KALAMAZOO, Mich. – After a weekend split with No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth the Western Michigan hockey team has jumped up in both the US College Hockey Online and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls, coming in at 16 in USCHO's and 14 in USA Today's.
 
The Broncos were unranked in the USA Today poll last week, marking their return for the first time since Oct. 14, when they held down the 15 spot.
 
The 25th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey.
 
WMU moves up three spots in the USCHO.com poll after the split with the Bulldogs, climbing from No. 19 last week. This marks the 14th week the Broncos (16-11-5, 10-7-3-2 NCHC) have spent in the national rankings.
 
The USCHO.com Poll consists of 50 voters, including coaches and beat writers and sports professionals from across the country. The poll, published weekly by the Associated Press, is a production of USCHO.com, which provides in-depth coverage of college hockey.
 
Western Michigan travels for the final time during the regular season, heading up to No. 3/1 North Dakota on Friday and Saturday. Friday's puck drop is set for 8:37 p.m. and Saturday's for 8:07 p.m. Both games can be watched live on NCHC.tv and heard live on the Bronco Radio Network.