KALAMAZOO-- In front of a raucous sold out Lawson Arena crowd of 3,784, the Western Michigan hockey team got off to a hot start and held on late to earn a 4-2 victory over Ohio State and move into sole possession of fifth place in the CCHA on Friday night.
The Broncos got another stellar performance in net from goaltender Jerry Kuhn, who stopped 32 shots to improve his record to 5-1-1 on the season. Chase Balisy paced the Broncos offensively with a career-best three-point night, picking up an assist early and adding the game-winning goal and an insurance tally late. With the win, WMU improves to 6-5-4-3 in the CCHA (12-6-5 overall) and leapfrogs Northern Michigan, Ohio State, and Alaska to move into sole possession of fifth place in the conference. Ian Slater and Shane Berschbach added goals for the Broncos, with Berschbach also picking up an assist for a two-point night.
Ohio State (12-9-1, 7-7-1-1 CCHA) got goals from Alex Szczechura and John Albert while outshooting the Broncos 34-28. Cal Heeter made 24 saves in net for the Buckeyes, who saw their six-game winning streak snapped by the Brown & Gold.
The Broncos seized the momentum and got the 3,784 fans in attendance into the game early, taking the lead just 2:04 into the contest. Mike Leone and Luke Witkowski dug the puck out of the boards in the Buckeye zone, with Leone sending a pass onto Slater's stick in the right circle. Slater wound up and blasted a slap-shot over the left shoulder of Heeter for his fifth goal of the season.
WMU struck early again in the second period with another quick goal, this time from Berschbach at the 55-second mark. Greg Squires and Balisy started the cycle in the right corner, with Balisy controlling the puck along the boards. Balisy found Berschbach streaking down the slot, with Berschbach placing a wrister perfectly over the glove hand of Heeter for his fifth goal of the season and a 2-0 WMU advantage.
Ohio State struck back later in the period on the power play, as Szczechura fired a shot from the slot past Kuhn to cut the WMU lead to 2-1 at the 12:17 mark. Curtis Gedig and Travis Statchuk picked up assists on the goal, with was Szczechura's seventh of the season. The Buckeyes finished 1-of-3 on the power play, with the Broncos going scoreless in their three chances.
Kuhn kept Ohio State at bay the rest of the period with some tough saves, robbing the Buckeyes of scoring opportunities with glove saves on the doorstep and on a two-on-one. A Kuhn save off a scramble in front led to the Broncos third goal of the night. Matt Tennyson coralled the rebound and sent a pass to Berschbach, who was streaking up the left wing. Berschbach skated in alone on the left side and found Balisy in front of the net, who chipped the puck into a wide-open net for his sixth goal of the season. The goal, which turned out to be the game-winner, was the first game-winner of Balisy's career.
Ohio State cut the Bronco lead to 3-2 at the 5:05 mark of the third period with a shorthanded goal. Albert corralled a loose-puck in the corner and centered a pass off a Bronco defender for his tenth goal of the season.
Western Michigan was able to thwart the Buckeyes attempts to tie the score late, with Balisy adding the empty-net tally at the 19:23 mark for his seventh goal of the season and a 4-2 lead. Dane Walters and Max Campbell picked up assists on the goal, with Walters spinning off a check on the right-wing boards and finding Balisy alone in the middle for the goal.
The two teams will meet again tomorrow night as the Broncos will look to extend their unbeaten streak to six games and earn the sweep. Face-off is set for 7:35 p.m. at an already sold-out Lawson Arena. Live coverage will be provided on the Bronco Radio Network and Bronco Insider.
