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Kalamazoo, MI – To say the Western Michigan Broncos are exceeding expectations proves you haven’t been paying attention. Currently the top-ranked team in college hockey’s Pairwise, the Broncos are currently 12-4-0 and on track to have their most successful season since joining the NCHC in 2013-14.
They’ve had one NCAA appearance since then and it was after a 22-13-5 season in 2016-17 losing to Air Force 5-4 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, RI.
Currently second in the NCHC standings, they have a daunting conference schedule the second half of the season but again, have their eyes on their best league finish since 2018-19 when they finished third with a 13-10-1 record.
Is it a surprise that the Broncos are having this much success? Absolutely not. Were it not for a horrendous start to the 2020-21 season losing 8 of their first 12 games, the Broncos could have been a contender for a top-four finish. The Broncos won eight of their last thirteen games including a five-game win streak that was ultimately ended by the UMD Bulldogs in a 5-4 overtime loss in the quarterfinals of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
In a surprise, Andy Murray, who led the team for a decade, suddenly resigned following the 2020-21 season and was replaced by Pat Ferschweiler, an alumn who returned for his second stint as an assistant in 2019-20 after five years as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings. A straight-shooter, Ferschweiler has brought consistency and experience behind the bench and it’s paying off.
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An Experienced Mature Team
Not unlike a number of other teams during the pandemic, the Broncos have benefitted from the maturity and experience of a team top-heavy in upperclassmen. In all, it includes 13 juniors and seniors including fifth-year seniors, Ethen Frank, Paul Washe, and Josh Passolt.
At forward, the Broncos returned their top seven goal scorers including Drew Worrad, Ethen Frank, Paul Washe, Josh Passolt, Cole Gallant, Jason Polin, and Ty Glover. These players accounted for 50 of the team’s 70 goals and 125 of the team’s 212 total points. Currently, Worrad is second in the nation in points with 26 and Frank is first in college hockey with 15 goals.
Defense is led by junior, Ronnie Attard, a preseason all-league choice. A future NHLer, Attard finished second on the squad in points with 8 goals and 14 assists including 3 power-play goals. Attard is joined by another offensive defenseman in Michael Joyaux who produced 4 goals and 10 assists last season. They are backed up by a group of sizable defensemen including Aidan Fulp, Scooter Brickey, and Daniel Hilsendger. Attard is currently 6th in the NCHC in points with 18 and Joyaux is tied for seventh with 17.
Goaltending is back to form with the return of Brandon Bussi from injury. He was injured in the first game of the Pod last season and did eventually return to play in three games. In 2019-20 Bussi played in 34 games posting a .910 GAA and 2.65 SV%.
In his weekly press conference, head coach Pat Ferschweiler explained “We have maturity. We’re a team that does not get rattled easily. We stick to the game plan, and we know who we are. Our identity is to just keep going. We face adversity, we have success – it doesn’t change us on the ice. We play the same way whether we are up or down knowing over time we believe in what we are doing.”
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The Comeback Kids
It hasn’t been easy sledding and has required the Broncos to rally for wins in four of their 12 games including an incredible six-goal comeback against Colgate on October 29th. After defeating top-ranked Michigan by a convincing 5-2 margin on October 22nd, they staged a two-goal come back the next night only to lose in overtime. They’ve also staged comeback wins over Ferris State and most recently Miami last weekend.
Their most disappointing losses to date were getting swept on the road by Denver after taking a 2-1 lead in both contests. “They (Denver) came out super hungry on Friday night and we pushed back but didn’t finish,” said head coach Pat Ferschweiler. “On Saturday, honestly I thought we were in control of the hockey game. Shots were 17-9 and we were up 2-1. A too many men on the ice penalty and a faceoff violation call changed the momentum of the game.” The Broncos ultimately lost 5-2.
Their biggest wins? Most likely it was the weekend sweep on home ice of the then #2 ranked St. Cloud State University Huskies on November 19/20. A 6-2 win on Friday was followed by a 4-0 shutout of the Huskies on Saturday. Goaltender, Brandon Bussi was outstanding and instrumental in their sixth straight win over SCSU on home ice.
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Omaha Next
The Broncos complete their 2021 NCHC schedule at home hosting the Omaha Mavericks this weekend.
“Omaha is talented, skilled, and fast,” commented head coach Ferschweiler. “It’s a really, really good hockey team who has been winning and has had a lot of success without many of their best players. They will be at full strength this weekend and are a very good hockey team.”
They finish up the calendar year in the Great Lakes Invitational Tournament facing Big Ten opponents Michigan State University on December 29th and a rematch with the University of Michigan on December 30th.
A brutal schedule of 14 NCHC conference games begins in January with only one week off in mid-February. This schedule includes home games with North Dakota and Denver and road contests with Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State, and North Dakota.
The conference schedule will test the Broncos severely but make no mistake, an experienced WMU squad with depth at every position will be a formidable opponent in the second half of the season. The difference between this year’s team and the 2020-21 team is the success they’ve attained in the first half of the season.
Expect to see the Broncos in the NCAA tournament when the month of March rolls around.
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