Champaign, IL - The Illini kicked off the 2007-08 season with a notch in the Win column as they dropped the Spartans of Michigan State University 5-2. Senior Johnny Liang lit the lamp three times, earning the hat trick, with senior Joey Resch assisting on all three goals.

Junior Jordan Pringle scored the first goal of the new season, and kicked off the Illini scoring drive as he chipped in a shot from the side of the net at the 4:25 mark in the first. Newcomer to the Illini, Pat Saliba, earned the lone assist on the Pringle goal. At 11:31 Johnny Liang put in his first goal of the night while crashing towards the goal, Captain Drew Heredia and Joey Resch getting the assists. The Illini kept the pressure on for the remainder of the period, putting a total of 18 shots on goal compared to MSU's 7, but MSU's goaltender Justin Sand, kept them in the game and allowing his team to go into the break only down 2-0.

In the second period Johnny Liang picked up where he left off, putting in a shot from the side of the net at the 3:42 mark, with Joey Resch assisting. Three quarters of the way through the period the Illini would finally be able to take advantage of a power play opportunity as Junior Jason Nemeth would wrist in a top shelf shot from the slot putting the Illini up 4-0. Johnny Liang and senior Alex Park would grab the assists. The Illini defense kept the Spartans away from the Illini net, allowing them only 3 shots on goal for the period.

Johnny Liang started the third period off quickly, streaking in towards the net with Joey Resch and netting his third goal at the 26 second mark. Penalties would hurt the Illini in the third period as MSU would take advantage of two of them. At 3:03 in the third, State's Brian Hennessy would put the Spartans on the board, finally able to get the puck past the Illini's Mike Burda. With just over thee minutes to go in the period, and the game, MSU put in their second and final goal, once again on the power play, as Marcel Letourneau popped the puck into the net. As the buzzer sounded, ending the game, the Illini came away with a 5-2 victory over the Spartans.