How Western Michigan Has Climbed the College Hockey Rankings

On By Littum

No matter what poll or state you look at, there are likely to be some repeated names at the top: Minnesota, Michigan State, Boston College, Denver—the list goes on.

It’s a list of perennial contenders, and once again they’re off to a good start. Year in and year out, their lineups are loaded with talent and NHL draft picks, and as the college hockey season approaches its midway point, this year is no different.

However, there is another team that has been firmly in that mix this season, and if the first three months are any indication, they look to be a serious contender themselves… The Western Michigan Broncos.

Pat Ferschweiler’s club took four points in its series against Denver last weekend to end the first half, winning the opener, 3-2, and suffering a 3-2 loss of their own (overtime) in the finale. WMU also held a 2-1 lead for nearly half of the third period in that contest.

While it’s a sour way to enter the Christmas break, it caps off an impressive first half in Kalamazoo.

Western Michigan (10-3-1, 6-1-1) was voted sixth in the NCHC preseason poll and spent the first three weeks at No. 17 in the USCHO poll. Although the Broncos have made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and enjoyed plenty of success of late, they dropped a ton and could have easily been ticketed for a step back.

Ferschweiler’s roster had several question marks, especially offensively. Alex Bump (PHI) and Matteo Costantini (BUF) return, but WMU lost seven of its top 10 point producers from last season, who combined for 225 points and 182 games played.

WMU brought in one of the nation’s top freshmen classes to hopefully ease the blow, but there were no guarantees that would translate to immediate success. And its blue line wasn’t exactly loaded this season, though rookie Joona Vaisanen (PIT) brought plenty of intrigue.

However, the Broncos are currently ranked sixth in the nation and sit atop the NCHC standings with 19 points, four ahead of second-place Arizona State and six ahead of third-place St. Cloud State — though the Huskies have two games remaining in North Dakota this one weekend.

WMU is also a perfect 4-0-0 on the road in conference play and continues to blend its speed, size and skill, and their resume includes a non-conference win over Michigan. WMU also nearly beat Boston College in late October, but surrendered a trio of goals in the third period, two of which came in the final minute.

So how have the Broncos done?

It starts between the pipes, as graduate Cameron Rowe and recent graduate Hampton Slukynsky (LAK) have formed one of the country’s best tandems. Rowe is 7-0-0 with a .941 save percentage and 1.56 GAA, while Slukynsky is 3-3-1 with a .941 and 1.84. Both are among the NCAA’s goaltending leaders, and WMU also has the nation’s second-highest team save percentage at .939.

It’s also been a team effort ahead of them, as the Broncos are limiting their opponents to 1.8 goals per game, which is tied with Minnesota for the nation’s fifth-best mark. WMU is also finding plenty of success on the faceoff dots, where its .545 winning percentage ranks sixth in the nation and its penalty kill (90%) is tied for fifth.

They have also seen a number of players take steps offensively.

Sophomore Owen Michaels had seven points (2-5-7) through 38 games last season, but is currently second on the team with six goals and continues to play a solid 200-foot game. Graduate forward Tim Washe has been in action and has a team-leading seven goals and 14 points. And Northern Michigan transfer Grant Slukynsky has 12 points (3-9-12) and provided WMU with another reliable center.

As for Bump, the sophomore continues to play on WMU’s top line and power play, and he has five goals and 11 points through 14 games.

Yes, WMU’s schedule was pretty easy out of the gate with series against Bowling Green and Ferris State, along with a couple of exhibition contests. In fairness, those games probably helped a few stats as well, such as WMU’s plus-21 (46-25) goal differential.

Still, they’ve continued to play at a high level against Colorado College and Denver, a pair of the NCHC’s top teams, and Michigan and Boston College, two of the nation’s most explosive clubs. And they show no signs of slowing down.

Whatever happens in Kalamazoo this season is working so far, and the Broncos are ranked in the top 10 for a reason.

If they can repeat their play in the second half, don’t sleep on the Broncos.

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