COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The No. 8/9-ranked Western Michigan hockey team dropped game two of a NCHC road series at Colorado College Saturday, Feb. 23, faltering late in an 8-2 loss.

Down 3-2 heading into the final stanza, the Broncos (18-11-1, 11-8-1-1 NCHC) conceded five third period goals to settle for the series split.

Until the Tiger outbreak in the third, the script was identical to Friday night, as Colorado College took a 2-1 lead in the first period followed by both teams trading goals in the second.

WMU was at a disadvantage from the start, losing defender Cam Lee to a game misconduct. Lee was assessed with a five-minute major for checking from behind 9:07 into the game. It took the Tigers two minutes into major penalty to pounce on a rebound to take a 1-0 lead. Soon after, Jade McMullen took a slashing penalty to put CC on a 5-on-3 advantage, in which they capitalized again to claim a 2-0 lead 12:41 into the first.

Austin Rueschhoff received a pass from Kale Bennett down the right wing and scored his second of the weekend to trim the CC lead to 2-1 with four and a half left in the first frame.

The Broncos went on their second power play of the night 4:39 into the second period and scored 15 seconds into the man advantage to knot the game at 2-2. Hugh McGing tallied his team-leading sixth power play goal of the season, putting in a rebound off an Ethen Frank shot on target.

The Tigers answered with their first even-strength goal of the contest on a rebound 14:43 into the second to take a 3-2 lead into the final 20 minutes. WMU held a 17-12 shot on goal advantage in the period.

The home team's five-goal output in the third was a result of several Brown & Gold turnovers and two goals each from Ben Copeland and Chris Wilkie. Copeland tallied four goals on the game. Trevor Gorsuch was replaced by Ben Blacker after the Tiger's seventh tally.

Colorado College held a 39-28 advantage in shots on goal. CC went 2-for-3 on the power play while the Broncos were 1-of-2. 

Next up, Western Michigan returns to Lawson Arena March 1-2 to host the conference leader and top-ranked St. Cloud State University.