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Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey

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Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey
Current season
Western Michigan Broncos athletic logo
UniversityWestern Michigan University
ConferenceNCHC
First season1973; 52 years ago
Head coachPat Ferschweiler
4th season, 70–43–3 (.616)
Assistant coaches
ArenaLawson Arena
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Student sectionLawson Lunatics
ColorsBrown and gold[1]
   
NCAA tournament champions
2025
NCAA tournament Frozen Four
2025
NCAA tournament appearances
1986, 1994, 1996, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Conference tournament champions
CCHA: 1986, 2012
NCHC: 2025
Conference regular season champions
NCHC: 2025
Current uniform

The Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Western Michigan University. The Broncos are a member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). They play at Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States.[2] Western Michigan won their first national championship in 2025.

History

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2024 Western Michigan Broncos playing at Michigan

The Broncos program began in 1973 and joined the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) for the 1975–76 season. After ten seasons in the league Western Michigan won the 1986 CCHA Playoff Tournament and advanced to the school's first NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament in 1986.[3] The 1986 season marked the program's first CCHA Tournament Championship and the program's first bid to the NCAA Tournament.[4] The Broncos entered the tournament in the West Regional against Harvard and lost the two-game aggregate series, being outscored 11–4 by the Crimson.[5]

Western Michigan's next post season appearance came in 1994. Western Michigan received an at-large bid to the 1994 NCAA Division I Tournament and again fell in the first round with a 6–3 loss to Wisconsin.[6]

The Broncos rebounded in the 1995–96 season after a sub-.500 season in 1994–95. Western Michigan received the program's second at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Western Michigan lost again in the first round to Clarkson 6–1.[7]

Under first-year coach Jeff Blashill, Western Michigan received an at-large bid to the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, where they would lose their opening game 3–2 in double overtime to Denver. Denver scored two goals in the last 4:29 of the third period to force overtime.[8]

In 2011–12, for the second consecutive season, Western Michigan had a new head coach and reached the NCAA tournament. Longtime National Hockey League (NHL) coach Andy Murray was named as coach of the Broncos after Blashill left for the Detroit Red Wings.[9] WMU finished tied for second in the CCHA and won the CCHA tournament, thereby receiving an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.[10] Western Michigan lost in the first round of the tournament 3–1 to No. 1 seed North Dakota.[11]

The Broncos joined the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) starting in the 2013–14 season. The CCHA disbanded after the 2012–13 season, in part due to the addition of men's ice hockey to the Big Ten Conference.

Western Michigan won the 2013 four-team Great Lakes Invitational which was played outdoors at Comerica Park in Detroit. The Broncos defeated No. 3 Michigan 3–2 in overtime in the semifinals, and then claimed the championship by beating Michigan Tech 1–0, also in overtime. WMU won the 2014 Shillelagh Tournament with an 8–2 victory over No. 17 Union. The Broncos also defeated Ohio State in the first round of the tournament, 6–2.

In 2016–17, the Broncos followed up a disappointing 8-25-3 season with an impressive 22-13-5 and a third-place finish in the NCHC. Western Michigan was invited to the final Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis Arena, where they defeated Michigan Tech in the championship. WMU has been invited to the GLI 5 times dating back to 1977, winning it 3 of those times. The Broncos were defeated in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Division I tournament by Air Force.

In 2021-2022, Western Michigan had a legendary season for the program under Pat Ferschweiler as head coach. The broncos shared the 2021 Great Lakes Invitational championship by defeating Michigan State. The broncos managed to obtain 26 wins defeating teams the likes of No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 St. Cloud State, and defeated No. 10 North Dakota in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Semi-Finals to advance their first (NCHC) championship game. Western Michigan clinched their first-ever 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and would win their first-ever playoff game by defeating the Northeastern Huskies to advance to their first ever regional championship appearance. They would be defeated by Minnesota 3-0.

The Broncos’ 2024-2025 season was a season to remember. It was a year of firsts under 4th year head coach Pat Ferschweiler. WMU collected tremendous victories against No. 8 Colorado College, split a home-away series with No.7 Michigan, split the regular season series No.4 Denver. Despite losing two close games to No.1 Boston College & No.2 Michigan State, The broncos remained ranked in the top-5 national rankings for the majority of the season.

On February 28, 2025, WMU defeated North Dakota 6-4 to win their first ever (NCHC) Spencer Penrose Cup. This is also WMU’s first ever conference regular season championship.

