KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan hockey team got back to its winning ways with an 8-4 victory over Rensselaer at Lawson Ice Arena on Friday night.
Hugh McGing had two goals for the Broncos (13-10-2, 8-6-2-2 NCHC) while Wade Allison, Dawson DiPietro, Josh Passolt, Austin Rueschhoff, Rhett Kingston and Drew Worrad also tallied on the night. McGing added an assist for a three-point night, while DiPietro had two assists for three points. Cam Lee, Cole Gallant and Mattias Samuelsson all had two-assist nights. Freshman goalie Brandon Bussi made 29 saves on the night.
WMU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on McGing's sixth goal of the season. Western Michigan was on the power play and Lee fed McGing in the right circle and the senior captain blasted one into the net at 9:15 in the first period. Lee's assist was his eighth of the season, with DiPietro picking up his 11th.
Allison put the Broncos up 2-0 with a goal at 15:31. DiPietro had the puck down low and slid it through the crease. Allison was at the far post at pushed it into the net for his eighth goal of the season, extending his point streak to seven games.
Tristan Ashbrook cut the lead to 2-1 on his first of two goals on the night, scoring at 8:29 in the second period. The Broncos turned it over behind their net with Bussi out of position and Ashbrook put it into an empty net.
WMU responded 37 seconds later on DiPietro's ninth of the season. Samuelsson won the puck in the Western Michigan zone and chipped it up ahead to Rueschhoff. The big centerman then played a perfect two-line pass to DiPietro in the RPI zone and blasted it past Alec Calvaruso and into the net to push the lead to 3-1.
The Engineers battled back at 12:09 on the power play, with Ashbrook punching in a rebound on a shot by Ottoville Leppänen to bring RPI back within two.
The Broncos had another quick response, this time scoring at 13:43, to go back up by three on McGing's second of the night. Gallant created a turnover in the in the RPI zone and Kingston chased down the puck in the right corner of the zone. Kingston centered it to McGing, who fired an off-balance shot, as he was falling down, into the net for his seventh goal of the season. Kingston tallied his seventh assist and Gallant his 13th.
Just 36 seconds later Passolt scored WMU's sixth of the night. Worrad found Passolt streaking on the left-side of the ice and the junior forward skated in for a breakaway to beat Calvaruso for his fifth of the season. Worrad picked up his seventh assist and freshman defenseman Ronnie Attard tallied his sixth.
RPI cut the lead to 5-3 on a goal by Mason Klee at 15:38 in the second period. The defenseman shot the puck from the top of the right circle and it made its way through traffic and into the net.
Rueschhoff scored at 18:11, firing a wrist shot over Calvaruso's shoulder from the right circle to give the Broncos a 6-3 lead. Allison and Samuelsson picked up assists on the goal.
Kingston scored on a wraparound 19 seconds later to push the lead to 7-3. After Gallant cleared the WMU zone McGing chipped it ahead into the RPI end. Kingston won a race to the puck and wrapped around the net to put it in, ending Calvaruso's night.
Todd Burgess scored at 2:19 into the third period to cut the lead to 7-4, finishing off a 3-on-1 rush for the Engineers.
Worrad put the game to bed with his sixth goal of the season, banging in a rebound on a shot by Lee at 12:24.
The Broncos outshot the Engineers 36-33 on the night and went 1-for-2 on the power play.
Western Michigan wraps up its non-conference schedule on Saturday against Rensselaer at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available at www.wmubroncos.com/tickets.
