Will Horcoff scored with one-tenth of a second left in regulation, and No. 1 Michigan beat No. 5 Western Michigan 3-2 on Friday night before 5,800 at Yost Ice Arena. The Wolverines improved to 7-0-0 and became the first team in program history to open 7-0 in back-to-back seasons. Western Michigan, unbeaten coming in, fell to 4-1-0.

Scoring summary

• 2nd, 8:36 — WMU: Zaccharya Wisdom (Iiro Hakkarainen, Cole Spicer). 1-0 Western Michigan.
• 3rd, 0:44 — UM: Jayden Perron (Drew Schock). 1-1.
• 3rd, 1:05 — UM: Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen (Nick Moldenhauer, Malcolm Spence). 2-1 Michigan.
• 3rd, 8:45 — WMU: William Whitelaw, shorthanded (Cole Spicer). 2-2.
• 3rd, 19:59.9 — UM: Will Horcoff (Cole McKinney, Drew Schock). 3-2 Michigan.

How it happened

Neither team scored through a tight first period, and Western Michigan broke through midway through the second when Zaccharya Wisdom drove the net and knocked in a rebound. Michigan flipped the game in a 21-second burst to open the third: Jayden Perron tied it on a backhand 44 seconds in, and Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen put the Wolverines ahead at 1:05.

The Broncos answered while killing a penalty, as William Whitelaw turned a neutral-zone turnover into a breakaway and scored shorthanded at 8:45. The game looked headed for overtime until the final seconds, when Cole McKinney’s shot deflected off a defender and Horcoff gathered the puck and buried it with 0.1 seconds on the clock. Western Michigan challenged the play for offside, and the goal stood after review. It was Michigan’s first win in the final minute of regulation since February 2025.

Standouts

Perron, the nation’s scoring leader, has goals in nine straight games and points in 13 straight dating to last season. His 10 goals in seven games are the fastest a Michigan player has reached double digits in the program’s modern era. Schock had two assists and has a point in every game this season, on the night his father, Harold, was honored with Michigan’s 1996 national championship team.

Goalies and special teams

Jack Ivankovic made 27 saves to improve to 7-0-0. Quentin Miller stopped 25 of 28 shots for Western Michigan in his first loss of the season. Western Michigan outshot Michigan 29-28. Neither team scored on the power play: Michigan went 0-for-5 and Western Michigan 0-for-4.

What’s next

This was a single nonconference game, and the rivals meet again in January in Kalamazoo for an outdoor game at Waldo Stadium. Michigan opens Big Ten play at Ohio State on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Western Michigan is back at Lawson Arena on Saturday against Wisconsin.

Sources

• Michigan Athletics: Horcoff Plays Hero with Buzzer Beater to Stun Western Michigan (Oct. 23, 2026)
• Michigan Athletics: Official box score, Western Michigan at Michigan (PDF)
• Western Michigan Athletics: 2026-27 men’s hockey schedule
• Michigan Athletics: Top-Five Showdown to Hit Yost Friday Night (Oct. 21, 2026)