Pioneers Pull Off Win Over Redbirds
Illinois State University’s Division 3 ice hockey team played this weekend vs the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. The Redbirds played a two-game home stretch at Bloomington Ice Center in downtown Bloomington on February 14th and 15th. The Pioneers were coming off a 5-3 loss against Olivet Nazarene University just the night before. The Pioneers were also left without a coach for both games due to an illness. Additionally, the first game did not have any referees scheduled. An employee from the ice center stepped up as well as an official referee who happened to be nearby the rink.
On Friday night, Payson Landaal of the Pioneers wasted no time scoring just one minute and 22 seconds into the first period of the game. The first period also gave the Redbirds their first powerplay of the night when Owen Friedow got a two minute penalty for roughing.
The second period saw more action than the first with two Redbirds penalties by Aidan Krieble. His first for slashing and second for boarding. The period also saw another Pioneer penalty and another Pioneer goal. UWP got a penalty for too many men on the ice which was served by a benchwarmer. Halfway through the period Max Jonelle scored his first goal of the night for the Pioneers.
Something happened in the ISU locker room between the second and third period because the Redbirds scored two goals in the third to tie the game. Sam Santangelo scored two minutes and 21 seconds into the third, closing the gap for the Redbirds. Nine minutes later, Reese Simkowski scores his first goal of the season to tie the game for ISU. The Redbirds’ third period comeback sent the game into overtime where Jonelle scored in just 38 seconds giving the Pioneers the 3-2 win over ISU.
Saturday night’s game had a more aggressive start than Fridays. Both teams wanted the win, the Pioneers for a sweep and the Redbirds to split. It was also the Redbird’s senior night. ISU honored the team’s three graduating seniors. Like the night before, UW-P opened the scoring in the first period when Cayden Erickson found the back of the net with four minutes and 17 seconds left in the period. The period had four penalties- two for each team. The ISU penalties included two minutes for cross-checking for Carter Gulyas and two minutes for interference to Peyton Enderle. The UW-P penalties went to Ashton Wendt for slashing and Cayden Erickson for hooking.
The second period lived up to the energy of the first with four goals. ISU’s first of the game scored by Peyton Enderle. The other three goals were scored by Landaal, Jonelle, and Jace Lasco all for the Pioneers. Towards the end of the period, ISU called a timeout to swap goalies. Dion Pavlopulos let in 4 goals in the 37 minutes he played. ISU’s back up goalie, Cooper Darovic, played for the remaining 23 minutes.
The third period had two more goals, one for each team. The Redbirds’ second goal was scored by Enderle with seven and a half minutes left. With less than two minutes remaining in the game, ISU pulled their goalie allowing Andrey Tougas to score an empty net goal for UW-P. ISU could not catch up, leaving the score at the end of the game 5-2.
After Saturday’s game, when asked what could be taken away from the games played, ISU senior forward Aidan Krieble said, “I think we just need to come out harder. I think we just came out flat both games expecting a win. The only period we played that was any good was that sixth one of the weekend [third period of Saturday’s game] and that’s how we need to play every game.” Senior Nathan Gustafson, the captain of the team, says the team’s communication was off and even though the Redbirds did not play their best games this past weekend, they will work on it for playoffs this upcoming weekend. The Redbirds will be heading to St. Louis this weekend to play Nebraska in the first round of the MACHA Silver Championship Playoffs.
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Visas Revoked
Since President Donald Trump took office, more than 1,500 student visas have been revoked. Many of these students who took part in pro-Palestinian protests, many of which were peaceful and organized in line with university rules. This shows a scary turn in how the United States handles the First Amendment rights of students in the country on visas. Based on reports, many students received no explanation and could not argue their rulings. Without proper reasoning for these actions, it shows the country leaning away from the roots of our democracy.
Supporters of these policies say that the goal is to reduce antisemitic actions and make campuses safer. While it is important to keep students protected from discrimination, cancelling visas is setting a harmful example. It shows students getting in trouble for using their First Amendment rights. These rights apply to everyone on U.S. soil, not just citizens. Peaceful protests and violence, and hate are not the same things.
The broader consequences for academic freedom are concerning. Universities are known for having uncomfortable and difficult conversations. It makes students want to ask hard questions and learn more about those topics. By using the visas as a weapon, it turns universities into places where people are afraid to be themselves. In the end, this turns the United States into a place where higher education stops having value. It also creates a block for people living overseas who want to get an education in the United States.
The effect that is coming from visas being revoked cannot be mentioned enough. International students and teachers are an important part of American politics. They offer views from places that many American people may never see. By showing them that there can be consequences to their news, it makes them not want to participate and decreases diverse opinions that are needed for American politics.
Security and order are important issues. These issues, however, need to be addressed in ways that are not harmful to basic human rights. Actions that associate peaceful protests with crime and risks to national security affect not only the people involved but also the entire conversation of democratic societies.
In the end, how a democracy handles differing views is a test of how well that democracy can stand. The country was built on immigrants coming to learn and make a name for themselves here. In that regard, revoking visas shows deeper issues in how well the United States is standing as a democracy.
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