ELMHURST, Ill. - In a back-and-forth battle between two of the top teams in the CCIW, Illinois Wesleyan mounted a stunning fourth-quarter rally to edge past Elmhurst, 12–11, on Saturday afternoon at Langhorst Field.
The game was a tale of two halves—Elmhurst controlled the first with efficient scoring and strong defense, but Illinois Wesleyan stormed back in the final quarter with five unanswered goals, capped by Bob Boone's game-winner in the final 12 seconds. With the win, the Titans remained unbeaten in conference play at 3–0 and improved to 11–2 overall, while Elmhurst dropped to 10–2 and 1–1 in league action.
Elmhurst was led offensively by Pete Grebe, who turned in a five-goal performance to pace the Bluejays. Eli Spence played a key facilitator role, tallying one goal and four assists, while Hunter Hernandez added two goals. Brenden Crouse notched three assists, and six different Bluejays found the back of the net. Goalie Noah Mickelson matched Illinois Wesleyan's Colin Tervo with 14 saves on the day, helping Elmhurst build its early advantage and fend off the Titans' pressure for most of the afternoon.
The first period began with a statement from Elmhurst, who scored the game's first two goals within the opening three minutes. Hernandez scored unassisted at 13:34, followed by Grebe finishing a feed from Spence at 11:52 to put the Bluejays ahead 2–0. Illinois Wesleyan responded through Noah Dretzka, who struck twice—once unassisted and once assisted by Gage Black—to level the game at 2–2 midway through the frame. But Elmhurst closed the period with momentum, scoring two more goals from Landon Davis and Kaden Ames to take a 4–2 lead into the second quarter.
Elmhurst extended its lead early in the second period with a 3–0 run over the first seven minutes. Grebe netted two goals—his second and third of the day—off assists from Sam Hoff and Spence, and Hernandez tallied his second at 8:20 to make it 7–2. Illinois Wesleyan chipped away late in the frame, getting goals from Timothy McHugh and Black, narrowing the halftime deficit to 7–4. Despite being outshot in the quarter, Elmhurst's efficiency and control at the faceoff circle helped them stay ahead.
The third quarter saw both teams trade goals in a more evenly matched stretch. Elmhurst briefly pushed the lead to 8–4 on another Grebe goal, his fourth, off a pass from Crouse. The Titans then capitalized on an extra-man opportunity as Black converted with help from Boone. Sam Weinberg added another Titan goal, but Elmhurst answered quickly with a man-up goal of their own from Fischer Son. However, Illinois Wesleyan stayed within striking distance as Weinberg scored again late in the period to cut the Bluejays' lead to 9–7 entering the final quarter.
Elmhurst appeared poised to close things out after goals from Grebe and Spence put them up 11–7 with under ten minutes to play. But the final stretch belonged entirely to Illinois Wesleyan. Boone scored unassisted at 8:33, then assisted Jake Kahoun to make it 11–9. Ike Eastburn buried a man-up goal with just over four minutes remaining, and Weinberg tied it at 11 with 61 seconds left, completing his hat trick. With time winding down, Boone delivered the decisive blow, finding the net off a pass from Dretzka with just 12 seconds left to give the Titans their first lead since 2–1 and ultimately the win.
Despite the loss, Elmhurst held advantages in faceoffs (16–11) and ground balls (26–27), and matched the Titans in saves.
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