2020–21 Western Michigan Broncos
men's ice hockey season
Conference6th NCHC
Home iceLawson Arena
Rankings
USCHONR
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall10–12–3
Conference10–11–3–1–0–1
Home5–2–0
Road3–3–1
Neutral2–7–2
Coaches and captains
Head coachAndy Murray
Assistant coachesPat Ferschweiler
J. J. Crew
Will Massey
Captain(s)Paul Washe
Alternate captain(s)Kale Bennett
Ethen Frank
Josh Passolt
Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey seasons
« 2019–20 2021–22 »

The 2020–21 Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey season was the 47th season of play for the program. They represented Western Michigan University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season and for the 8th season in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). The Broncos were coached by Andy Murray, in his 10th season, and played their home games at Lawson Arena.

Season

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Western Michigan's players would lose a season of play.[1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.[2]

Western Michigan began the season playing a series of games in Omaha, Nebraska, along with the rest of the NCHC. Before the team could even finish its first game, the Broncos were hamstrung by an injury to their starting netminder, Brandon Bussi.[3] The team turned to senior Austin Cain and, after a very rough start, he settled into the starting role. Cain played well at times but the team's compact schedule of games gave WMU few favors and by Christmas the team sat near the bottom of the conference with a 2–6–2 record. After getting swept by Miami at the beginning of January, freshman Alex Aslanidis was put in net and the team began to show signs of life. After nearly returning the favor to Miami, the Broncos swept #4 St. Cloud State and turned their season around virtually overnight. Aslanidis' performance, paired with the stellar play of Ronnie Attard, allowed Western Michigan to sweep another #4 team a few weeks later (Minnesota Duluth). In their final weekend of the regular season Bussi returned from his injury and swept Miami to put the team within one game of a .500 record.

Despite the teams vastly improved performance in the second half of the season, their record meant that the team had no real chance of making the NCAA Tournament without winning the NCHC Championship. The team had to get through Minnesota Duluth in the quarterfinals and the Broncos gave everything they had, taking a lead into the third period and then tying the game with less than a minute to play. WMU nearly matched UMD shot-for-shot but the final goal came from the Bulldogs and Western Michigan's season was over.

Jacob Bauer, Rhett Kingston and Jared Kucharek sat out the season.

Departures

Player Position Nationality Cause
Wade AllisonForward CanadaGraduation (Signed with Philadelphia Flyers)
Luke BafiaDefenseman United StatesGraduation (Signed with Kansas City Mavericks)
Ben BlackerGoaltender CanadaGraduation
Lawton CourtnallForward United StatesGraduation (Signed with Wheeling Nailers)
Dawson DiPietroForward United StatesGraduation (Signed with Buffalo Sabres)
Cam LeeDefenseman CanadaGraduation (Signed with Pittsburgh Penguins)
Will MasseyGoaltender United StatesGraduation (Retired)
Hugh McGingForward United StatesGraduation (Signed with St. Louis Blues)
Cameron OrchardForward United StatesLeft program
Austin RueschhoffForward United StatesSigned professional contract (New York Rangers)
Mattias SamuelssonDefenseman United StatesSigned professional contract (Buffalo Sabres)

Recruiting

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Alex AslanidisGoaltender United States19Moorestown, NJ
Jacob BauerDefenseman United States18Detroit, MI
Trevor BishopForward United States21Rochester Hills, MI
Cédric FiedlerDefenseman United States19Boca Raton, FL
Aidan FulpDefenseman United States20Indianapolis, IN
Ty GloverForward Canada20Salford, GBR
Luke GraingerForward Canada20Montréal, QC
Chad HillebrandForward United States21Park Ridge, IL
Daniel HilsendagerDefenseman Canada20Lloydminster, SK
Cam KnubleForward United States20Grand Rapids, MI
Hugh LarkinForward United States21Livonia, MI
Tim WasheForward United States19Detroit, MI
Jarred WhiteForward Canada21Edmonton, AB

