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Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey

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Western Michigan Broncos
Current season
Western Michigan Broncos athletic logo
University Western Michigan University
Conference NCHC
Head coach Pat Ferschweiler
4th season, 70–43–40 (.519)
Captain(s) Hugh McGing
Alternate captain(s) Luke Bafia, Wade Allison, Josh Passolt and Mattias Samuelsson
Arena Lawson Arena
Capacity: 3,667
Surface: 200' x 85'
Location Kalamazoo, Michigan
Student section Lawson Lunatics
Colors Brown and Gold[1]
         
NCAA Tournament championships
2025
NCAA Tournament Frozen Four
2025
NCAA Tournament appearances
1986, 1994, 1996, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Conference Tournament championships
CCHA: 1986, 2012
NCHC: 2025
Current uniform
CCHA-Uniform-WMU

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] The Broncos have won one NCAA Division 1 National Championship in 2025.

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 3rd 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.

In 2021-2022, Western Michigan had a legendary season for the program under Pat Ferschweiler as head coach. The broncos shared the 2021 Great Lakes Invitational championship by defeating Michigan State. The broncos managed to obtain 26 wins defeating teams the likes of No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 St. Cloud State, and defeated No. 10 North Dakota in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Semi-Finals to advance their first (NCHC) championship game. Western Michigan clinched their first-ever 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and would win their first-ever playoff game by defeating the Northeastern Huskies to advance to their first ever regional championship appearance. They would be defeated by Minnesota 3-0.

The 2024–25 Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey team experienced a historic season, culminating in their first NCAA Division I national championship. Under the leadership of fourth-year head coach Pat Ferschweiler, the Broncos achieved a 34–7–1 overall record and a 19–4–1 conference record in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). They secured both the NCHC regular-season title and their inaugural NCHC Tournament championship, earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. ​

In the NCAA tournament, Western Michigan made its first Frozen Four appearance. The Broncos advanced to the national championship game, where they defeated Boston University to claim their first national title. Key contributors included captain Tim Washe, who was recognized as a National Collegiate Hockey Conference Distinguished College Athlete, and forward Owen Michaels, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Season-by-season results[12][]

Main article: List of Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey seasons

Coaching[]

The 2024–25 Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey team was led by head coach Pat Ferschweiler, who was in his fourth season at the helm. A Western Michigan alumnus, Ferschweiler played for the Broncos from 1990 to 1993 before embarking on a professional playing career. He returned to his alma mater as head coach in 2021, quickly transforming the program into a national contender. Under his leadership, the Broncos achieved several historic milestones, including their first NCAA tournament victory in 2022 and their first national championship in 2025. Ferschweiler's success earned him a contract extension through April 2030 and accolades such as the Spencer Penrose Award and multiple Herb Brooks Coach of the Year honors. His tenure has been marked by both on-ice achievements and academic excellence among his players

All-time coaching records[]

As of the completion of 2019–20 season[12]

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
2011–present Andy Murray 9 157–144–40 .519
2010–2011 Jeff Blashill 1 19–13–10 .571
1999–2010 Jim Culhane 11† 158–222–48 .425
1982–1999 Bill Wilkinson 17† 313–301–53 .509
1978–1982 Glen Weller 4 64–73–5 .468
1973–1978 Bill Neal 5 91–65–5 .581
Totals 6 coaches 47 seasons 802–818–161 .496

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

Statistical Leaders[13][]

Career points leaders[]

Player Years GP G A Pts PIM
Dorion, DanDan Dorion 1982–1986 157 115 178 293
Polillo, PaulPaul Polillo 1986–1990 165 82 189 271
Gagné, WayneWayne Gagné 1983–1987 162 42 199 241
Green, JeffJeff Green 1986–1990 159 109 125 234
Fitzpatrick, RossRoss Fitzpatrick 1978–1982 138 100 125 225
Dunlop, TimTim Dunlop 1974–1978 129 92 106 198
Brynden, RobRob Brynden 1983–1987 162 104 91 195
Brooks, ChrisChris Brooks 1992–1996 147 57 127 184
Thrun, TroyTroy Thrun 1983–1986 122 81 102 183
Scurfield, BobBob 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
Slubowski, FrankFrank Slubowski 2011–2015 94 6021 49 38 15 235 7 .909 2.34
Magliarditi, MarcMarc Magliarditi 1995–1996 36 2110 23 11 2 91 5 .910 2.59
Bussi, BrandonBrandon Bussi 2019–Present 34 1921 18 12 4 85 0 .910 2.65
Kuhn, JerryJerry Kuhn 2007–2011 63 3528 16 27 3 158 2 .912 2.69
Hafner, LukasLukas Hafner 2012–2016 86 4396 25 37 10 202 4 .909 2.76

Statistics current through the start of the 2020-21 season.

