NIU hockey club coach Bill Thorn knows this weekend’s game against Bradley is going to be a physical one.

“(Bradley is) a physical team,” Thorn said. “Last time we played it took us a while to get going. This time we need to come out ready to go.”

The Huskies will travel to Peoria on Friday to take on their conference foes, the Braves. While playing aggressive is important for the Huskies (4-3-1 overall, 2-2 Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association), they can’t allow Bradley’s play to get to them, Thorn said.

The players need to watch how they retaliate, Thorn said. The officials always catch the retaliation, and NIU can’t afford to play with men in the box, he added.

Defensiveman Mike Smigiel agreed with his coach, saying the Huskies needs to keep cool.

“Their lack of skill causes them to play more physical,” Smigiel said. “Last year we played about five minutes five-on-five, and the rest of the game was played with someone shorthanded. It was mayhem.”

Coach Thorn would like to see his team play better defense than it did in the third period of their loss to Illinois State last week.

Also, the team needs to stick with its season-long goal of playing for a full 60 minutes, Thorn said.

“We can’t afford to let down and have a lapse,” Thorn said. “There are too many good teams (in the league) to have a lapse.”

If NIU can do that, it shouldn’t have a problem coming out with a victory. “If we keep the puck out of our net and our guys out of the box we should be fine,” Thorn said.