Roster

As of March 1, 2021.[4]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Ontario Austin Cain Senior G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 1996-09-12 Ottawa, Ontario Whitby (OJHL)
2 Missouri Kale Bennett (A) Senior (RS) D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1995-11-30 St. Louis, Missouri Nanaimo (BCHL)
3 Illinois Michael Joyaux Junior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 1997-02-13 Bloomingdale, Illinois Youngstown (USHL)
4 Michigan Cam Knuble Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-07-23 Grand Rapids, Michigan Muskegon (USHL)
6 Michigan Scooter Brickey Sophomore D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 207 lb (94 kg) 1999-05-27 Burtchville, Michigan Des Moines (USHL)
7 Michigan Ronnie Attard Sophomore D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1999-03-20 White Lake, Michigan Tri-City (USHL) PHI, 72nd overall 2019
8 Ontario Matteo Pecchia Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2000-06-05 Nobleton, Ontario Mississauga (OJHL)
9 Quebec Luke Grainger Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-09-03 Montreal, Quebec Hawkesbury (CCHL)
10 Illinois Chad Hillebrand Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-01-22 Park Ridge, Illinois Green Bay (USHL)
11 Alberta Rhett Kingston Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1997-11-04 Black Diamond, Alberta Salmon Arm (BCHL)
12 Florida Cole Gallant Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-03-14 Dover, Florida Omaha (USHL)
13 Ontario Drew Worrad Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 1997-06-30 Birr, Ontario Steinbach (MJHL)
14 Michigan Jason Polin Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 1999-06-17 Holt, Michigan Cedar Rapids (USHL)
15 Saskatchewan Daniel Hilsendager Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 2000-03-30 Lloydminster, Saskatchewan Omaha (USHL)
16 Michigan Tim Washe Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2001-08-25 Clarkston, Michigan Nanaimo (BCHL)
17 Switzerland Cédric Fiedler Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 204 lb (93 kg) 2001-04-20 Zug, Switzerland Fargo (USHL)
18 Alberta Brett Van Os Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1996-02-21 St. Albert, Alberta Calgary Canucks (AJHL)
19 New Jersey Lukas Samuelsson Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 177 lb (80 kg) 1996-10-08 Voorhees, New Jersey Toronto (GMHL)
20 Alberta Jamie Rome Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 211 lb (96 kg) 1998-10-03 Cochrane, Alberta Victoria (BCHL)
21 Wisconsin Josh Passolt (A) Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1996-09-13 Hayward, Wisconsin Sioux Falls (USHL)
22 Michigan Trevor Bishop Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-01-23 Rochester Hills, Michigan Victoria (BCHL)
23 Michigan Paul Washe (C) Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 1998-11-27 Clarkston, Michigan Fargo (USHL)
24 Indiana Aidan Fulp Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2000-02-29 Indianapolis, Indiana Dubuque (USHL)
25 Michigan Jared Kucharek Junior D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 1998-05-23 Royal Oak, Michigan Madison (USHL)
26 Nebraska Ethen Frank (A) Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-02-05 Papillion, Nebraska Lincoln (USHL)
27 Ontario Ty Glover Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-10-01 London, Ontario Lincoln (USHL)
28 Michigan Hugh Larkin Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-03-27 Livonia, Michigan Austin (NAHL)
29 Alberta Jarred White Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-05-21 Edmonton, Alberta Sherwood Park (AJHL)
30 New York (state) Brandon Bussi Sophomore G 6' 5" (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1998-06-25 Sound Beach, New York Muskegon (USHL)
31 Alberta Ross Hawryluk Freshman G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 2001-03-19 Lloydminster, Alberta Nipawin (SJHL)
35 New Jersey Alex Aslanidis Freshman G 6' 5" (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2001-01-20 Morristown, New Jersey Navan (CCHL)
Michigan Jacob Bauer Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 2002-02-25 Milford, Michigan Lincoln (USHL)

Standings

Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL 3/SW PTS PT% GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#5 North Dakota †*24185121054.750944729226111457
#2 St. Cloud State24159033045.6257864312011010184
#3 Minnesota Duluth24139212143.597725428151128466
#13 Omaha24149140140.556796926141118581
Denver22912102131.470616024111316766
Western Michigan241011310133.458738425101237789
Colorado College22416202218.27335772341723679
Miami24517201018.25046832551824889
Championship: March 16, 2021
† indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and Results

