Men's Ice Hockey | March 21, 2017

THIS WEEK
Second-seeded Western Michigan heads to Providence, R.I., for the NCAA East Regional, taking on Air Force in the semifinal on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The game can be seen live on ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN App. Fans can also listen live via the Bronco Radio Network and online at www.z965fm.com.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the NCAA East Regional can be purchased through the WMU Ticket office by visiting www.wmubroncos.com/tickets or by calling 1-888-4-WMUTIX.

LAST WEEK
The Broncos went to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff and came away with a pair of losses to Minnesota-Duluth and Denver. 

WMU fell to the Bulldogs in the NCHC Semifinals, 5-2. The Broncos had battled back from a 2-1 deficit to tie the game up in the second period on a goal by Colt Conrad but UMD responded with three straight goals to finish off Western Michigan.

On Saturday in the NCHC Consolation game Mike McKee scored the lone goal for WMU as the Broncos fell to the Pioneers, 3-1. 

AT A GLANCE: AIR FORCE
• ON THE LAST EPISODE: The Broncos and the Falcons met up previously back on Nov. 18 and 19 in Kalamazoo.

In the series opener, The Broncos took a 4-2 lead in the first period but Air Force battled back to force a 5-5 tie. During the comeback bid Air Force outshot WMU in the second and the third period by a combined 25-10. 

The following night Western Michigan clamped down and beat the Falcons, 4-1.Matheson Iacopelli had two goals, while the Broncos finished the night with a 47-19 advantage in shots on goal. 

• THE SERIES: After going 1-0-1 in November the all-time series is tied up at 3-3-1. Friday's game is the first time the two teams will match up at a neutral site and the first meeting between them in the NCAA Tournament. 

• HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Falcons finished the regular season just shy of winning the Atlantic Hockey Conference, taking second. Air Force went on to dominate the AHC Tournament, allowing just two goals in four games. The team outscored its opponents 8-2, and beat Robert Morris in the Championship game, 2-1. Air Force finished 12th in the Pairwise rankings and earned a No. 3 seed for the NCAA Tournament. 

The Falcons get offense from everyone. Twelve different players have at least five goals this season. Jordan Himley leads the team with 20 goals, also carrying the top point mark of 33 after 13 assists. Kyle Haak has 30 points on 12 goals and 18 assists, while Evan Giesler has 29 points on 11 goals and 18 assists. Air Force's defensemen have combined for 23 goals on the season, with junior Phil Boje being the most dangerous. Boje has eight goals on the season and leads the team with 20 assists. 

GAME NOTES
• THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: Western Michigan has made five appearances in the NCAA Tournament in its history but has yet to win a game. The Broncos are 0-6 in those five appearances. The first appearance in 1986 against Harvard was a two-game series and the Crimson advanced on goal aggregate, 11-4. WMU's most recent appearance came in 2012 under then first-year head coach Andy Murray. The Broncos went out to St. Paul, Minn., and lost to North Dakota 3-1. 

• NO MORE THAN TWO: The Broncos head into Friday's game on a two-game losing streak. The good news for WMU is that it has not lost more than two games in a row all season. The two previous times Western Michigan has lost back-to-back games it ended the streak with a win, scoring at least five goals in both of them. 

• ONLY TWO: WMU head coach Andy Murray is only the second coach in program history to lead a team to two NCAA Tournaments. Western Michigan Hall of Famer Bill Wilkinson holds the top mark, leading the Broncos to three NCAA Tournaments during his tenure.  

• TWO: The Broncos enter the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed, the highest in program history. WMU's previous high seed, at No. 3, came back in 2011.

• FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME: No member of the Bronco hockey team has played in a NCAA Tournament game before. However, two members of WMU's coaching staff have previous experience. Head coach Andy Murray coached WMU in the NCAA Tournament back in 2012. Associate head coach Dave Shyiak has experience both coaching and playing in the NCAA Tournament. Shyiak played in the NCAA Tournament with Northern Michigan in 1988 and 1991. His 1991 team won the NCAA Championship. Later as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Shyiak helped the 1999 team to a NCAA Tournament appearance. 

• OUT EAST: Of Western Michigan's five previous NCAA Tournament appearances, three have come out east. WMU has twice played in Albany, N.Y., (1994, 1996) and once in Cambridge, Mass. (1986).

BY THE NUMBERS
• +19: Sophomore forward and leading scorer Matheson Iacopelli has scored 19 more goals this season than he did in his freshman campaign. Last year he scored just one goal and has 20 so far through 2016-17. 

• +15: The Broncos have outscored their opponents 42-27 in the third period this season. All of last season WMU scored 28 goals in the third period, while giving up 44. 

• +14: Western Michigan has increased its win total from eight last season to 22 this season. It is the largest increase out of any team in the NCAA in 2016-17. It's also the single biggest turnaround in program history. 

• 3.31: The Broncos average 3.31 goals per game, the highest since the 2000-01 team averaged 3.82. 

• 2.79: WMU allows 2.79 goals per game, a drop of 1.15 from last seasons' 3.94.

SEASON NOTES
• Sheldon Dries, Ben Blacker and head coach Andy Murray were all recognized for their accomplishments and contributions to WMU hockey this season. Dries was named Second Team All-NCHC and a finalist for Defensive Forward of the Year. Blacker won the NCHC Three Stars Award, was named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team and was a finalist for the NCHC Goalie of the Year. Murray was named the Herb Brooks NCHC Coach of the Year for helping WMU to a 14-win turnaround and a third place finish in the conference, the highest in program history since joining the NCHC in 2013.

• Western Michigan entered the weekend with 129 goals scored this season. It's the biggest offensive output under head coach Andy Murray and the most goals scored in a season since the 2000-01 team scored 149. 

• WMU's 22 wins are the most in a season since the 1995-96 team won 27. 

• Senior forward Sheldon Dries is one of just two Broncos in program history to captain the team for three seasons. Dries joins Dana Lattery (2000-04), who was also made captain during his sophomore season back in 2001-02.

• Matheson Iacopelli leads the team in goals with 20 this season. It's the first time a Bronco has scored 20 goals in a season since Mark Letestu, back in 2006-07 when he scored 24 and was named Central Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Year. 

• The Broncos are 2-2-0 at neutral site games this season, beating Michigan Tech and Michigan State at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit to win the Great Lakes Invitational.

• Eight returning players on the roster have career-high offensive output for the 2016-17 season. Matheson Iacopelli (34), Griffen Molino (31), Colt Conrad (29), Corey Schueneman (22), Scott Moldenhauer (16), Michael Rebry (13) and Aaron Hadley (10) have all increased their output.