2021–22 Western Michigan Broncos
men's ice hockey season
NCAA Tournament, Northeast Regional final
Conference3rd NCHC
Home iceLawson Arena
Rankings
USCHO#6
USA Today#6
Record
Overall26–12–1
Conference14–9–1
Home12–4–0
Road12–6–1
Neutral2–2–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachPat Ferschweiler
Assistant coachesJ. J. Crew
Will Massey
Alternate captain(s)Ronnie Attard
Ethen Frank
Josh Passolt
Drew Worrad
Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey seasons
« 2020–21 2022–23 »

The 2021–22 Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey season was the 48th season of play for the program and the 9th season in the NCHC conference. They were coached by Pat Ferschweiler, in his first season, and played their home games at Lawson Arena.

Season

Western Michigan commenced the Pat Ferschweiler era in fine form, securing victories in six of its first seven games. The team earned a signature win early on when it defeated top-ranked Michigan after jumping up into the national rankings.The Broncos encountered some difficulties in mid-November but rebounded by securing seven consecutive victories, propelling them into the top-5. WMU recorded more wins in the first half of the season than they had all of the previous year. While this is a bit misleading as the team's schedule was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the offense was rolling along to the tune of almost four goals a game when they paused for the winter break. The Bronco attack was led by Drew Worrad, Ethen Frank and Ronnie Attard. The trio put the team in a position to win most nights with Brandon Bussi providing capable goaltending when needed.[1]

Expectations were high for the team as it was getting ready for the Great Lakes Invitational. Unfortunately, COVID got in the way once more and forced what was supposed to be the rubber match with Michigan to be cancelled. The team then suffered a bigger blow when team captain Paul Washe left the club, though administrators were tight-lipped about the reasons at the time. Coronavirus put the team on the shelf until the third week of January. When they returned, however, the Broncos didn't appear to have lost any of their fight and put together another impressive stretch with 5 wins in 6 games.

The good times came to an abrupt halt in mid-February when the Broncos went 1–4–1 as they headed down the stretch. The offense dried up for a three-week span and dropped WMU out of contention for the conference regular season title. While they recovered in the final week of the season, albeit against the NCHC's worst team, Western Michigan ended up 3rd in the conference. More importantly, however, because the team had such a high ranking from their success before the losing skid, the Broncos were guaranteed to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament.

Postseason

The Broncos began their run against Omaha and, once more, their offense carried them to victory. A hat-trick by Luke Grainger was the difference in the first game while Worrad chipped in the final two WMU goals in the rematch. The defense firmed up in the semifinal and enabled the team to down tournament-bound North Dakota 4–2. In Western Michigan's first appearance in the NCHC title game, they met one of the stingiest defenses in Minnesota Duluth. The Broncos were only able to get 19 shots on goal in the contest and none of them could find their way into the cage.

Though the team was disappointed by the result, their championship game appearance earned the Broncos a top-3 national ranking. That gave them one of the #1 seeds and they were sent to Worcester to take on Northeastern. While this was Western Michigan's seventh appearance in the national tournament, the team had still yet to win a single game. Not wanting history to repeat, WMU immediately went on the attack after the puck was dropped and tried to steamroll the Huskies. Northeastern replied in kind and the two teams skated up and down the ice, looking to break through. Western got on the board first, scoring in the later half of the opening period, but stellar goaltending from Devon Levi prevented the Broncos from increasing their advantage. Instead, the team held onto a slim lead for most of the contest while the Huskies attacked relentlessly. Bussi was up to the task, turning aside every Northeastern shot and putting the team in position to win. With just a few minutes remaining in regulation, Northeastern stole the puck at the Broncos' blueline and Aidan McDonough, one of the top goal scorers in the nation, broke towards the WMU net. He slipped around a fallen Jacob Bauer and then shuffled the puck around a sprawled-out Bussi to tie the score. When overtime began, both teams continued their attack and, at about the 90-second mark, Levi made a mistake behind his own net but appeared to make up for the gaffe with a spectacular save. However, upon video review, the puck was confirmed to have completely crossed the line and Luke Grainger became the hero of the Broncos first ever tournament victory.

