WEST DUNDEE – The ice in the defensive zone of the No. 7 ranked University of Jamestown Jimmies (5-2, 5-1 MCH) was fresh and pristine, looking nearly untouched.
A glance at NIU Hockey’s (0-8-2, 0-4 MCH) defensive end on the opposite side of the rink saw a torn up, worn down and rough skating surface, signifying the pure domination by the Jimmies in their 13-0 destruction of the Huskies.
A four-goal performance from sophomore forward Brad Fortin helped Jamestown reach double-digit goals.
“We didn’t have enough urgency and intensity to start the game,” head coach Brad Stoffers said. “They wanted it a little bit more than us.”
THOROUGHLY DISMANTLED
Jamestown held nearly all of the puck possession throughout the game, reflected by the lopsided 62-15 shot total in favor of the Jimmies.
NIU pressured Jamestown’s defensive zone so little that the ice in that section of the rink was still clean, with very little skate blade marks scattered in the area.
“It (puck possession) just comes down to picking your head up, taking an extra second and just looking to make a play rather than just throwing it away,” freshman defenseman Jim Franklin said. “A lot of the time we’d get the puck and just rip it right back to them. Just turnover after turnover kept coming on us, and nothing much we can do.”
Stoffers said playing that much defense in a game was tough on a team already missing six of its players.
“It’s very, very tough to play a game like that because it’s taxing,” Stoffers said. “You’re constantly defending, constantly chasing the play, which takes a lot of energy. We only dressed 14 skaters all weekend. We got a super short bench – I mean, crazy short. So, to have guys already gassed and then you’re constantly defending and chasing play, it just all adds up.”
REARVIEW MIRROR
After getting outscored 20-0 in the weekend series against the defending Midwest College Hockey champions, the Huskies are focusing on the small victories to build on.
“Kind of a wash,” Stoffers said about this weekend’s series with Jamestown. “Yesterday (Friday), we actually played pretty well for 40 minutes. So, I think that’s a positive for sure and hopefully that’s not lost with today’s result. “
Franklin echoed his coach’s sentiment of looking for the positives and said the final scores don’t reflect how the team played at certain points through the weekend.
“That first game on Friday, to keep it to 0-2 throughout the first two (periods), that’s huge for us,” Franklin said. “Even today, keep it 0-3, 0-4 throughout the first two also. It just shows that we can actually start out and play a good game hard and fast … We can actually come out and compete. So, it’s just one thing to take away – one silver lining.”
The Huskies are on the road next weekend to take on the also winless Waldorf University Warriors. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. Friday at the Albert Lea City Arena in Albert Lea, Minnesota.
The game will be streamed on the Waldorf Warrior Network.
