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Mitten Hockey story card: Western Michigan Broncos, NCAA Division I

Western Michigan Game Preview: vs. Colorado College (Nov. 13) — Broncos open their first NCHC home series of Lawson’s final season

No. 6 Western Michigan hosts No. 12 Colorado College at Lawson Arena on Friday in a ranked NCHC matchup, with the program’s 950th win on the line.

Shaun
1–2 minutes

No. 6 Western Michigan opens its first NCHC home series of the season Friday night when No. 12 Colorado College visits Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo. Puck drop is 7 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday, with both games streaming on NCHC.tv.

The matchup

Western Michigan is 6-2-1 overall and 0-1-1 in the NCHC after opening conference play with a tough weekend at North Dakota, where the Broncos took one point and lost Saturday’s game 4-1. They are ranked sixth in both the USCHO and USA Hockey polls. Colorado College comes in at 7-2-1, ranked 12th by USCHO and 13th by USA Hockey.

The Broncos have had the better of this series historically, including in Kalamazoo, and they beat the Tigers 5-2 at Lawson in the opening game of last season’s NCHC playoff series.

Storylines

  • Win No. 950: A Western Michigan win this weekend would be the 950th in program history.
  • Lawson’s last ride: This is the final season of Bronco hockey at Lawson Arena, home since 1974-75. Friday is a “Fan Friday,” with a Lawson pennant giveaway.
  • A missing piece: College Hockey News reported Thursday that freshman forward Adam Benák, the team’s leading scorer with 15 points, will sit out Friday’s game while serving a one-game NCHC suspension. Western Michigan has not announced the suspension. If he is out, more falls on William Whitelaw, who leads the Broncos with seven goals and 14 points, and Joona Väisänen, who has 13 points. Our look at that depth is here.
  • In goal: Quentin Miller has started every game for Western Michigan, with a 1.77 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage.

How to watch

Friday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m., Lawson Arena, Kalamazoo. Streaming on NCHC.tv; radio on 96.5 WZOX. The series wraps up Saturday at 6 p.m.

Sources

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