DateTimeOpponent#Rank#SiteTVDecisionResultAttendanceRecord
Regular Season
December 1 8:07 PM vs. St. Cloud State #17 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska  Cain L 3–4  0 0–1–0 (0–1–0)
December 3 8:35 PM vs. Omaha #17 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska  Cain L 2–10  0 0–2–0 (0–2–0)
December 6 1:05 PM vs. #1 North Dakota #17 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska  Cain L 2–8  0 0–3–0 (0–3–0)
December 8 12:35 PM vs. Colorado College Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska  Cain T 3–3 SOL 0 0–3–1 (0–3–1)
December 9 4:35 PM vs. #13 St. Cloud State Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska  Cain W 2–1  0 1–3–1 (1–3–1)
December 11 8:35 PM vs. Colorado College Baxter ArenaOmaha, NebraskaAT&T RM Cain W 5–2  0 2–3–1 (2–3–1)
December 13 5:05 PM vs. #1 North Dakota Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska  Cain L 3–6  0 2–4–1 (2–4–1)
December 15 4:35 PM vs. #8 Denver Baxter ArenaOmaha, NebraskaAltitude Cain L 2–3  0 2–5–1 (2–5–1)
December 18 4:35 PM vs. #17 Omaha Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska  Cain L 5–6  0 2–6–1 (2–6–1)
December 19 5:05 PM vs. #8 Denver Baxter ArenaOmaha, NebraskaAltitude Cain T 3–3 SOL 0 2–6–2 (2–6–2)
January 2 5:05 PM vs. Miami Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan  Cain L 1–3  0 2–7–2 (2–7–2)
January 3 5:05 PM vs. Miami Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan  Cain L 1–5  0 2–8–2 (2–8–2)
January 8 7:00 PM at Miami Steve Cady ArenaOxford, Ohio  Aslanidis W 4–1  0 3–8–2 (3–8–2)
January 9 5:00 PM at Miami Steve Cady ArenaOxford, Ohio  Aslanidis T 3–3 SOW 0 3–8–3 (3–8–3)
January 15 7:05 PM vs. #4 St. Cloud State Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan  Aslanidis W 6–2  0 4–8–3 (4–8–3)
January 16 7:41 PM vs. #4 St. Cloud State Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, MichiganCBSSN Aslanidis W 3–1  0 5–8–3 (5–8–3)
January 23 7:00 PM at #7 Minnesota Duluth AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, Minnesota  Aslanidis L 1–5  150 5–9–3 (5–9–3)
January 24 5:00 PM at #7 Minnesota Duluth AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, Minnesota  Aslanidis L 1–4  150 5–10–3 (5–10–3)
February 5 8:30 PM at #4 St. Cloud State Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, Minnesota  Aslanidis L 1–5  153 5–11–3 (5–11–3)
February 6 7:07 PM at #4 St. Cloud State Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, Minnesota  Cain W 5–4 OT 157 6–11–3 (6–11–3)
February 12 6:05 PM vs. #4 Minnesota Duluth Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan  Aslanidis W 4–0  125 7–11–3 (7–11–3)
February 13 4:05 PM vs. #4 Minnesota Duluth Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan  Aslanidis W 4–1  125 8–11–3 (8–11–3)
February 26 6:05 PM vs. Miami Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan  Bussi W 5–2  125 9–11–3 (9–11–3)
February 27 2:00 PM at Miami Steve Cady ArenaOxford, OhioCBSSN Bussi W 4–2  0 10–11–3 (10–11–3)
NCHC Tournament
March 13 8:30 PM vs. #9 Minnesota Duluth Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota  Bussi L 4–5 OT 2,167 10–12–3
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.

[5]

Scoring statistics

Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Drew WorradC25518238
Ronnie AttardD25814228
Ethen FrankC24138214
Paul WasheC258132118
Josh PassoltLW257121914
Cole GallantRW25513182
Jason PolinF2377144
Michael JoyauxD25410148
Ty GloverC24561110
Aidan FulpD250111112
Brett Van OsLW2444837
Luke GraingerF2544812
Scooter BrickeyD2524616
Jamie RomeF2421312
Cédric FiedlerD150336
Chad HillebrandF121124
Hugh LarkinRW191127
Jarred WhiteLW1402222
Daniel HilsendagerD210224
Tim WasheC1310110
Kale BennettD230114
Trevor BishopF10000
Brandon BussiG40000
Lukas SamuelssonF50000
Cam KnubleF80004
Alex AslanidisG130000
Austin CainG150000
Bench-----8
Total77135212234

[6]

Goaltending statistics

Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Brandon Bussi421121010800.8892.84
Alex Aslanidis13613531312311.8823.03
Austin Cain15683382463080.8704.04
Empty Net-14---2----
Total25152210123896191.8743.51

Rankings

Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 (Final)
USCHO.com 18 17 17 17 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR - NR
USA Today NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.[7]

Awards and honors

Player Award Ref
Ronnie Attard AHCA West First Team All-American [8]
Ronnie Attard NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year [9]
Kale Bennett NCHC Scholar-Athlete of the Year [9]
Ronnie Attard NCHC First Team [10]
Ethen Frank NCHC Third Team [10]

References

  1. "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  2. "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  3. "Western Michigan Hockey: Losing Brandon Bussi detrimental to season". FanSided. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  4. "WMU Hockey – 2020–21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Western Michigan University Athletics. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  5. "Western Michigan Broncos (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  6. "Western Michigan Univ. 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  7. "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  8. "Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin lead way with three All-American college hockey players apiece for '20-21 season". USCHO.com. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  9. 1 2 "North Dakota's Berry, Pinto Garner NCHC's Top Honors for 2020-21". NCHC. March 11, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  10. 1 2 "North Dakota Paces 2020-21 NCHC All-Conference Teams". nchchockey.com. March 8, 2021. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
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