periods, the Blue Demons stormed back, scoring two unanswered goals to tie the game 5-5 less than five minutes into the third. 

Tied after regulation, the score remained 5-5 when neither team found the net in overtime.

In the first shootout of the season, Indiana scored the fifth frame’s lone goal on an Everhett Grimes goal to secure the win for the cream and crimson. 

DePaul goaltender AJ Gazbeck turned in a career-best 52 save performance in the loss while McNamara steered aside 36 Blue Demon shots to notch his first win of the season.

Indiana opens league play next week:

IU’s four-game road trip to begin the 2019-20 season continues next Friday when Indiana travels to Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League foe Ohio State in the first of a two-game set.

It marks the first league contest for Indiana as members of the TSCHL. In five seasons as members of the Great Midwest Hockey League (GMHL), IU finished 0-4 against OSU, including an 0-2 mark on the road.