Current roster[]

As of September 2, 2020.[14]

# S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Flag of Ontario Cain, AustinAustin Cain Senior G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 1996-09-12 Ottawa, Ontario Whitby (OJHL) —
2 Flag of Missouri Bennett, KaleKale Bennett (A) Senior (RS) D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1995-11-30 St. Louis, Missouri Nanaimo (BCHL) —
3 Flag of Illinois Joyaux, MichaelMichael Joyaux Junior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 1997-02-13 Bloomingdale, Illinois Youngstown (USHL) —
6 Flag of Michigan Brickey, ScooterScooter Brickey Sophomore D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 207 lb (94 kg) 1999-05-27 Burtchville, Michigan Des Moines (USHL) —
7 Flag of Michigan Attard, RonnieRonnie 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
9 Flag of Quebec Grainger, LukeLuke Grainger Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-09-03 Montreal, Quebec Hawkesbury (CCHL) —
10 Flag of Illinois Hillebrand, ChadChad Hillebrand Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-01-22 Park Ridge, Illinois Green Bay (USHL) —
11 Flag of Alberta Kingston, RhettRhett Kingston Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1997-11-04 Black Diamond, Alberta Salmon Arm (BCHL) —
12 Flag of Florida Gallant, ColeCole Gallant Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-03-14 Dover, Florida Omaha (USHL) —
13 Flag of Ontario Worrad, DrewDrew Worrad Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 1997-06-30 Birr, Ontario Steinbach (MJHL) —
14 Flag of Michigan Polin, JasonJason Polin Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 1999-06-17 Holt, Michigan Cedar Rapids (USHL) —
15 Flag of Saskatchewan Hilsendager, DanielDaniel Hilsendager Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 2000-03-30 Lloydminster, Saskatchewan Omaha (USHL) —
17 Flag of Switzerland Fiedler, CédricCédric Fiedler Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 204 lb (93 kg) 2001-04-20 Zug, Switzerland Fargo (USHL) —
18 Flag of Alberta Van Os, BrettBrett Van Os Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1996-02-21 St. Albert, Alberta Calgary Canucks (AJHL) —
19 Flag of New Jersey Samuelsson, LukasLukas Samuelsson Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 177 lb (80 kg) 1996-10-08 Voorhees, New Jersey Toronto (GMHL) —
20 Flag of Alberta Rome, JamieJamie Rome Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 211 lb (96 kg) 1998-10-03 Cochrane, Alberta Victoria (BCHL) —
21 Flag of Wisconsin Passolt, JoshJosh Passolt (A) Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1996-09-13 Hayward, Wisconsin Sioux Falls (USHL) —
22 Flag of Michigan Bishop, TrevorTrevor Bishop Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-01-23 Rochester Hills, Michigan Victoria (BCHL) —
23 Flag of Michigan Washe, PaulPaul Washe (C) Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 1998-11-27 Clarkston, Michigan Fargo (USHL) —
24 Flag of Indiana Fulp, AidanAidan Fulp Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2000-02-29 Indianapolis, Indiana Dubuque (USHL) —
25 Flag of Michigan Kucharek, JaredJared Kucharek Junior D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 1998-05-23 Royal Oak, Michigan Madison (USHL) —
26 Flag of Nebraska Frank, EthenEthen Frank (A) Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-02-05 Papillion, Nebraska Lincoln (USHL) —
27 Flag of Ontario Glover, TyTy Glover Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-10-01 London, Ontario Lincoln (USHL) —
28 Flag of Michigan Larkin, HughHugh Larkin Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-03-27 Livonia, Michigan Austin (NAHL) —
29 Flag of Alberta White, JarredJarred White Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-05-21 Edmonton, Alberta Sherwood Park (AJHL) —
30 Flag of New York Bussi, BrandonBrandon Bussi Sophomore G 6' 5" (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1998-06-25 Sound Beach, New York Muskegon (USHL) —
35 Flag of New Jersey Aslanidis, AlexAlex Aslanidis Freshman G 6' 5" (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2001-01-20 Morristown, New Jersey Navan (CCHL) —

Awards and honors[]

All-Americans[]

AHCA First Team All-Americans

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

CCHA[]

Individual Awards[]

Player of the Year

Best Defensive Forward

Best Defensive Defenseman

Rookie of the Year

Coach of the Year

Ilitch Humanitarian Award

  • Brett Beebe: 2013

Most Valuable Player in Tournament

All-Conference Teams[]

First Team All-CCHA

Second Team All-CCHA

CCHA All-Rookie Team

NCHC[]

Individual Awards[]

Herb Brooks Coach of the Year

All-Conference Teams[]

First Team All-NCHC

Second Team All-NCHC

NCHC All-Rookie Team

  • 2016–17: Ben Blacker, G

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[16][]

= NHL All-Star Team = NHL All-Star[17] = NHL All-Star[17] and NHL All-Star Team = Hall of Famers

