FEB 6, 2025 | SPORTS | By Thomas Nielsen
The United States College Hockey Organization (USCHO) ranked the Western Michigan University (WMU) Broncos No. 3 in Division I hockey on Monday, Jan. 27, leading into their series against the Colorado College Tigers. The Tigers were unranked despite pulling off an incredible comeback win down 4-1 against Arizona State University the Saturday prior.
Things looked dire for the Tigers going into this weekend. Issues with penalties, converting on power plays and coming out flat in second periods led the Tigers to multiple losses, falling out of the USCHO top 20 rankings for the first time since December 2023.
Meanwhile, their No. 3 ranked opponents from Western Michigan had won seven straight going into Friday’s game and were first in the National College Hockey Conference (NCHC), fresh off of a weekend series against Miami University (Ohio), where they won both games, 8-3 and 2-0. The Broncos had allowed the seventh-least shot attempts in Division I hockey and boasted the second-best penalty kill.
Friday’s game started with a scoreless first period. WMU led in shots 13-11.
Just 18 seconds into the second, WMU winger Owen Michaels got the Broncos on the board, scoring from the right circle off of an assist from teammate Alex Bump. Less than five minutes later, Bump scored the second of the night for WMU to put them up 2-0.
The Broncos scored a third at 12:45 when WMU’s Ty Henricks found winger Cam Knudle at the left post, who put one past Tigers’ Kaidan Mbereko ‘26. In just twelve minutes, the Tigers trailed by three goals.
The disastrous period was reminiscent of last Friday, where Arizona State also scored three goals in the second period en route to a 4-1 win.
CC winger Owen Beckner ‘28 scored his fifth goal of the season nine minutes into the third period to put the Tigers on the board, but another WMU goal three minutes later put a damper on the home crowd’s comeback hopes. Final score: 4-1, Broncos.
Despite the Tigers controlling possession well and having 27 shots on goal to WMU’s 28, the Broncos won decisively.
Saturday’s game started differently. Tigers coach Kris Mayotte gave rookie goalkeeper Carsen Musser ‘28 the start instead of established starter and two-time Hobey Baker award nominee Mbereko.
The freshman goalie was tested early in the first, with the Broncos getting a number of close opportunities in front of the net. Musser held firm, though, ending the first period with nine saves and a 0-0 score.
In the second period, winger Zaccharya Wisdom ‘27 started the scoring off of a pass from Beckner, flipping the puck past Broncos goaltender Hampton Slukynsky for his fifth goal of the season. WMU challenged the play for goaltender interference, but the goal stood. 1-0 Tigers. Less than thirty seconds later, the Broncos responded with a Wyatt Schingoethe goal.
Things looked dicey late in the second period as Tigers leading scorer Noah Laba ‘26 was booked for a five-minute major and game misconduct for hitting from behind. It was the Tigers’ only penalty in a physical game. The Tigers had to kill off a five-minute penalty and survive without their first-line center.
The Broncos didn’t take long to capitalize, scoring 13 seconds into the power play, sending the score to 1-2. The second period ended soon after, but the Tigers still had 2:52 to kill on the major penalty at the start of the third.
CC was able to kill off the penalty to start the third. Minutes later, Wisdom received the puck on the Tiger’s side of the rink and skated the length of the ice to score his second goal of the game from the right circle. The game was equalized. Despite some solid shot attempts, the score held until the end of the period, sending the game to overtime.
Bret Link ‘27 received a pass from Max Burkholder ‘27 at center ice three minutes into overtime. Passing a Bronco defender, he shifted the puck from his right to his left back to his right, putting one past Slukynsky for the game-winner. Link promptly took a victory lap, throwing his stick into the elated Tiger student section.
With Link’s goal, the Tigers handed WMU their second conference loss of the season.
“Max Burkholder made a great play. Gets the puck on the wall, and notices I have time and space…Gleb sets a little screen for me so I can get a little bit of room, and the rest is history,” said Link after the game. “We feel great. Our last four or five weekends, we’ve been the better team. It’s just that we’re getting outscored sometimes.”
“You have to find a way to manage and win these games,” Mayotte said. “We’re starting to get that feeling back, of what it’s like not to play well but to win hockey games and to beat good hockey teams.”
Mayotte was noncommittal when asked if Musser had earned more playing time with his two Saturday wins.
“We’ll figure that out. [Musser] played really well,” said Mayotte. “We are going to continue to evaluate and continue to play the guys that give us the best chance to win.”
The freshman goalie ended the game with 34 saves on 36 shots and earned the KJ Branding Goalie of the Week honors from the NCHC conference. Classmate Beckner was named NCHC Rookie of the Week.
The Tigers travel to Grand Forks, N.D., to face off against the No. 16 North Dakota Fighting Hawks on Feb. 7 and 8.