FREMONT, Neb. – Playing for the final time in 2022, Midland University hosted the University of Jamestown for a two-game series this weekend. The Warriors dropped the opener 4-1 but rallied back on Saturday night to defeat the No. 6-ranked Jimmies, 6-4. The split moved Midland to 3-11 on the year while Jamestown falls to 10-7.
FRIDAY: Jamestown 4, Midland 1
In the opener, the teams played were at a stalemate through the first 20 minutes despite a combined 34 shots on target. Both goalies earned their keep with Midland’s Nahuel Veyan picking up 21 saves in the first period.
Less than two minutes into the second period, Jamestown was able to notch the first goal of the game and then they added to it just before the midway point. With 10:14 left on the clock, the Jimmies held a 2-0 lead.
Before the end of the period, Logan Wotton cut the deficit in half with the Warriors’ first goal. Fletcher Chun assisted on the goal at the 14:02 mark and that’s where things stood heading into the final intermission.
After the break, both teams had their chances to net goals but the defense stood firm in front of their goalies. With just under eight minutes to go, Jamestown got their third goal. Less than two minutes after, they netted the fourth which ended up closing the book on the offense in game one.
Veyan finished the night with 49 saves in 60 minutes of action. The Warriors put up 36 shots on his counterpart, netting the lone second-period goal.
SATURDAY: Midland 6, Jamestown 4
In the series finale and the final game of 2022 for Midland, it was an offensive explosion of sorts with 10 goals between the two teams. Both squads netted a first-period goal, with the Warriors coming off the stick of Logan Wotton on the power play. Assisting with the first goal were Tommy Wardas and Jared Wisely.
Coming out of the locker rooms tied 1-1, Midland’s offense caught fire with three straight goals to take control of the game. Trevor Timm got the first goal while the Warriors were on a penalty kill. He netted the shorthanded goal at the 4:03 mark off assists from Fletcher Chun and Zach Eddington.
Sixty-six seconds later, Jack Olson got the Warriors on the board again off assists from Cody Shearer and Wardas.
At the 8:10 mark, Wardas made it a 4-1 game off a feed from Olson and Shearer. Following a goal from the Jimmies, Midland netted their fourth goal of the period. With 10:26 on the second-period clock, Wotton scored his second goal of the night off assists from Wardas and Shearer.
In the final period, each team put one more goal on the board. Midland’s came at the 10:48 mark from Wardas, his second of the night. Wotton and Chun assisted with the insurance goal. Jamestown scored their final goal at the 15:19 mark and Midland held on for a hard-fought 6-4 victory.
Nahuel Veyan picked up the win. He had 43 saves while going the complete game.
“This weekend was a complete team effort from the guys,” said head coach Jan Dam. “They have been putting in lots of work in practice behind closed doors. Games like Saturday, beating a top-ten team, show the dedication they have for each other and the team. Getting this win before the break will do wonders for our guys as we prepare for the second semester. We’ll enjoy this win for a few days before getting back at it. We’ve got a lot of hockey left this season and the team is starting to come together at the right time.”
Midland (3-11) will be off until after the New Year now with the end of the semester near. They’ll look to finish strong in the classroom before ramping things back up for a strong start to 2023. The Warriors will host No. 1 Minot State (13-1) on January 6-7 in Fremont to start out the second semester.
