Men's Ice Hockey | October 10, 2019

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THIS WEEK
Western Michigan officially opens the 2019-20 season at the Ice Breaker Tournament, taking on No. 12/14 Ohio State at 5:05 p.m. on Friday at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio. WMU will then take on Bowling Green or RIT on Saturday at either 5:05 p.m. or 8:05 p.m. 

This is the first time that Western Michigan has been in the prestigious season-opening tournament. 

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Both games will be broadcast live on the Bronco Radio Network on 96.5 JACK FM in the Kalamazoo area and online at jackfm965.com. Fans can purchase a stream of the games at FloHockey.tv

LAST WEEK
Western Michigan opened the 2019-20 season with a 6-1 win over Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in its annual Border Battle exhibition game. 

The Broncos picked up two goals from Austin Rueschhofff, while Brett Van Os, Jason Polin, Ethen Frank, and Scooter Brickey also tallied. Brickey and Frank each had assists for two-point nights. Freshman Brandon Bussi started and made 12 saves in 40 minutes of action, while Ben Blacker played the entire third period and made four saves. 

WMU's special teams dominated on the night, going 4-for-7 on the power play and holding the Ooks scoreless on two power plays. Western Michigan outshot NAIT 52-17 overall, including limiting them to just four shots on goal in the third period. 

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY BUCKEYES
• THE SERIES: This is the first game between Ohio State and Western Michigan since the 2014 Shillelagh Tournament at the University of Notre Dame. The Broncos defeated the Buckeyes 6-2 in the opening game of the tournament on Nov. 28 thanks to a hat trick by Frederik Tiffels. WMU leads the all-time series at 60-56-12 and is 2-2-1 against OSU under head coach Andy Murray.

• SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES: OSU head coach Steve Rohlik has elevated the Buckeyes program to one of the best in the Big Ten and the nation. Under Rohlik Ohio State has had three consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins and a regular season Big Ten Championship in 2018-19. 

The Buckeyes return three of its top five scorers for an offense that averaged 3.0 goals per game. Senior forward Tanner Laczynski is the top returning scorer. The Philadelphia Flyers' draft pick had 30 points on 10 goals and 20 assists in just 27 games. Laczynski has 109 career points in 102 games played for Ohio State. Also returning is senior forward Caleb Meyer, who finished tied for third on the team in scoring with 22 points on nine goals and 13 assists. Senior Matt Miller was the top point man from the blue line last season. The defenseman returns after posting 22 points on five goals and 17 assists. Also returning is senior forward Ronnie Hien, who was second on the team in goal scoring last season with 11. 

Junior Tommy Nappier had the fourth-highest save percentage in the nation last season at .934. Nappier played in 20 of the team's 36 games, also posting a 1.86 goals against average with four shutouts and a 12-4-3 record. The Buckeyes allowed 2.31 goals per game on the season.

OSU's power play finished the season at 20.9 percent (33-for-58). Meyer is the top returning power play talisman, with four of his nine goals coming on the man advantage. The penalty kill finished at 81.8 percent (108-for-132).

REGULAR SEASON HARDWARE
Under head coach Andy Murray the Broncos have had a penchant for winning in-season tournaments. Last season WMU played in the Ice Vegas Invitational, winning the tournament after defeating UCONN and Air Force. WMU has claimed four total under Murray, twice winning the Great Lakes Invitational and winning the Shillelagh Tournament in 2014. 

LEAGUE LEADERS
Western Michigan returns the most goals and total points in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The Broncos return 112 goals, 22 more than Minnesota-Duluth's 90. Combined, WMU also returns 271 total points, once again just head of the Bulldogs, who return 265. 

Western Michigan did lose its leading point scorer in Colt Conrad, who wrapped up his career with a 38 points season on 11 goals and 27 assists. From there, WMU returns its next six top scorers, including senior captain Hugh McGing and junior forward Josh Passolt, who tied for the team lead with 16 goals each. The Broncos also return double-digit goal scorers in junior forward Austin Rueschhoff (13) and junior forward Ethen Frank (15). Senior defenseman Cam Lee is the top returning assist man after dishing out a career-high 19 last season. 

SUPER SENIORS
WMU has nine seniors this season, the most ever by an Andy Murray coached team and the most in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The class is tied for fifth nationally with Michigan, Michigan State, Dartmouth, and Yale. Boston College leads the nation with 11 seasons, followed by Penn State, American International and Alaska Fairbanks each with 10. 

47 & 46
Western Michigan begins its 47th season of college hockey, with senior forward Hugh McGing being named the 46th captain in program history. McGing will be assisted by senior defenseman Luke Bafia, senior forward Wade Allison, junior forward Josh Passolt and sophomore defenseman Mattias Samuelsson.