With a short bench, frustrations were mounting for the Eastern hockey club, which was about to lose its fourth straight game – this time to Robert Morris on Jan. 4.

The Panthers played four games during winter break, losing the first two to Louis University by scores of 8-3 and 5-1 on Dec. 13 and 14, and the second two to Robert Morris on Jan. 3 and 4 by scores of 6-1 and 8-2, respectively.

In the second game against Robert Morris, Eastern senior goalie Andrew Teske fired a puck at an opposing player after he scored, warranting a 10-minute major penalty. Typically, goalies are not sent to the penalty box, and another player is chosen to serve the penalty. But in this case, the officials ruled that Teske must serve his penalty, sending him to the box, and forcing Eastern to replace him at goal while the Panthers played short-handed.

Eastern’s backup goalie, sophomore Zach Peifer, was not planning on playing in the game against Robert Morris. Peifer, a transfer student from Prairie State, is in his second semester at Eastern, had torn his MCL in his right knee a few weeks prior, likely ending his season.

Peifer had seen limited action during the course of the year before his injury, but as the only other goalie on the roster, his team needed him. Peifer would need to defend the goal for the Panthers for an entire 10 minutes (plus more with play stoppages) with a torn MCL.

“Well, at first I couldn’t believe it,” Peifer said. “I’ve never seen a goalie have to actually serve a penalty before, so I was in shock.”

Peifer said he understood the risk he was taking by playing, but felt that it was something he had to do.

“A lot of the guys on the bench were telling me not to play because I could have got hurt much worse, but I had no option,” he said. “When I got out there, I tried to focus on the game and not the pain. The boys played great in front of me, which was awesome, and I just did what I could to help the team.”

The Panthers went on to lose, as Peifer gave up two goals in net.

For the team moving forward, it is about getting back to a stable routine, Eastern senior forward Chris Gallagher said.

“Having a break that long and not being able to see the boys for a while is rough but we are all use to it and we just have to get back in the routine,” he said.

The Panthers have another tough task this weekend, taking on the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign’s Division I team.

Eastern played the Illinois Division II team at the beginning of the season, losing 11-5 on Sept. 20 in Danville.

The Panthers will take on the Illini at 7:30 Saturday in Champaign.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-2812 or dcrenzetti@eiu.edu.