Joona Väisänen scored on a power play with 3.4 seconds left in overtime and No. 6 Western Michigan beat No. 12 Colorado College 5-4 on Saturday night at Lawson Ice Arena in Kalamazoo, completing a weekend sweep. The Broncos improved to 8-2-1 overall and 2-1-1 in the NCHC. Colorado College fell to 7-4-1 and 1-3-0.
How it happened
Owen Beckner gave Colorado College the lead just 1:15 in, finishing a Bret Link setup off a turnover. Western Michigan answered twice: Cole Spicer scored at 7:48, assisted by Zaccharya Wisdom, and Iiro Hakkarainen made it 2-1 at 10:03 from Tyler MacKenzie and Theo Wallberg. Connor Hvidston tied it 2-2 at 15:54.
Klavs Veinbergs deflected in a Philippe Blais-Savoie shot to put the Tigers ahead at 14:04 of the second, and Tommy Lafrenière tied it again at 16:18, set up by Ty Henricks and Cole Crusberg-Roseen.
Defenseman Zack Sharp scored his first goal of the season at 16:19 of the third, from Spicer and Wisdom, but Colton Roberts answered 29 seconds later to send it to overtime. Wilson Bjorck was given a five-minute major for boarding 56 seconds into the extra period, and Väisänen finally broke through on a one-timer from the top of the left circle at 4:57, with Adam Benák and William Whitelaw assisting.
Notes
- Western Michigan outshot Colorado College 33-23, including 7-0 in overtime. Quentin Miller made 19 saves; Jackson Unger made 28 for the Tigers.
- The Broncos went 1-for-3 on the power play. Colorado College’s penalty kill erased a 5-on-3 that lasted 1:25 after two too-many-men penalties 35 seconds apart in the third, and was 0-for-1 on its own power play.
- Spicer and Wisdom each had two points, and Spicer won 19 of 25 faceoffs. Väisänen, named to the U.S. Collegiate Selects roster for the Spengler Cup on Friday, led all skaters with six shots.
- Western Michigan earned two NCHC points for the overtime win; Colorado College took one.
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