Their second game of the tournament came against Minnesota and that contest was much different than the first. The Gophers hemmed the Broncos in their own zone for long stretches of the game and didn't allow WMU to get its powerful offense going. Minnesota opened the scoring in the first and seemed comfortable holding the small lead. Attard appeared to tie the score in the middle of the second, however, the goal was waved off due to offsides and left Western's offense stuck in neutral. The Broncos' only penalty of the game almost immediately resulted in a Gopher power play goal and appeared to seal the team's fate. An empty-net goal washed away all doubt and sent the Broncos home.

While the end to their season was disappointing, this was still the furthest the Broncos had ever gotten in the postseason and ending a 7-game losing streak in NCAA play is an achievement in and of itself.

Rape allegations

Just prior to the postseason, Paul Washe was formally charged with sexual assault.[2] Reportedly, the incident occurred at a party on December 5. The unnamed victim, also a WMU student, testified that Washe had led her into a basement and into a secluded corner. Despite repeated attempts to rebuke his advances, she said Washe forced her down and made her perform oral sex. He then pulled her up and raped her.[3] The victim reported the alleged crime three days later and an investigation was launched. By early January, enough evidence had been uncovered to cause the school to suspend Washe, who had previously been investigated for Title IX accusations 4 years earlier.

After news of indictment was made public, Washe was formally dismissed from the team.[4] In May 2022, a judge ruled that there was sufficient evidence to send the case to trial.[5]

Departures

Player Position Nationality Cause
Kale BennettDefenseman United StatesGraduation (retired)
Austin CainGoaltender CanadaGraduate transfer to Providence
Rhett KingstonForward CanadaMid-season transfer to Plattsburgh State
Lukas SamuelssonForward United StatesGraduation (retired)
Brett Van OsForward CanadaGraduation (signed with Cincinnati Cyclones)
Paul WasheForward United StatesDismissed from team (criminal allegations)

Recruiting

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Xan GurneyDefenseman United States21Grosse Ile, MI
Max SassonForward United States21Birmingham, MI
Wyatt SchingoetheForward United States19Algonquin, IL; selected 195th overall in 2020
Nick StromDefenseman United States21Dayton, MN
Dylan WendtForward Canada20Grand Haven, MI