Player Position Team(s) Years Stanley Cups
Bill Armstrong Left Wing PHI 1990–1991 0
Chase Balisy Center FLA 2017–2018 0
Mike Bishai Center EDM 2003–2004 0
Kevin Connauton Defenseman DAL, CBJ, ARI, COL 2013–Present 0
Joe Corvo Defenseman LAK, OTT, CAR, WSH, BOS 2002–2014 0
Jim Culhane Defenseman HFD 1989–1990 0
Danny DeKeyser Defenseman DET 2012–Present 0
Dan Dorion Left Wing NJD 1985–1988 0
Sheldon Dries Center COL 2018–Present 0
Patrick Dwyer Right Wing CAR 2008–2015 0
Mike Eastwood Center TOR, WPG, PHO, NYR, STL, CHI, PIT 1991–2004 0
Ross Fitzpatrick Center PHI 1982–1986 0
Scott Foster‡ Goaltender CHI 2017–2018 0
David Gove Center CAR 2005–2007 0

Player Position Team(s) Years Stanley Cups
Glenn Healy Goaltender LAK, NYI, NYR, TOR 1985–2001 1
Ron Hoover Left Wing BOS, STL 1989–1992 0
Glenn Johannesen Left Wing NYI 1985–1986 0
Keith Jones Right Wing WSH, COL, PHI 1992–2001 0
Mark Letestu Center PIT, CBJ, EDM, WIN 2009–Present 0
Jamal Mayers Right Wing STL, TOR, CGY, SJS, CHI 1996–2013 1
Griffen Molino Forward VAN 2016–2017 0
Jordan Oesterle Center EDM, CHI, ARI 2014–Present 0
Andy Rymsha Right Wing QUE 1991–1992 0
Bernie Saunders Right Wing QUE 1979–1981 0
Paul Szczechura Center TBL, BUF 2008–2012 0
Matt Tennyson Defenseman SJS, CAR, BUF, NJD 2012–Present 0
Luke Witkowski Right Wing TBL, DET 2014–Present 0

‡Scott Foster played 14 minutes for the Blackhawks after being signed to a 1-day contract as an emergency backup due to injury.[18]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.
  2. ↑ Wmu Men's Hockey Team Page :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online. USCHO.com.
  3. ↑ Statistics :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online. USCHO.com.
  4. ↑ http://www.ccha.com/the_ccha/ccha_history_and_records.aspx
  5. ↑ [1]
  6. ↑ 1994 NCAA Tournament. Inside College Hockey.
  7. ↑ 1996 NCAA Tournament. Inside College Hockey.
  8. ↑ Holt, Adam. Late rally, Zucker's double-OT winner send Denver past Western Michigan. uscho.com.
  9. ↑ AP Staff. "Former NHL coach Andy Murray hired by Western Michigan", USA Today, July 26, 2011. 
  10. ↑ Drew, David. "Western Michigan is CCHA Tournament champ after 3-2 win over Michigan", Kalamazoo Gazette, March 17, 2012. 
  11. ↑ AP Staff. "North Dakota 3, Western Michigan 1: Broncos ousted in first round of NCAA hockey tournament", Detroit Free Press, March 24, 2012. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "2015-16 WMU HOCKEY RECORD BOOK", Western Michigan Broncos. 
  13. ↑ "Hockey - Career/Season Point Leaders", Western Michigan Broncos. 
  14. ↑ WMU Hockey – 2020–21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster. Western Michigan University Athletics.
  15. ↑ "Hall of Fame", Western Michigan Broncos. 
  16. ↑ Alumni report for Western Michigan University. Hockey DB.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.
  18. ↑ Scott Foster: Accountant makes NHL debut in goal for Chicago Blackhawks. BBC Sport.

External links[]

National Collegiate Hockey Conference
TeamsArizona State Sun Devils - Colorado College Tigers - Denver Pioneers - Miami RedHawks - Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs - North Dakota Fighting Hawks - Omaha Mavericks - St. Cloud State Huskies - St. Thomas Tommies (joining in 2026) - Western Michigan Broncos
VenuesMullett Arena (Arizona State) - Ed Robson Arena (Colorado College) - Magness Arena (Denver) - Steve Cady Arena (Miami) - AMSOIL Arena (Minnesota–Duluth) - Ralph Engelstad Arena (North Dakota) - Baxter Arena (Omaha) - Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (St. Cloud State) - Lee and Penny Anderson Arena (St. Thomas) - Lawson Arena (Western Michigan)
Seasons2013-14 - 2014–15 - 2015–16 - 2016–17 - 2017–18 - 2018–19 - 2019–20 - 2020–21 - 2021–22 - 2022-23 - 2023–24
AwardsPlayer of the Year - Rookie of the Year - Goaltender of the Year - Herb Brooks Coach of the Year - Forward of the Year - Defensive Forward of the Year - Defensive Defenseman of the Year - Offensive Defenseman of the Year - Scholar-Athlete of the Year - Sportsmanship Award - All-NCHC Teams
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