In the (NCHC) Quarterfinals, WMU swept St. Cloud State. Defeating the huskies 6-2 in both games 1 and 2. WMU went on to St. Paul, Minnesota to defeat #16 North Dakota 4-2 to advance to their second ever (NCHC) championship game. After being down 3-0, WMU crawled back to defeat the defending (NCHC) champion Denver 4-3 in double overtime. This would the broncos’ first ever (NCHC) championship and third overall conference championship.

WMU earned their 2nd ever 1-seed in program history for the [2025 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament|NCAA tournament]. They hosted the Fargo, North Dakota region where they would play Minneosta State. WMU defeated Minnesota State 2-1 in double overtime to advance to the regional final game. There they defeated UMass Amherst 2-1 to advance to their first ever trip to the Frozen Four in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Broncos played defending national champion Denver in a rematch of the NCHC tournament championship game. Once again WMU defeated Denver in another double overtime thriller 3-2 to advance to their first ever NCAA Frozen Four championship game.

Western Michigan University defeated Boston 6-2 to win their first ever national championship in program history. Sophomore forward was named the 2025 (NCAA) men’s Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player for scoring 4 goals in the Frozen Four.

The 2025 (NCAA) national championship game generated 30% more viewership than the 2024 (NCAA) national championship.

Season-by-season results

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Main article: List of Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey seasons

Source:[12]

Coaching

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All-time coaching records

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As of the completion of 2023–24 season[12]

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1973–1978 Bill Neal 5 91–65–5 .581
1978–1982 Glen Weller 4 64–73–5 .468
1982–1999 Bill Wilkinson 17† 313–301–53 .509
1999–2010 Jim Culhane 11† 158–222–48 .425
2010–2011 Jeff Blashill 1 19–13–10 .571
2011–2021 Andy Murray 10 167–156–43 .515
2021–Present Pat Ferschweiler 3 70–43–3 .616
Totals 7 coaches 51 seasons 882–873–167 .502

† The 1998–99 season was coached by both Wilkinson and Culhane.

Statistical leaders

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Further information: Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey statistical leaders

Source:[13]

Career points leaders

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Player Years GP G A Pts PIM
Dan Dorion 1982–1986 157 115 178 293
Paul Polillo 1986–1990 165 82 189 271
Wayne Gagné 1983–1987 162 42 199 241
Jeff Green 1986–1990 159 109 125 234
Ross Fitzpatrick 1978–1982 138 100 125 225
Tim Dunlop 1974–1978 129 92 106 198
Rob Bryden 1983–1987 162 104 91 195
Chris Brooks 1992–1996 147 57 127 184
Troy Thrun 1983–1986 122 81 102 183
Bob Scurfield 1978–1981 130 82 95 177

Career goaltending leaders

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GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Minimum 30 games played

Player Years GP Min W L T GA SO SV% GAA
Frank Slubowski 2011–2015 94 6021 49 38 15 235 7 .909 2.34
Cameron Rowe 2022–Present 76 4496 43 30 2 186 5 .904 2.48
Marc Magliarditi 1995–1996 36 2110 23 11 2 91 5 .910 2.59
Brandon Bussi 2019–2022 77 4467 46 25 5 194 4 .912 2.61
Jerry Kuhn 2007–2011 63 3528 16 27 3 158 2 .912 2.69

Statistics current through the end of the 2023–2024 season.

Current roster

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As of September 23, 2024.[14]

