Illinois (5-5) looks to bounce back this weekend after a sweep from Purdue Northwest. However, it won’t be easy, as they play the No. 5 Jamestown Jimmies (9-0). To make things even tougher for Illinois, Jamestown is riding an eight-game win streak and is undefeated in divisional play.
The Illini are 0-4 this year against ranked opponents. They dropped a pair of games to No. 2 Minot State two weeks before, doing the same against No. 7 Purdue Northwest. Jamestown, much like Illinois, can credit much of its success to goaltending. Illinois senior goalie Nolan Woodring has put together an impressive season so far, but Jamestown’s Brandon Weare is playing on another level.
Weare leads all ACHA D1 goalies in wins (9), and among qualifiers, ranks fourth in GAA (1.22) and sixth in SV% (.953). Weare led the league in all four categories last season.
Freshman forward Carson Mitchell has the best chance of beating Weare this weekend. Mitchell leads the team in goals (6), assists (7) and points (13), the eighth-best among ACHA D1 skaters. Senior center Alexander Matveev is just behind Mitchell with five goals and five assists.
Even if Mitchell, Matveev and the Illini can find a way to beat Weare, they must contend with a Jimmies offense averaging well over four goals per game this season. The Illini are averaging just over three. The Jamestown offense is led by forward Brad Fortin, whose 14 points rank third among ACHA D1 skaters. Fortin recorded 23 goals last season and has scored in each of his last four games.
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Seemingly outmatched both in the net and on the ice, the Illini will look to steal the series by playing their style of hockey, with lots of speed and a lockdown penalty kill.
“One thing we need to work on is having a better mindset when playing teams like Purdue Northwest and Jamestown,” said sophomore forward Anthony Varrassi. “We can’t go into the game expecting them to outplay us. We are successful when we outwork our opponents and stick to our game plan.”
The Illini will take their furthest trip of the season as they head to the John L. Wilson Arena in Jamestown, North Dakota for the series.
