Men's Ice Hockey | March 16, 2019

THIS WEEK
Western Michigan welcomes Colorado College for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Quarterfinals series on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (if necessary). 

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
Each game will be broadcast on NCHC.tv and can be heard live on the Bronco Radio Network.

LAST WEEK
Western Michigan wrapped up hosting duties for the NCHC Playoffs after sweeping Miami on the road, 5-1 and 6-1. 

In the series opener, WMU held a 2-1 lead heading into the third period after goals by Corey Schueneman and Colt Conrad in the first and second periods. The Broncos scored back-to-back goals in the first three minutes to push the lead to 4-1. Lawton Courtnall scored off a rebound of a shot by Cam Lee and Paul Washe finished off a feed from Jade McMullen early in the third period. Wade Allison added an empty-net goal with 7:29 left to play in the game to set the final at 5-1. Trevor Gorsuch made 22 saves on the night to earn his 17th win of the season. 

On Saturday the Broncos wrapped up a sweep with a 6-1 win over the RedHawks. WMU wasted no time jumping on MU with Allison scoring the first of his third career hat trick just 57 seconds into the game, finishing off a feed from Dawson DiPietro. DiPietro then put the Broncos up 2-0 at 13:54 in the first period. Ethen Frank and Conrad scored early in the second period to extend he lead to 4-0 before Allison netted his second on a lacrosse-style goal from behind the net to push it to 5-0. Ben Lown broke the shutout bit with a goal 3:13 in the third period but Allison completed his hat trick just 57 seconds later to finish off Miami. 

COLORADO COLLEGE || 15-17-4
• THE SERIES: After a split in Colorado Springs back in February, the Broncos hold an 11-6-4 lead in the all-time series. WMU is also 7-1-1 against CC at Lawson Ice Arena. This is the first postseason matchup between the two teams. 

• HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Tigers went 5-2 over their last seven games, including a sweep of Denver in the final weekend of the regular season, to finish sixth in the NCHC. 

• SCOUTING THE TIGERS, AGAIN: Colorado College has done the majority of its winning since the holiday break. CC defeated Merrimack on Dec. 31 and are 8-8-2 in the second half of the season. The Tigers also have a penchant for going into overtime, with nine games being decided with extra time. 

Colorado College ranks 24th in the nation in scoring, averaging 2.97 goals per game. Four seniors sit at the top of the scoring chart for the Tigers, led by Trey Bradley's 31 points. Bradley has a team-high 14 goals to go along with 17 assists, while Westin Michaud sits behind him with 25 points on 10 goals and 15 assists. Trevor Gooch also has 10 goals, to go with 12 assists for 22 points. Freshman forward Grant Cruickshank is second on the team with 11 goals. Freshman defenseman and NCHC All-Rookie team selection Bryan Yoon is the top point man on the blue line with 21 points on two goals and a team-high 19 assists. Sophomore defenseman Christiano Versich leads the blue line with five goals. 

The Tigers rank 25th overall in scoring defense, allowing 2.64 goals per game. The team has played stellar defense in the past six games, allowing just eight total goals. The last team to score more than two goals on Colorado College was the Broncos in a 5-4 overtime win on Feb. 23. Junior goalie Alex Leclerc has started in 35 of the teams 36 games this season, posting a 15-16-4 record with a 2.54 goals against average and a .919 save percentage.

CC's power play ranks 25th in the nation at 19.5 percent (29-for-149). Bradley, Michaud and Cruikshank are tied for the team lead with four power play goals, while Mason Bergh has three. The penalty kill ranks 29th in the nation at 81.4 percent (92-for-133). The Tigers are one of the least penalized teams in the nation, at 53rd in the nation averaging just 8.6 penalty minutes per game. 

GOOD AS GOLD
Western Michigan's lines are designated by color and in the Miami series, WMU's Gold unit lived up to its name. Dawson DiPietro, Colt Conrad and Wade Allison combined for seven of WMU's 11 goals in the series and 10 assists. Last season, before injuries took their toll, the trio combined for 67 points on 30 goals and 37 assists when grouped together. 

REVERSING COURSE
Western Michigan's penalty kill has done a complete 180 in the past six games. The PK unit has went 16-for-18 (88.8 percent) during that run and is a perfect 13-for-13 in the last four games. Prior to the reversal of fortune, the team had given up a power play goal in each of the previous five games. Western Michigan is 10-3-1 when holding its opponent scoreless on the power play. 

TENACIOUS D
Junior forward Dawson DiPietro is returning to old form. DiPietro led the team in scoring last season with 35 points on 13 goals and 22 assists. The Medina, Ohio native is on a season-high five game scoring streak with three goals and five assists for eight points. Prior to the streak he had 12 points on four goals and eight assists. The recent tear has brought him up to 20 points, the seventh Bronco to reach the mark this season.