EDINA, Minn. – On Monday, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced that freshman goaltender has been named the WCHA's Rookie of the Week. The selection marks Jenks' first-ever WCHA honor.
"Jesse had a great weekend for us in the net and was a big part of us getting three points on the road in Anchorage," head coach Dallas Ferguson said of the rookie goaltender. "His calmness in big situations is impressive for a freshman and he came up with some terrific saves when we needed him to."
Jenks' weekend performance helped the Nanooks to earn three WCHA points on the road in the opening weekend of the Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup against in-state rival the University of Alaska Anchorage. In Friday's 2-1 victory over the Seawolves, Jenks made 25 saves before stopping 32-of-33 shots in Saturday's 1-1 overtime tie, including 11 shots in the third period and four in overtime.
"Our goals against average has been low the past couple weekends and I'm proud of the guys in front of our goalie who've been laying out and blocking shots but overall, our goaltender has been doing his job well," Ferguson concluded.
Over the weekend, Jenks lead all NCAA rookie goaltenders with a 0.96 goals-against-average and .966 save percentage (57-of-59). In nine games played, Jenks is now second among all WCHA goaltenders with a save percentage of .936 and is third in the WCHA with 1.95 goals against average. After this weekend's league contests, Jenks' overall record in goal for the Nanooks improves to 3-3-3.
The Alaska Nanooks hockey team will return to the Carlson Center after the holiday break, with a two-game WCHA series against the Bemidji State Beavers on Saturday, Jan. 2 (7:07 p.m. AST) and Sunday Jan. 3 (5:07 p.m. AST). For more information on the Alaska Nanooks hockey team, follow @NanooksHockey on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks hockey team on Facebook.
