Men's Ice Hockey | November 02, 2016

Western Michigan (3-2-1, 0-2-0 NCHC) vs. Miami (3-2-2, 0-0-0 NCHC) 
All-Time Series ­// MU leads 65-58-11
Nov. 4-5 // Lawson Ice Arena (3,667) // 7:00 p.m.  

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THIS WEEK
Western Michigan continues the gauntlet that is National Collegiate Hockey Conference play, hosting Miami on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. 

FOLLOW ALONG
Friday's game will be line on American Sports Network, check local listings for time and channel. The game will also be simulcast on NCHC.tv, while Saturday's game will be solely on NCHC.tv. Both games can be heard live on the Bronco Radio Network.

LAST WEEK
The Broncos opened up conference play at No. 3 Denver, falling 3-1 and 4-2. Griffen Molino scored the lone goal in the 3-1 loss on Friday, while sophomore goalie Trevor Gorsuch made a career-high 32 saves. WMU picked up the scoring on Saturday with Sheldon Dries and Matheson Iacopelli netting goals. The two teams went into the locker room tied at 2-2 after the second period, but the Pioneers scored just 2:29 in to take a 3-2 lead. DU added a late goal at 15:05 to secure the sweep. 

AT A GLANCE: MIAMI // 3-2-2, 0-0-0-0 NCHC
- THE SERIES: Miami leads the all-time series 65-58-11. Western Michigan leads in Kalamazoo, 32-24-7. Last season Miami took the season series 3-1, with WMU's lone win coming at Lawson Ice Arena.  

- SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS: Miami is one of the youngest teams in the country. Through seven games the team has played 11 freshmen and five sophomores. The RedHawks are off to a great start and are receiving votes in the US College Hockey Online Poll. Last weekend they had a five-game unbeaten streak snapped in a 4-1 loss to Bowling Green. MU boasts wins over nationally ranked Providence and Maine. 

Miami's freshmen and sophomores have produced offensively so far this season, but a few upper classmen are still leaving their marks. Senior Anthony Louis is one of three players with eight points on the season. The Chicago Blackhawks' draft pick leads the team with five goals and also has three assists. Sophomore Kiefer Sherwood and freshman Carson Meyer each have two goals and six assists. As he was last season, junior defenseman Louie Belpedio is the top offensive threat from the blue line. The Minnesota Wild draft pick has six points on three goals and three assists. 

The RedHawk defense is tied for seventh in the nation, giving up just 2.0 goals per game. Freshman Ryan Larkin has started and played in every game this season, with a 1.95 goals against average, a .927 save percentage and one shutout. 

Another key to Miami's good start has been its strong special teams. The power play ranks tied for 14th in the nation at 20-percent, 10-for-50. All three of Belpedio's goals have come on the power play, while two of Louis' five have been tallied with the man advantage. MU has scored power play goals in six of the seven games this season. The RedHawk penalty kill has been stellar so far, ranking fourth in the nation at 95-percent, 38-for-40.

THE SCORING TOUCH
Matheson Iacopelli came to Western Michigan last season after a banner career in the USHL that saw him lead the league in scoring in 2013-14 with 41 goals. His freshman season didn't go as planned, scoring just one goal. This season he leads the team with five goals, including his first collegiate hat trick. Iacopelli refocused himself this summer and that's what he attributes to the hot start.

"I think the puck shooting training and work put in this summer in our team workouts really helped me get on track and ready for the season," Iacopelli said.

THAT POWER PLAY, THO
WMU's power play continues to be one of the top in the nation, ranking third at 27.5-percent, 14-for-51. The 14 goals is the best in the nation ahead of Notre Dame's 13, with the Fighting Irish playing two more games than the Broncos. 

Power play goals make up 63.6-percent, 14-for-22, of the team's offense. Freshman Wade Allison has scored all three of his goals this season on the power play and leads the team. Iacopelli has tallied twice, as have Griffen Molino and Scott Moldenhauer. 

LENDING A HELPING HAND
Two of WMU's top scorers this season, senior defenseman Taylor Fleming and junior forward Aidan Muir, have earned all their points from assists. Fleming leads the team with seven assists through six games, already surpassing his season total from 2015-16. Muir has five assists through six games, one shy of his 2015-16 total and three shy of his career-high of nine that he set back in 2014-15.