Roster

As of March 22, 2022.[6]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
2 Michigan Jacob Bauer Sophomore D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 2002-02-25 Milford, Michigan Lincoln (USHL) —
3 Illinois Michael Joyaux Senior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 1997-02-13 Bloomingdale, Illinois Youngstown (USHL) —
4 Michigan Xan Gurney Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-05-28 Grosse Ile, Michigan Green Bay (USHL) —
6 Michigan Scooter Brickey Junior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 207 lb (94 kg) 1999-05-27 Burtchville, Michigan Des Moines (USHL) —
7 Michigan Ronnie Attard (A) Junior 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 Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2000-06-05 Nobleton, Ontario Mississauga (OJHL) —
9 Quebec Luke Grainger Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-09-03 Montreal, Quebec Hawkesbury (CCHL) —
10 Illinois Chad Hillebrand Sophomore F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-01-22 Park Ridge, Illinois Green Bay (USHL) —
12 Florida Cole Gallant Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-03-14 Dover, Florida Omaha (USHL) —
13 Ontario Drew Worrad (A) Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 1997-06-30 Birr, Ontario Steinbach (MJHL) —
14 Michigan Jason Polin Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 1999-06-17 Holt, Michigan Cedar Rapids (USHL) —
15 Saskatchewan Daniel Hilsendager Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 2000-03-30 Lloydminster, Saskatchewan Omaha (USHL) —
16 Michigan Tim Washe Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2001-08-25 Clarkston, Michigan Nanaimo (BCHL) —
17 Switzerland Cédric Fiedler Sophomore D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 204 lb (93 kg) 2001-04-20 Zug, Switzerland Fargo (USHL) —
18 Illinois Wyatt Schingoethe Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2002-08-03 Algonquin, Illinois Waterloo (USHL) TOR, 195th overall 2020
19 Michigan Cam Knuble Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-07-23 Grand Rapids, Michigan Muskegon (USHL) —
20 Alberta Jamie Rome Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 211 lb (96 kg) 1998-10-03 Cochrane, Alberta Victoria (BCHL) —
21 Wisconsin Josh Passolt (A) Graduate F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1996-09-13 Hayward, Wisconsin Sioux Falls (USHL) —
22 Michigan Trevor Bishop Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-01-23 Rochester Hills, Michigan Victoria (BCHL) —
24 Indiana Aidan Fulp Sophomore D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2000-02-29 Indianapolis, Indiana Dubuque (USHL) —
25 Michigan Jared Kucharek Senior D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 1998-05-23 Royal Oak, Michigan Madison (USHL) —
26 Nebraska Ethen Frank (A) Graduate F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-02-05 Papillion, Nebraska Lincoln (USHL) —
27 Ontario Ty Glover Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-10-01 London, Ontario Lincoln (USHL) —
28 Michigan Hugh Larkin Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-03-27 Livonia, Michigan Austin (NAHL) —
29 Alberta Jarred White Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-05-21 Edmonton, Alberta Sherwood Park (AJHL) —
30 New York (state) Brandon Bussi Junior G 6' 5" (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1998-06-25 Sound Beach, New York Muskegon (USHL) —
31 Alberta Ross Hawryluk Sophomore G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 2001-03-19 Lloydminster, Alberta Nipawin (SJHL) —
34 Michigan Max Sasson Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-09-05 Birmingham, Michigan Waterloo (USHL) —
35 New Jersey Alex Aslanidis Sophomore G 6' 5" (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2001-01-20 Morristown, New Jersey Navan (CCHL) —
37 Michigan Dylan Wendt Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-01-09 Grand Haven, Michigan Muskegon (USHL) —
55 Minnesota Nick Strom Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-03-21 Dayton, Minnesota Fargo (USHL) —

