The Illini (5-7-0, 10 pts.) have dropped four straight games and have fallen from first to sixth in their division over the past few weeks.
They have their chance to turn things around this weekend against the Toledo Rockets (5-2-1, 11 pts.) in the first series of their six-game homestand.
Unranked Toledo isn’t a “break” for win-starved Illini
Despite their record, Toledo is unranked, which is a welcome sight for an Illinois team that has faced the current No. 2, No. 3 and No. 9 teams in three of its last four series. Illinois went 0-6 against the trio of top-10 opponents.
The Rockets, however, are no pushovers. The team has one more point than the Illini despite playing four fewer games. Head coach John Opilka says that the Illini will take lessons from their recent series against Jamestown into this weekend’s games.
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“Jamestown dominated every facet of the game for 120 minutes. We have to hold each other to a higher standard of play, and that starts with practice,” said Opilka. “It’s important that we learn from that and prepare for a home series against a tough opponent in Toledo.”
Illinois will play unranked opponents in its next eight games. The team holds a 5-1 record against unranked teams this season.
So goes Woodring, so goes the team
Senior goaltender Nolan Woodring saw his stats take a big hit this past weekend against Jamestown.
Woodring, the ACHA leader in minutes played (720), owns a 3.33 goals against average and .895 save percentage on the season, both of which are far cries from the numbers he rocked earlier this month.
The goaltender, as one might expect, has been a big influence on the team’s play throughout the season. It’s fair to say that when Woodring plays well, the team performs similarly.
Illinois is 5-1 when scoring three or more goals this season and 0-5 when Woodring allows three or more.
The team hasn’t scored three or more goals since the beginning of the month but will have a great chance to do so this weekend against Toledo, whose three goaltenders have combined for a 3.97 GAA and .890 SV% this year.
Puck drop for both games is set for 7 p.m. The Illini will wear special jerseys Friday in support of Hockey Fights Cancer.
