Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey

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Wikipedia

Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey
Current season
Western Michigan Broncos athletic logo
UniversityWestern Michigan University
ConferenceNCHC
First season1973; 53 years ago
Head coachPat Ferschweiler
5th season, 104–50–4 (.671)
Assistant coaches
ArenaLawson Arena
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Student sectionLawson Lunatics
ColorsBrown and gold[1]
   
NCAA tournament champions
2025
NCAA tournament Frozen Four
2025
NCAA tournament appearances
1986, 1994, 1996, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Conference tournament champions
CCHA: 1986, 2012
NCHC: 2025
Conference regular season champions
NCHC: 2025
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] Western Michigan won their first national championship in 2025.

History

2024 Western Michigan Broncos playing at Michigan

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 CCHA disbanded after the 2012–13 season, in part due to the addition of men's ice hockey to the Big Ten Conference. This led the Broncos to join the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) starting in the 2013–14 season

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.

In the 2021-2022 season, Western Michigan had a legendary 26-win season under first-year head coach Pat Ferschweiler. The Broncos shared the 2021 Great Lakes Invitational championship by defeating Michigan State. The Broncos advanced to their first NCHC championship game, losing to Minnesota-Duluth 0-3. Western Michigan clinched their first 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament and would claim the first playoff win in program history by defeating Northeastern. They would be defeated by Minnesota 3-0 in the regional final.

The Broncos’ 2024-2025 season was their best season to date. The Broncos collected numerous wins against top-10 ranked opponents and remained ranked in the top-5 for the majority of the season. On February 28, 2025, WMU defeated North Dakota 6-4 to claim their first NCHC regular season championship. After being down 3-0 in the NCHC Tournament Championship, WMU would score four unanswered goals to defeat Denver 4-3 in double overtime. This would the Broncos’ first ever NCHC Tournament Championship and third overall conference championship. WMU earned the 1-seed in the Fargo Regional for the NCAA Tournament, where they defeated Minnesota State and UMass to advance to St. Louis, where they would play in their first Frozen Four in school history. In a rematch of the NCHC Tournament Championship, the Broncos defeated Denver in a 2OT thriller to advance to their first championship game. In the championship game, they defeated Boston University by a score of 6-2 to claim their first national championship.

Season-by-season results

Source:[12]

Coaching

All-time coaching records

As of the completion of 2024–25 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 Ferschweiler4104–50–4.671
Totals 7 coaches 52 seasons 916–880–168 .509

† 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
Cameron Rowe2022–2025935515583222206.9082.39
Marc Magliarditi1995–199636211023112915.9102.59
Brandon Bussi2019–2022774467462551944.9122.61
Jerry Kuhn2007–2011633528162731582.9122.69

Statistics current through the end of the 2024–2025 season.

Current roster

As of October 3, 2025.[14]

No. Nat. Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 United States Kirk Laursen Graduate G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-01-02 Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Miami (NCHC) —
2 United States Grady Gallatin Sophomore D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 179 lb (81 kg) 2004-06-07 White Bear Lake, Minnesota Janesville Jets (NAHL) —
3 United States Cole Crusberg-Roseen Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 2002-04-14 Stratham, New Hampshire Lincoln Stars (USHL) —
4 Canada Zaccharya Wisdom Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2004-04-21 Toronto, Ontario Colorado College (NCHC) SEA, 212th overall 2023
6 Sweden Theo Wallberg Junior D 6' 5" (1.96 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 2003-12-04 Stockholm, Sweden Ohio State (Big Ten) OTT, 168th overall 2022
8 United States Zach Nehring Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 179 lb (81 kg) 2005-03-07 Minot, North Dakota Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) WPG, 82nd overall 2023
9 United States Zach Bade Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2003-04-26 Rosemount, Minnesota Tri-City Storm (USHL) —
10 United States Zack Sharp Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2005-03-29 Naperville, Illinois Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL) —
11 Canada Tyler MacKenzie Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2004-06-06 Red Deer, Alberta Everett Silvertips (WHL) —
12 Canada Sam Huck Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 150 lb (68 kg) 2004-08-31 Calgary, Alberta Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) —
13 United States Grant Slukynsky Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2002-03-12 Edina, Minnesota Northern Michigan (CCHA) —
14 United States Colby Woogk Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 2004-07-10 Fort Worth, Texas Tri-City Storm (USHL) —
17 United States Ty Henricks Sophomore F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 216 lb (98 kg) 2005-06-28 Mission Viejo, California Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) NYR, 183rd overall 2023
18 United States William Whitelaw Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2005-02-05 Rosemount, Minnesota Michigan (Big Ten) CBJ, 66 overall 2023
19 United States Bobby Cowan Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2006-06-12 Edina, Minnesota Madison Capitols (USHL) —
21 United States Ryan Kusler Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2003-05-19 Battle Creek, Michigan Omaha Lancers (USHL) —
22 Finland Iiro Hakkarainen Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2004-03-09 Helsinki, Finland Fargo Force (USHL) —
23 Sweden Liam Valente Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2003-05-23 Märsta, Sweden Providence (HEA) —
24 United States Garrett Szydlowski Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-06-12 Detroit, Michigan Wenatchee Wild (BCHL) —
25 United States Cole Spicer Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2004-06-13 Grand Forks, North Dakota Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) BOS, 117th overall 2022
26 United States Jamison Sluys Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2005-09-03 Point Roberts, Washington Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) —
27 Finland Joona Väisänen Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 2004-07-29 Espoo, Finland Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) PIT, 175th overall 2024
28 United States Ryan Humphrey Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2003-04-08 Northville, Michigan Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) —
30 United States Hampton Slukynsky Sophomore G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2005-07-02 Warroad, Minnesota Fargo Force (USHL) LAK, 118th overall 2023
33 Sweden Samuel Sjölund Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-05-19 Stockholm, Sweden Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) DAL, 111th overall 2019
34 United States Owen Michaels Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-05-01 Detroit, Michigan Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) —
35 United States Gavin Moffatt Freshman G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2004-04-16 Darien, Connecticut Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) —
37 United States Zach Bookman Senior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2002-03-29 Syracuse, New York Merrimack (HEA) —

Awards and honors

NCAA

Individual awards

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

Third Team All-NCHC

NCHC All-Rookie Team

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, 2025.[16]

= NHL All-Star team = NHL All-Star[17] = NHL All-Star[17] 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.[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 June 11, 2013.
  4. ↑ CCHA history and recordsccha.com Archived October 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  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 June 11, 2013.
  7. ↑ "1996 NCAA Tournament". Inside College Hockey. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  8. ↑ Holt, Adam. "Late rally, Zucker's double-OT winner send Denver past Western Michigan". uscho.com. Retrieved January 16, 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.[permanent dead link]
  13. ↑ "Hockey - Career/Season Point Leaders". Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  14. ↑ "2025–26 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Hall of Fame" (PDF). Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Alumni report for Western Michigan University". Hockey DB. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  17. 1 2 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. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.