OXFORD, Ohio – The Western Michigan hockey team picked up three crucial points in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference standings after a 4-1 win at Miami on Saturday night at Steve Cady Arena.
 
Four different Broncos scored on the night while the freshman goalie Brandon Bussi made 19 saves on the night as WMU (15-10-5, 9-6-3-2 NCHC) outshot MU 37-20. Cole Gallant, Cam Lee, Dawson DiPietro and Paul Washe all lit the lamp, while sophomore defenseman Mattias Samuelsson had two assists and finished +3 on the night.
 
It was a crazy first minute to start the game. Miami's Monte Graham scored just 39 seconds into it to put Western Michigan down 1-0. Just nine seconds later the Broncos responded on a goal by Gallant at 0:48. Rhett Kingston drove down the left side of the ice into the Miami zone and centered it for the sophomore forward to punch in from the slot. The goal was Gallant's third of the season, with Kingston tallying his eighth assist and Samuelsson his ninth.
 
The teams went into the locker rooms deadlocked at 1-1 before Lee broke the tie at 9:52 in the second period. Austin Rueschhoff won a faceoff in the MU zone to Jason Polin. Polin dropped the puck back to Lee and the senior defenseman executed a spin move to create some space before firing the puck into the top-left corner of the net from the deep slot for his third goal of the season.
 
WMU pushed ahead 3-1 at 12:39 in the second period on DiPietro's 10th of the season. The senior forward jumped on a pass by a Miami defenseman, intercepting it and bursting forward for the breakaway goal, beating RedHawk goalie Ben Kraws.
 
The Broncos carried their lead into the third period. Bussi made a big save on a chance from just in front of the net and covered. Moments later Samuelsson flipped the puck out of the zone. Lawton Courtnall won it at center ice and dished it off to Washe. Washe drove the net and put the puck past Kraws for his 10th of the season, sealing the game with a 4-1 lead.
 
Western Michigan returns to Lawson Ice Arena to host No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth on Friday and Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. Friday's game will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Tickets are available at www.wmubroncos.com/tickets.