The Illini (12-9-3, 27 pts.) find themselves firmly planted somewhere in the middle of the Midwest College Hockey Division. Exactly where is to be determined, but it depends entirely on the team’s play over the next eight games. The team is 11 points out of third place but only four points ahead of eighth place.
There’s a good reason to believe the Illini can pull away in the final month, beginning with this weekend’s matchup against the Iowa State Cyclones (6-16-3, 15 pts.).
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The Illini are one of five teams vying for fourth place as the season winds down. While all five teams have similar point totals, a closer look at the stats shows good news for the Illini.
Illinois has gathered 27 points in just 24 games, while the other four contending teams are all playing at a point-per-game pace or worse. The team’s point percentage (.563) ranks fourth in the division, as does its goal differential (+5).
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Still, there are some categories the Illini do not stack up very well in. Even after their nine-goal outburst this past weekend, the team has lit the lamp just 69 times this year, third-worst in the MCH. The lack of scoring has done little to slow Illinois, largely thanks to senior goaltenders Nolan Woodring and Joseph Schmid.
Tale of 2 tandems
Woodring has certainly received his share of credit for the team’s success this year, and for good reason. His spectacular play has left Illinois with the fewest goals allowed (64) in the division.
Iowa State ranks last in the same category, with its four goaltenders combining to allow 129 goals this season, more than twice the amount Woodring and company have let in.
Unlike the evenly-balanced Illini, the Cyclones’ offense is not the scoring dynamo required to offset the black hole in the net. The Cyclones have scored just 59 goals this year. This is 10 less than the Illini and good enough for a division-worst -70 goal differential.
The two teams last tangled in mid-November, and it was Schmid making his first start in over two years — not Woodring — who stole the show with a 37-save shutout.
The Illini swept the Cyclones that series, although not as convincing as the goal differential gap would suggest. The hard-luck Illini, who have seen a disconnect between process and results, have no grievance with the victories.
This weekend’s contests will be held at Ames/ISU Ice Arena. The puck drop for the opener is set for Friday at 7:45 p.m., while game two will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
