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Mar. 15—MARYLAND, HEIGHTS, Mo. — The No. 5-seed University of Jamestown men's hockey team heads to the 2025 ACHA National Championships hoping to win their first national championship in program history.
"We have to make sure we focus on our game and our game plan," Jimmies head coach Dean Stork said. "I think the biggest thing is don't let the big moments interrupt. We have to focus on what do we need to do as a team to execute, our systems, play our way, our game. We all know what the outcomes gonna be, it's a process, we've been working on it all week trying to make sure we're prepared and focused on the first game."
The Jimmies open their tournament at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, March 15, when they take on Grand Canyon University (Arizona). Stork said the Jimmies will have to prepare for a hungry Antelopes team that is making their first appearance in the tournament in program history.
"(They are a) very good opponent," Stork said. "I know they split with Minot this year as well, they've beaten Vegas as well. We're very similar teams. Grand Canyon brings kind of a hard-nosed kind of like the Jimmies, a simple game. They're opportunistic, their defensemen are really good offensively, can really push the pace, can really shoot and create a lot of offense for them on the offensive blue line. They do a lot of low to highs, they shoot a lot of pucks and they just crash nets."
This game will be the first time the Jimmies and Antelopes have ever played each other.
"It is a little challenging for sure, but once again you don't want to overcoach. You just gotta let the guys play. It's about them, it's about us and what we need to do," Stork said. "I don't want to overcoach. It's been a long year. I think over the years I've learned as a coach that I've really ... overcoached and it leads to nerves, gripping the stick a little too tight. ... It's all about them, it's not about me, so just gonna let them go out there, make plays and have fun."
This season, the Jimmies and Antelopes have played three of the same teams — Arizona State, Minot State and University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The only team both squads have winning records against is Arizona State with the Jimmies winning their sole game against the Sun Devils on Nov. 24, while the Antelopes went 3-0 in the season series.
Stork said he will not spend a lot of time studying the common opponents but they will be studying the Antelopes in a film session and know what to be prepared for.
The Jimmies head into the game with a 23-9-0 overall record and a 4-2-0 overall record in neutral site games.
The Antelopes head into the matchup with a 15-14-0 overall record. The Antelopes opened their tournament run with a 5-1 win over the University of Delaware on Thursday, March 13.
One of the most important aspects of this game is expected to be the special teams battle. This season, the Jimmies have a 24.2% power play percentage and have killed off 77.8% of their penalties. The Antelopes have a 26.4% power play percentage and have killed off 84.4% of their penalties.
"We're gonna have to make sure we're on the ball with our system on the penalty kill," Stork said. "We're gonna be super aggressive."
The Jimmies are making their seventh trip to the ACHA Men's Division I National Championships. Last year, the Jimmies lost 4-1 to the University of Pittsburgh in the first round of the tournament.
In preparation for the early start time for this game, Stork said his team has been practicing in the mornings, waking up at the same time every day, and building a morning routine so they are ready to hit the ice at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 15.
Stork said his team's recipe for success in the tournament is all down to teamwork.
"You need a team first everybody," Stork said. " ... If we don't have 21 players playing we're not gonna win. We've been stressing that. You have to have all 21 guys execute their jobs and doing their jobs. You can't be great without the greatness of everyone."
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"We have to make sure we focus on our game and our game plan," Jimmies head coach Dean Stork said. "I think the biggest thing is don't let the big moments interrupt. We have to focus on what do we need to do as a team to execute, our systems, play our way, our game. We all know what the outcomes gonna be, it's a process, we've been working on it all week trying to make sure we're prepared and focused on the first game."
The Jimmies open their tournament at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, March 15, when they take on Grand Canyon University (Arizona). Stork said the Jimmies will have to prepare for a hungry Antelopes team that is making their first appearance in the tournament in program history.
"(They are a) very good opponent," Stork said. "I know they split with Minot this year as well, they've beaten Vegas as well. We're very similar teams. Grand Canyon brings kind of a hard-nosed kind of like the Jimmies, a simple game. They're opportunistic, their defensemen are really good offensively, can really push the pace, can really shoot and create a lot of offense for them on the offensive blue line. They do a lot of low to highs, they shoot a lot of pucks and they just crash nets."
This game will be the first time the Jimmies and Antelopes have ever played each other.
"It is a little challenging for sure, but once again you don't want to overcoach. You just gotta let the guys play. It's about them, it's about us and what we need to do," Stork said. "I don't want to overcoach. It's been a long year. I think over the years I've learned as a coach that I've really ... overcoached and it leads to nerves, gripping the stick a little too tight. ... It's all about them, it's not about me, so just gonna let them go out there, make plays and have fun."
This season, the Jimmies and Antelopes have played three of the same teams — Arizona State, Minot State and University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The only team both squads have winning records against is Arizona State with the Jimmies winning their sole game against the Sun Devils on Nov. 24, while the Antelopes went 3-0 in the season series.
Stork said he will not spend a lot of time studying the common opponents but they will be studying the Antelopes in a film session and know what to be prepared for.
The Jimmies head into the game with a 23-9-0 overall record and a 4-2-0 overall record in neutral site games.
The Antelopes head into the matchup with a 15-14-0 overall record. The Antelopes opened their tournament run with a 5-1 win over the University of Delaware on Thursday, March 13.
One of the most important aspects of this game is expected to be the special teams battle. This season, the Jimmies have a 24.2% power play percentage and have killed off 77.8% of their penalties. The Antelopes have a 26.4% power play percentage and have killed off 84.4% of their penalties.
"We're gonna have to make sure we're on the ball with our system on the penalty kill," Stork said. "We're gonna be super aggressive."
The Jimmies are making their seventh trip to the ACHA Men's Division I National Championships. Last year, the Jimmies lost 4-1 to the University of Pittsburgh in the first round of the tournament.
In preparation for the early start time for this game, Stork said his team has been practicing in the mornings, waking up at the same time every day, and building a morning routine so they are ready to hit the ice at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 15.
Stork said his team's recipe for success in the tournament is all down to teamwork.
"You need a team first everybody," Stork said. " ... If we don't have 21 players playing we're not gonna win. We've been stressing that. You have to have all 21 guys execute their jobs and doing their jobs. You can't be great without the greatness of everyone."
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