Standings

2021–22 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Standings
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL 3/SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#1 Denver †24186010053985541319117593
#9 North Dakota †241761111537858392414111999
#6 Western Michigan2414911014384683926121138101
#11 St. Cloud State2410104121368469371815413397
#5 Minnesota Duluth *2410104112366156422216410993
Omaha24111302103265743821170123102
Colorado College24617121018488736924379116
Miami244191031175410536727294153
Championship: March 19, 2022
† 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
Exhibition
October 2 4:00 PM at Ohio State* Value City Arena • Columbus, OH    W 3–1     
Regular season
October 8 7:05 PM Ferris State* Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI  Bussi W 4–0  3,669 1–0–0
October 9 7:07 PM at Ferris State* Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, MI  Bussi W 4–3  1,827 2–0–0
October 22 7:30 PM at #1 Michigan* #17 Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MIBTN+ Bussi W 5–2  5,800 3–0–0
October 23 7:05 PM #1 Michigan* #17 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI  Bussi L 2–3 OT 3,369 3–1–0
October 29 7:00 PM at Colgate* #13 Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, NYESPN+ Bussi W 6–5  1,022 4–1–0
October 30 5:00 PM at Colgate* #13 Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, NYESPN+ Bussi W 2–1 OT 844 5–1–0
November 5 7:05 PM #4 Minnesota Duluth #10 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI  Bussi W 4–3  3,569 6–1–0 (1–0–0)
November 6 7:05 PM #4 Minnesota Duluth #10 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI  Bussi L 0–3  3,781 6–2–0 (1–1–0)
November 12 9:07 PM at #14 Denver #9 Magness Arena • Denver, CO  Bussi L 3–5  4,540 6–3–0 (1–2–0)
November 13 9:07 PM at #14 Denver #9 Magness Arena • Denver, CO  Bussi L 2–5  4,981 6–4–0 (1–3–0)
November 19 7:05 PM #2 St. Cloud State #13 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI  Bussi W 6–2  3,369 7–4–0 (2–3–0)
November 20 7:05 PM #2 St. Cloud State #13 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI  Bussi W 4–0  3,669 8–4–0 (3–3–0)
November 26 7:00 PM at St. Lawrence* #7 Appleton Arena • Canton, NY  Bussi W 8–2  671 9–4–0
November 27 7:00 PM at St. Lawrence* #7 Appleton Arena • Canton, NY  Bussi W 5–1  652 10–4–0
December 3 7:05 PM at Miami #6 Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, OH  Bussi W 6–3  2,116 11–4–0 (4–3–0)
December 4 5:05 PM at Miami #6 Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, OH  Bussi W 5–3  1,881 12–4–0 (5–3–0)
December 10 7:05 PM #14 Omaha #4 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI  Bussi W 4–2  3,275 13–4–0 (6–3–0)
December 11 7:05 PM #14 Omaha #4 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI  Bussi L 0–1  3,673 13–5–0 (6–4–0)
Great Lakes Invitational
December 29 7:00 PM at Michigan State* #4 Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI (Great Lakes Invitational)  Bussi W 3–1  5,538 14–5–0
December 30 7:00 PM #3 Michigan* #4 Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI (Great Lakes Invitational) Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[7]
Regular season
January 21 7:05 PM #9 North Dakota #4 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI  Bussi W 4–1  3,769 15–5–0 (7–4–0)
January 22 7:05 PM #9 North Dakota #4 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI  Bussi W 2–0  3,567 16–5–0 (8–4–0)
January 28 7:07 PM at #7 Minnesota Duluth #3 AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, MN  Bussi L 4–5  5,479 16–6–0 (8–5–0)
January 29 7:07 PM at #7 Minnesota Duluth #3 AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, MN  Bussi W 3–2 OT 6,296 17–6–0 (9–5–0)
February 4 9:30 PM at Colorado College #5 Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, COATTRM Bussi W 8–2  3,441 18–6–0 (10–5–0)
February 5 8:00 PM at Colorado College #5 Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, CO  Bussi W 5–4  3,512 19–6–0 (11–5–0)
February 11 7:30 PM at #10 St. Cloud State #5 Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, MN  Bussi T 5–5 SOW 3,627 19–6–1 (11–5–1)
February 12 6:00 PM at #10 St. Cloud State #5 Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, MN  Bussi L 1–4  4,567 19–7–1 (11–6–1)
February 18 7:05 PM #3 Denver #6 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI  Bussi L 1–4  3,593 19–8–1 (11–7–1)
February 19 7:05 PM #3 Denver #6 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI  Bussi W 6–4  3,606 20–8–1 (12–7–1)
February 25 8:07 PM at #7 North Dakota #6 Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, NDCBSSN Bussi L 1–2  11,510 20–9–1 (12–8–1)
February 26 7:07 PM at #7 North Dakota #6 Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, ND  Bussi L 2–5  12,088 20–10–1 (12–9–1)
March 4 7:05 PM Miami #8 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI  Bussi W 5–3  3,053 21–10–1 (13–9–1)
March 5 7:05 PM Miami #8 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI  Bussi W 3–0  3,303 22–10–1 (14–9–1)
NCHC Tournament
March 11 7:05 PM #19 Omaha* #7 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI (Quarterfinal Game 1)  Bussi W 4–2  3,107 23–10–1
March 12 7:05 PM #19 Omaha* #7 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, MI (Quarterfinal Game 2)  Bussi W 5–4 OT 3,669 24–10–1
Western Michigan Won Series 2–0
March 18 8:37 PM vs. #5 North Dakota* #7 Xcel Energy Center • Saint Paul, Minnesota (Semifinal)CBSSN Bussi W 4–2  10,253 25–10–1
March 19 8:37 PM vs. #8 Minnesota Duluth* #7 Xcel Energy Center • Saint Paul, Minnesota (Championship)CBSSN Bussi L 0–3  7,814 25–11–1
NCAA Tournament
March 25 12:00 PM vs. #12 Northeastern* #4 DCU Center • Worcester, Massachusetts (Worcester Regional semifinal)ESPNU Bussi W 2–1 OT 6,002 26–11–1
March 27 4:00 PM vs. #5 Minnesota* #4 DCU Center • Worcester, Massachusetts (Worcester Regional final)ESPN2 Bussi L 0–3  2,848 26–12–1
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[8]

