No. 6 Western Michigan swept LIU at Lawson Ice Arena, winning 10-2 on Thursday and 7-4 on Friday to finish its non-conference schedule at 6-1-0. The Broncos outscored the Sharks 17-6 over the two nights.
Thursday belonged to William Whitelaw and Joona Väisänen. Whitelaw scored four goals, tying the NCHC single-game record, and Väisänen added a hat trick, the sixth by a defenseman in league history. They became the first NCHC teammates to record hat tricks in the same game.
Friday was a different game. LIU scored twice late in the first period to take a 2-0 lead, and the Broncos needed until the second intermission to get in front. Western then scored three times in 2:31 early in the third and pulled away. Zaccharya Wisdom scored twice, Adam Benák had a goal and two assists, and Whitelaw added two more assists. The Broncos held a 42-18 edge in shots, though their power play went 0-for-4 after a big night on Thursday.
The weekend ends Western’s warm-up stretch with a 6-1-0 record, its only loss a 3-2 decision at No. 1 Michigan on Oct. 23. The schedule turns now: the Broncos open NCHC play Nov. 6-7 at North Dakota in Grand Forks, then host Colorado College Nov. 13-14.
Game recaps: Western Michigan Game Recap: vs. LIU (Oct. 29) and Western Michigan Game Recap: vs. LIU (Oct. 30).
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