Men's Ice Hockey | November 09, 2016

THIS WEEK
Western Michigan (5-2-1, 2-2-0-0 NCHC) heads out on the road to take on No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth on Friday and Saturday night at 8:07 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
Both games will be streamed live on NCHC.tv and can be heard live on the Bronco Radio Network. 

LAST WEEK
The Broncos picked up their first National Collegiate Hockey Conference wins of the season with a sweep at home over Miami. On Friday the Broncos scored four unanswered goals to come back from a 3-2 deficit to beat the RedHawks 6-3. Paul Stoykewych netted the game-winning goal early in the third period and Matheson Iacopelli later added two insurance goals to seal the win. Jade McMullen, Corey Schueneman and Frederik Tiffels also scored on the night, while Cam Lee tallied two assists.

Western Michigan erased another deficit on Saturday to prevail over Miami, 5-2. Down 2-1 heading into the second period, WMU scored four unanswered goals this time for the win. The comeback started with a goal by Lawton Cournall at 8:04 in the second period. Iacopelli added two goals late in the second to give the Broncos a 4-2 lead. Wade Allison added a power play goal late in the third period to finish off the sweep. Trevor Gorsuch made 29 saves, including 11 on 11 RedHawk power plays to keep them scoreless with the man advantage.

AT A GLANCE: MINNESOTA-DULUTH // 7-1-2, 4-0-0-0 NCHC
THE SERIES: Minnesota-Duluth holds the all-time series lead at 10-6-1 after sweeping the Broncos last season. WMU, however, is 4-3-1 at AMSOIL Arena under head coach Andy Murray.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: The Bulldogs enter this weekend in their second week ranked No. 1 in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine. UMD gained the nation's top ranking after sweeping North Dakota on Oct. 28 and 29. Last weekend Minnesota-Duluth went on the road and swept St. Cloud State with a pair of 5-3 wins.

The Bulldog offense sits just outside of the nation's top 10, sitting in 11th at 3.80 goals per game. The team is led by senior Alex Iafallo. Iafallo has a team-best 13 points on six goals and seven assists. Behind him is freshman forward Joey Anderson. The New Jersey Devils' draft pick has 12 points on three goals and a team-best nine assists. Senior Kyle Osterberg has five goals and five assists for 10 points. Sophomore defenseman Neal Pionk is third on the team in scoring with 11 points on four goals and seven assists.

Minnesota-Duluth's defense ranks ninth in the country, allowing just 2.20 goals per game. Three freshmen have seen time between the pipes, but Huneter Miska has had the most action, starting in seven games. Miska boasts a 2.29 goals against average, a .914 save percentage and a 6-0-0 record with two shutouts. Nick Deery has made three appearances with a 1-0-2 record, a 1.54 goals against average and a .934 save percentage.

UMD's power play ranks tied for 17th in the nation at 20-percent (11-for-55). Pionk leads the team with three power play goals, while fellow defenseman Willie Raskob sits just behind him at two. The penalty kill ranks tied for 31st at 82.7-percent (43-for-52). However, the Bulldogs are the ninth least-penalized team in the country and average just 11.4 minutes per game in the box.

AGAINST THE NATION'S BEST
Western Michigan is 3-4-1 overall against the No. 1 team in the nation under head coach Andy Murray. The three wins came against Ferris State at the end of the 2012-13 regular season, and least season as a part of a sweep of No. 1 Omaha. WMU and Minnesota-Duluth have met before under Murray when the Bulldogs held the top spot in the polls. UMD swept the Broncos in Kalamazoo in January of 2012 with 4-1 and 5-2 victories.

100%
The Western Michigan penalty kill finished its 5-2 win over Miami on Saturday with a perfect 100-percent performance on the penalty kill. What makes it most impressive is that the Broncos killed off all 11 RedHawk power plays. WMU has not killed off 100-percent of its opponent's power plays when taking at least 10 penalties since a 12-for-12 performance in a 4-1 win over Notre Dame on Feb. 6, 2010.

900%
Sophomore forward Matheson Iacopelli has nine goals in eight games this season, tying him for second-most in the country. Those nine goals come after a freshman season that saw him score just one, increasing his scoring output by 900-percent.

MORE ON IACOPELLI
Iacopelli's hot start is the best for any player during head coach Andy Murray's tenure at Western Michigan. Through eight games, the highest goal total an individual has carried has been four. Shane Berschbach (2011, 2013), Trevor Elias (2011), Sheldon Dries (2014) and Kenney Morrison (2014) all tallied four in their first eight games of a season.

Iacopelli also has the chance to become the first Bronco to reach 15 goals since Berschbach did so during the 2013-14 campaign. If he keeps the scoring rolling, he could also become the first player since Mark Letestu (2006-07) to reach 20 goals. Letestu led the team with 24 and went on to win the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Year Award.  

YEAH, STILL AT THE TOP
Western Michigan leads the nation with 18 power play goals through eight games this season, scoring on 28.1-percent (18-for-64) of its chances. Freshman Wade Allison is second in the nation in power play goals with four, scoring all of his goals this season with the man advantage. Iacopelli has three on the season, while Scott Modlenhauer, Griffen Molino and Jade McMullen have each tallied two power play goals. WMU has scored 54.5-percent (18-of-33) of its goals with the man advantage.