Scoring statistics

Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Drew WorradC399364520
Ethen FrankC3826133934
Ronnie AttardD3913233624
Michael JoyauxD397253225
Josh PassoltLW388202820
Jason PolinF391610264
Cole GallantRW39916252
Max SassonF379132218
Ty GloverC398132148
Luke GraingerF39871512
Paul WasheC19851312
Aidan FulpD342111338
Chad HillebrandF2726810
Cédric FiedlerD3908826
Daniel HilsendagerD3715610
Jamie RomeF221568
Tim WasheC3923516
Jacob BauerD3414510
Hugh LarkinRW193146
Brandon BussiG390442
Dylan WendtF341234
Scooter BrickeyD101010
Rhett KingstonLW101016
Cam KnubleF61010
Wyatt SchingoetheC2100012
Ross HawrylukG10000
Jared KucharekD10000
Bench-----16
Total138229367383

[9]

Goaltending statistics

[10]

Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Ross Hawryluk18000000.0000.00
Brandon Bussi392334261219910224.9122.55
Empty Net-14---2----
Total3722562612110110224.9122.54

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 22 23 24 25 (Final)
USCHO.com NR NR 19 17 13 10 9 13 7 6 4 (1) 4 3 3 4 3 (8) 5 5 6 6 8 7 7 4 - 6
USA Today NR NR NR NR 11 11 10 13 7 5 4 (1) 4 (1) 3 3 3 3 (3) 5 5 5 6 8 7 7 5 5 6

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24.[11]

Awards and honors

Player Award Ref
Ronnie Attard AHCA West First Team All-American [12]
Ethen Frank AHCA West Second Team All-American [12]
Ronnie Attard NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year [13]
Drew Worrad NCHC Scholar-Athlete of the Year [13]
Ronnie Attard NCHC First Team [14]
Ethen Frank
Drew Worrad NCHC Second Team [15]
Ty Glover Frozen Faceoff All-Tournament Team [16]
Ronnie Attard

References

  1. ↑ "'We expected to win': Pat Ferschweiler on what made his first season as WMU hockey head coach successful". Western Herald. April 12, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  2. ↑ "WMU hockey player charged with sexual assault". Wood TV. February 25, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Former WMU hockey captain heads to trial, accused of rape at off-campus party". News Channel 3. May 11, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Facing sexual-assault charge, WMU hockey captain no longer on the team". The Detroit News. March 1, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Former WMU hockey captain charged in sexual assault case heads for trial". Fox 17. May 11, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  6. ↑ "WMU Hockey – 2021–22 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Western Michigan University Athletics. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  7. ↑ McNeil, Kristy (December 27, 2021). "Ice Hockey GLI Contest vs. Western Michigan on Dec. 30 Canceled". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Western Michigan 2021-22 Team Schedule". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  9. ↑ "2021-22 Men's Ice Hockey Cumulative Statistics - Western Michigan University Athletics". Western Michigan University Athletics. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  10. ↑ "2021-22 Men's Ice Hockey Cumulative Statistics - Western Michigan University Athletics". Western Michigan University Athletics. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  11. ↑ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  12. 1 2 "Four players return to 2021-22 Division I men's All-American teams, led by three-time pick Dryden McKay". USCHO.com. April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Denver's Brink earns Player of the Year; UND's Berry wins third straight Coach of the Year". nchchockey.com. March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Five Different Teams Represented on All-NCHC First Team". NCHC. March 9, 2022. Archived from the original on March 12, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Record four Pioneers, two Fighting Hawks recognized for strong freshman seasons". nchchockey.com. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  16. ↑ "UMD Blanks WMU to Capture 2022 Frozen Faceoff Title". NCHC. March 19, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
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