No. Nat. Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Kirk Laursen Junior (RS) G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-01-02 Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Miami (NCHC) —
2 Grady Gallatin Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 179 lb (81 kg) 2004-06-07 White Bear Lake, Minnesota Janesville Jets (NAHL) —
3 Cole Crusberg-Roseen Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 2002-04-14 Stratham, New Hampshire Lincoln Stars (USHL) —
4 Robby Drazner Graduate D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-02-13 Buffalo Grove, Illinois Miami (NCHC) —
6 Jack Mesic Sophomore D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 2002-10-18 Plymouth, Michigan Ferris State (CCHA) —
8 Zach Nehring Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 179 lb (81 kg) 2005-03-07 Minot, North Dakota Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) WPG, 82nd overall 2023
9 Zach Bade Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2003-04-26 Rosemount, Minnesota Tri-City Storm (USHL) —
10 Zack Sharp Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2005-03-29 Naperville, Illinois Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL) —
11 Ethan Wolthers Junior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 155 lb (70 kg) 2001-07-19 Valencia, California Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL) —
12 Connor Brown Freshman F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2005-05-03 Estero, Florida Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) —
13 Grant Slukynsky Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2002-03-12 Edina, Minnesota Northern Michigan (CCHA) —
14 Brian Kramer Graduate D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-07-20 Wexford, Pennsylvania American International (AHA) —
16 Tim Washe Graduate F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2001-08-25 Detroit, Michigan Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL) —
17 Ty Henricks Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 216 lb (98 kg) 2005-06-28 Mission Viejo, California Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) NYR, 183rd overall 2023
18 Wyatt Schingoethe Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2002-08-03 Algonquin, Illinois Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) TOR, 195th overall 2020
19 Cam Knuble Graduate F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-07-23 Grand Rapids, Michigan Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) —
20 Alex Bump Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2003-11-20 Burnsville, Minnesota Tri-City Storm (USHL) PHI, 133rd overall 2022
21 Ryan Kusler Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2003-05-19 Battle Creek, Michigan Omaha Lancers (USHL) —
22 Iiro Hakkarainen Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2004-03-09 Helsinki, Finland Fargo Force (USHL) —
23 Liam Valente Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2003-05-23 Märsta, Sweden Providence (HEA) —
24 Garrett Szydlowski Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-06-12 Detroit, Michigan Wenatchee Wild (BCHL) —
25 Matteo Costantini Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2002-08-16 St. Catharines, Ontario North Dakota (NCHC) BUF, 131st overall 2020
26 Ean Somoza Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 2003-02-08 Thousand Oaks, California Wenatchee Wild (BCHL) —
27 Joona Väisänen Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 2004-07-29 Espoo, Finland Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) PIT, 175th overall 2024
29 Tristan Lemyre Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-01-15 Mirabel, Quebec Denver (NCHC) —
30 Hampton Slukynsky Freshman G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2005-07-02 Warroad, Minnesota Fargo Force (USHL) LAK, 118th overall 2023
31 Cameron Rowe Graduate G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2001-06-01 Wilmette, Illinois Wisconsin (Big Ten) —
33 Samuel Sjölund Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-05-19 Stockholm, Sweden Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) DAL, 111th overall 2019
34 Owen Michaels Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-05-01 Detroit, Michigan Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) —

Awards and honors

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NCAA

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Individual awards

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All-Americans

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AHCA First Team All-Americans

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

CCHA

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Individual awards

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All-Conference teams

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First Team All-CCHA

Second Team All-CCHA

CCHA All-Rookie Team

NCHC

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Individual awards

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All-Conference teams

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First Team All-NCHC

Second Team All-NCHC

Third Team All-NCHC

NCHC All-Rookie Team

Western Michigan Broncos Hall of Fame

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The following is a list of people associated with the Western Michigan men's ice hockey program who were elected into the Western Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame.[15]

Broncos in the NHL

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See also: Former NCAA players in the National Hockey League

As of July 1, 2024

= NHL All-Star team = NHL All-Star[16] = NHL All-Star[16] and NHL All-Star team = Hall of Famers

‡Scott Foster played 14 minutes for the Blackhawks after being signed to a 1-day contract as an emergency backup due to injury.[17]

Source:[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Western Michigan Athletics Brand Guide (PDF). July 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  2. ^ "Wmu Men's Hockey Team Page :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online". USCHO.com. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  3. ^ "Statistics :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online". USCHO.com. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  4. ^ CCHA history and records ccha.com [dead link]
  5. ^ "Official 2006 NCAA® Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Records Book" (PDF). www.ncaa.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 26, 2008.
  6. ^ "1994 NCAA Tournament". Inside College Hockey. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  7. ^ "1996 NCAA Tournament". Inside College Hockey. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  8. ^ Holt, Adam. "Late rally, Zucker's double-OT winner send Denver past Western Michigan". uscho.com. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  9. ^ AP Staff (July 26, 2011). "Former NHL coach Andy Murray hired by Western Michigan". USA Today. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  10. ^ Drew, David (March 17, 2012). "Western Michigan is CCHA Tournament champ after 3-2 win over Michigan". Kalamazoo Gazette. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  11. ^ AP Staff (March 24, 2012). "North Dakota 3, Western Michigan 1: Broncos ousted in first round of NCAA hockey tournament". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  12. ^ a b "2015-16 WMU HOCKEY RECORD BOOK" (PDF). Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  13. ^ "Hockey - Career/Season Point Leaders". Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  14. ^ "2024–25 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  15. ^ "Hall of Fame" (PDF). Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  16. ^ a b Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.
  17. ^ "Scott Foster: Accountant makes NHL debut in goal for Chicago Blackhawks". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  18. ^ "Alumni report for Western Michigan University". Hockey DB. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
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