“Owen gives us a chance to win every night,” said Jets head coach Parker Burgess. “He’s got the ability to steal you a game, and he’s always confident and levelheaded back there. He 100% deserves it.”
Millward stopped 50 of a combined 51 shots in the two wins for a save percentage of .983. The lone goal he gave up broke his shutout bid, which was at two consecutive heading into Saturday, and came on a play that appeared to be icing. Regardless, the strong weekend from Milly earned him both his league’s second-best fifth shutout and second-best 20th victory.
Millward has lost just one game in his last 11 outings, and his five shutouts are tied for second-most this season. (Shelley Schmidt Photography)
The 18-year-old goaltender out of California has become one of the league’s best netminders with his hot streak, and the second weekly honor for Millward has solidified that claim. Millward has ten wins in his last eleven games and has won five straight appearances. Boasting a 20-8 record, the young tendy, with the help of the guys in front of him that he preaches every night, has boosted the Jets to the doorstep of the final playoff spot in the division.
Since the New Year, the Jets have 11 wins to just two losses and have put the division on watch. Three of those wins were against the third-place Anchorage Wolverines, including an impressive sweep from Anchorage, plus a wowing sweep against the Jr. Blues, complete with an almost double-digit outing in a 9-1 victory. Since the start of 2022, Owen Millward has lost only one game in that same span.
Another series from Janesville is on deck for Milly and the Jets against their in-state rival Chippewa Steel, who have yet to defeat the Jets. The first meeting between the two Wisconsinites resulted in a nail-biting 5-4 win for Janesville from Chippewa, followed by a 4-0 shutout, the first of Millward’s streak that ended Saturday. It’ll be the first two-game set against the Steel and the first from the Janesville Ice Arena. The Steel are only five points behind the Jets in the division standings and will have another four games against them following this weekend.
