Men's Ice Hockey | November 16, 2017

THIS WEEK
Western Michigan returns home to take on the Omaha Mavericks in National Collegiate Hockey Conference action on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. Both games can also be seen live on NCHC.tv. 

LAST WEEK
The Broncos went on the road and split with No. 12 Minnesota-Duluth. On Friday the Bulldogs shutout WMU 3-0, but the team responded well on Saturday and earned its first shutout of the season, 5-0.

Western Michigan ended the scoring drought early in the second period when Luke Bafia netted his first goal of the season at 1:09. The Broncos jumped out to a 2-0 lead just 58 second later when Austin Rueschhoff beat Hunter Shepherd for his third goal of the season.
 
Josh Passolt and Jade McMullen put the game further out of reach with goals in the third period, while Ben Blacker made 31 saves to earn his fourth career shutout.

OMAHA MAVERICKS || 4-3-1, 1-1-0-0 NCHC
- THE SERIES: Omaha leads the all-time series at 22-15-6 and are 10-9-4 in Kalamazoo. During the regular season last year the two teams met just once, splitting a series in Omaha. They met again in the NCHC Quarterfinals, with the Broncos winning the series 2-1. 

- SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS: Omaha has played just one conference series so far this season, splitting at Colorado College last week. Three of the team's four wins have come on the road this season, including at nationally ranked UMass-Lowell and Notre Dame. 

Omaha is under new leadership. College hockey great Dean Blaise retired at the end of last season and was replaced by associate head coach Mike Gabinet. Gabinet is the program's third head coach and the first UNO alum to serve as the team's head coach. 

Omaha's offense ranks fifth in the nation, averaging 3.75 goals per game. A slew of upperclassmen power the team's scoring, led by senior David Pope. Pope has 10 points on the season on a team-best six goals and four assists. Edmonton Oilers draft pick Tyler Vesel is second on the team with nine points on four goals and five assists, while Steven Spinner has eight points on four goals and four assists. Junior defenseman Jordan Klehr is the top scorer from the blue line with one goal and a team-best six assists for seven points. 

Defensively the Mavericks rank 53rd in the nation allowing 3.50 goals per game. Junior Evan Weninger has played the majority of the minutes, starting in seven of the eight games this season. Weninger has a 4-3-0 record with a 3.32 goals against average and a .890 save percentage. Sophomore Kris Oldham has made two appearances and one start with a 0-0-1 record, a 3.53 goals against average and an .875 save percentage.

UNO's power play has been lethal this season, ranking at the top in the nation at 34.3 percent (12-for-35). Nine different players have tallied on the power play, led by Pope's three. Omaha's penalty kill ranks 32nd the nation at 79.4 percent (27-for-34), but they are the sixth-least penalized team in the nation and only average 9.5 minutes per game in the box. 

SKATE WITH THE BRONCOS
Come by Lawson Ice Arena on Sunday, Nov. 19 to skate with the Broncos. Skating takes place from 4-4:50 p.m. followed by free pizza at 5 p.m. Enjoy facilities tours, pizza and autographs with the team. Admission is free but skate rental is available. 

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE
Adjusting to the college hockey for a freshman can be difficult. Of the seven freshmen skaters that have played this season, only one has played in every single game. Freshman forward Josh Passolt has played in all 11 games this season, scoring three goals. Austin Rueschhoff, Ethen Frank and Paul Washe are close but have each only played in 10 games. However, Rueschhoff and Washe have been the top scorers on the class, each with four points off of three goals and one assist. 

HOME SWEET HOME
WMU is returning home for the next two weeks. After hosting Omaha the Broncos welcome Colgate next weekend. Western Michigan is 5-1-1 at Lawson Ice Arena and has six home games remaining before the semester break.

The Broncos average 4.14 goals per game at home this season, seventh-best in the country. Sophomore forward Wade Allison has done the most damage at Lawson so far this season, scoring six goals and six assists for 12 points in the seven games. Colt Conrad has the most points with 13 on five goals and eight assists.   

MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT
WMU will wear its camouflaged jerseys on Saturday in honor of those who have and are currently serving in the United States Armed Forces. A special ceremonial puck drop will also take place prior to the start.