Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey
Current season
Western Michigan Broncos athletic logo
UniversityWestern Michigan University
ConferenceNCHC
Head coachPat Ferschweiler
3rd season, 49–27–2 (.641)
Assistant coaches
ArenaLawson Arena
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Student sectionLawson Lunatics
ColorsBrown and gold[1]
   
NCAA Tournament appearances
1986, 1994, 1996, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2022, 2023
Conference Tournament championships
CCHA: 1986, 2012
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]

History

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.

Season-by-season results

Source:[12]

Coaching

All-time coaching records

As of the completion of 2022–23 season[12]

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1973–1978Bill Neal591–65–5.581
1978–1982Glen Weller464–73–5.468
1982–1999Bill Wilkinson17†313–301–53.509
1999–2010Jim Culhane11†158–222–48.425
2010–2011Jeff Blashill119–13–10.571
2011–2021Andy Murray10167–156–43.515
2021–PresentPat Ferschweiler249–27–2.641
Totals 7 coaches 50 seasons 861–857–166 .501

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

Statistical leaders

Source:[13]

Career points leaders

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

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 Slubowski2011–20159460214938152357.9092.34
Marc Magliarditi1995–199636211023112915.9102.59
Brandon Bussi2019–2022774467462551944.9122.61
Jerry Kuhn2007–2011633528162731582.9122.69
Lukas Hafner2012–20168643962537102024.9092.76

Statistics current through the start of the 2022–2023 season.

Current roster

As of August 2, 2023.[14]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Michigan Kirk Laursen Sophomore (RS) G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-01-02 Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Miami (NCHC) —
2 Michigan Jacob Bauer Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 2002-02-25 Milford, Michigan Lincoln (USHL) —
3 New Hampshire Cole Crusberg-Roseen Freshman D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 2002-04-14 Stratham, New Hampshire Lincoln (USHL) —
4 California Zak Galambos Graduate D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-05-27 Walnut Creek, California American International (AHA) —
6 New York (state) Jacob Napier Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2003-03-31 Lancaster, New York Fargo (USHL) —
8 California Joe Cassetti Graduate F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-02-28 Pleasanton, California Miami (NCHC) —
9 Quebec Luke Grainger Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-09-03 Montreal, Quebec Hawkesbury (CCHL) —
10 Illinois Chad Hillebrand Senior F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-01-22 Park Ridge, Illinois Green Bay (USHL) —
11 California Ethan Wolthers Sophomore F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 155 lb (70 kg) 2001-07-19 Valencia, California Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL) —
12 Massachusetts Sam Colangelo Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2001-12-26 Stoneham, Massachusetts Northeastern (HEA) ANA, 36th overall 2020
13 Michigan Oliver MacDonald Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-11-07 Grosse Pointe, Michigan UMass (HEA) —
15 Saskatchewan Daniel Hilsendager Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-03-30 Lloydminster, Saskatchewan Omaha (USHL) —
16 Michigan Tim Washe Senior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2001-08-25 Detroit, Michigan Nanaimo (BCHL) —
17 Switzerland Cédric Fiedler Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 204 lb (93 kg) 2001-04-20 Zug, Switzerland Fargo (USHL) —
18 Illinois Wyatt Schingoethe Junior 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 Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-07-23 Grand Rapids, Michigan Muskegon (USHL) —
22 Michigan Trevor Bishop Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-01-23 Rochester Hills, Michigan Victoria (BCHL) —
23 British Columbia Carter Berger Graduate D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-09-17 North Vancouver, British Columbia UConn (HEA) FLA, 106th overall 2019
24 Michigan Garrett Szydlowski Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-06-12 Detroit, Michigan Wenatchee (BCHL) —
25 Ontario Matteo Costantini Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2002-08-16 St. Catharines, Ontario North Dakota (NCHC) BUF, 131st overall 2020
26 California Ean Somoza Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 2003-02-08 Thousand Oaks, California Wenatchee (BCHL) —
27 Ontario Cole Burtch Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-01-11 Markham, Ontario Cedar Rapids (USHL) —
28 Michigan Hugh Larkin Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-03-27 Livonia, Michigan Austin (NAHL) —
29 Nova Scotia Ethan Phillips Graduate F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 2001-05-07 Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Boston University (HEA) DET, 97th overall 2019
30 Yukon Dawson Smith Freshman G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2003-02-17 Whitehorse, Yukon La Ronge (SJHL) —
31 Illinois Cameron Rowe Senior G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2001-06-01 Wilmette, Illinois Wisconsin (Big Ten) —
33 Sweden Samuel Sjölund Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-05-19 Stockholm, Sweden Dubuque (USHL) DAL, 111th overall 2019
34 Michigan Owen Michaels Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-05-01 Detroit, Michigan Dubuque (USHL) —
37 Michigan Dylan Wendt Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-01-09 Grand Haven, Michigan Muskegon (USHL) —

Awards and honors

All-Americans

AHCA First Team All-Americans

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

CCHA

Individual awards

All-Conference teams

First Team All-CCHA

Second Team All-CCHA

CCHA All-Rookie Team

NCHC

Individual awards

All-Conference teams

First Team All-NCHC

Second Team All-NCHC

NCHC All-Rookie Team

  • 2016–17: Ben Blacker, G
  • 2019–20: Ronnie Attard, D
  • 2022–23: Ryan McAllister, F

Western Michigan Broncos Hall of Fame

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

As of July 1, 2023

= 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

References

  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 2013-06-11.
  4. ↑ CCHA history and records ccha.com
  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 2013-06-11.
  7. ↑ "1996 NCAA Tournament". Inside College Hockey. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  8. ↑ Holt, Adam. "Late rally, Zucker's double-OT winner send Denver past Western Michigan". uscho.com. Retrieved 16 January 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. 1 2 "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. ↑ "2022–23 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Western Michigan University Athletics. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Hall of Fame" (PDF). Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  16. 1 2 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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