Illinois (18-12-3, 39 pts.) was a longshot going into its first-round playoff game against No. 5 Jamestown (23-11-2, 48 pts.). That reputation was justified Friday when the two teams met. The final score, 8-1 Jamestown, speaks for itself.
“I feel like we had more to give,” said senior goaltender Nolan Woodring. “Losing on Friday sucked.”
Dreary end to up-and-down season
Head coach John Opilka stressed that a quick start would be necessary for the Illini to succeed. However, it was the Jimmies that came out of the gate hot. Jamestown freshman forward Chase Visser scored just his fourth goal of the season in the first minute to give the team an early advantage.
However, the Illini appeared to turn things around. For the most part, the team stayed out of the penalty box, played good defense and received strong play from Woodring.
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When the horn sounded at the end of the period, the Illini were only down 2-0 against one of the strongest offenses in the league. Senior forward Alexander Matveev cut the deficit to 3-1 mid-way through the second period with his 14th goal of the season. But that was as close as the game got.
The Jamestown offense picked up the scoring pace en route to an eight-goal outburst. All eight goals were scored by eight different players.
After that, the Jimmies went all the way to the championship game. There, they lost in overtime to the No. 1 Minot State Beavers (36-4-2, 75 pts.).
Bigger picture
The loss was only the third for Illinois in the new year. The team went 8-3 in 2025 after starting the season 10-9-3.
“This second semester, we really found our game,” Woodring said. “I think if we did that earlier in the season, with buy-in from all the guys, we could’ve been in a different position to end the year.”
If the team had played this hot all season, they certainly would have finished ahead of Illinois State in the Midwest College Hockey division standings. The Redbirds ended the year just a single point ahead of the Illini and won their first-round playoff game before falling similarly to the Illini in Round 2.
However, Illinois didn’t find its rhythm until it was too late, and its match-up against Jamestown was because of disjointed play. Still, many players were happy with recent performances and are already looking forward to next season.
“It was a fun ride for sure; I think our group started to show that Illini hockey is back for good,” said sophomore forward David Etingen. “It was pretty special to close out the year playing on a line with my brother and watching our team taste some success in the second half of the season.”
There will certainly be some questions next season, especially in the net, with Woodring and senior goaltender Joseph Schmid graduating. However, the team should have no trouble scoring goals, as most of its offensive production came from players who will return.
“Although there were some growing pains throughout the season, we persevered,” said freshman forward David Ras. “I am beyond excited for what the next season has in store.”
@BrendanGallian
