THIS WEEK
Western Michigan takes the quick trip up 131 for the 2022 Great Lakes Invitational in Grand Rapids at Van Andel Arena on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Broncos open the tournament against host Michigan Tech on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. WMU then plays on Wednesday against Michigan State or Ferris State at either 3:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. All games for the GLI will be streamed live on FloHockey.tv, with the Bronco Media Network providing radio coverage for WMU's games. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos earned a point in a home series against North Dakota, tying the Fighting Hawks, 2-2, in the opener and falling 3-0 the following night. 

Western Michigan took the lead in the series-opener on a goal by Jamie Rome with 1.2 seconds left in the first period. Tim Washe won a faceoff in the UND zone back to Aidan Fulp and Fulp dished it off to Rome in the slot for the one-timer and his ninth goal of the season. A pair of goals in the second period by Judd Caulfield and Louis Jamernik gave the Fighting Hawks a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. Jack Perbix tied it up with a goal at 11:47 in the third and the game ended up in a shootout. UND then took the shootout in five rounds, 3-2, for the extra point. 

On Saturday night the Broncos were unable to solve Drew DeRidder, who stopped every one of WMU's 25 shots on goal. Caulfield gave UND an early 1-0 lead on a power play goal at 6:46 in the first period. Neither team score in the second before Nick Portz and Dylan James added goals in the third period. 

ALL GOOD THINGS…
Freshman sensation Ryan McAllister saw his point streak stop at 11 games after he was held scoreless in the series-opening 2-2 tie against North Dakota. McAllister tallied 25 points during the run, with seven goals and 18 assists. The London, Ontario, native had multiple points in eight of the 11, including six games with three points. 

McAllister's streak was the longest for a Bronco since Patrick Galivan ran off a 13-game stint during the 2008-09 season. Galivan totaled 27 points on 11 goals and 16 assists en route to being the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Scoring Champion and finishing the season with 47 points. 

FAMILIAR TERRITORY
Western Michigan will be without second-year head coach Pat Ferschweiler at the Great Lakes Invitational. Ferschweiler will serve as an assistant coach for USA Hockey at the World Junior Championship Dec. 26 - Jan. 5, joining Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold's staff. This is Ferschweiler's first time at the World Juniors, but he has an extensive coaching history with USA Hockey. He has previously served as head coach of the U.S. Under-17 National Team for the Five Nations Cup in 2018; as assistant coach of the U.S. Under-18 Select Team for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2019 and as head coach for the 2020 U.S. squad that played in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.  

Associate head coach Jason Herter will take over head coaching duties for the GLI and it's something he's all too familiar with. Herter filled in for Minnesota-Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin when Sandelin was the head coach of the USA's World Junior team in 2019 and as an assistant in 2018. 

IN THE GLI
Western Michigan is 6-3-1 at the Great Lakes Invitational in five trips, which includes three proper Championships and a 1-0 record in last season's GLI Showcase. Last season WMU defeated Michigan State, 2-1, and the University of Michigan backed out of its game with the Broncos the following night. WMU won in 2016, 2013 and in 1986. In 2016, Western Michigan opened up with a 4-1 win over the Spartans and a 1-0 win in overtime over Michigan Tech in the Championship Game. 

THE MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES | 11-5-3
- THE SERIES: Michigan Tech leads the all-time series at 11-4-1 with the last game coming in the Championship of the 2016 GLI, a 1-0 Bronco win in overtime. WMU is 2-2-0 in neutral-site games against MTU.

- SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: Michigan Tech had a strong first-half of the season and sits tied for first place in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. MTU is 2-2 in its last four, with splits against Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State.

The Huskies strong start can be pinned on its fantastic defense, allowing just 2.02 goals per game, which is tied for fifth-best in the nation. Senior Blake Pietila has played in 17 of the 19 games this season, posting a 10-5-2 record with a 1.98 goals against average, a .928 save percentage and four shutouts. 

MTU averages 2.98 goals per game, led by junior forward Ryland Mosley's nine. Mosley also has a team-high 10 assists and leads the team in points with 19. Freshman forward Kyle Kukkonen has 14 points on seven goals and seven assists, while junior Brett Horne is the top-point man from the blue line with 10 on one goal and nine assists. 

ON THE HORIZON
After the GLI the Broncos are out of action until heading to North Dakota to take on the Fighting Hawks on Jan. 13-14. 

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Senior forward Jason Polin was named the 50th captain in program history, with fifth-year senior forward Cole Gallant and junior defenseman Aidan Fulp serving as assistants.

Polin enters the season on the back of a career-best junior campaign. He had 26 points on 16 goals and 10 assists, playing in all 39 games and taking just two penalties. 

LOTS OF NEW FACES
Western Michigan had a lot of roster spots to fill thanks to five players with eligibility left signing pro contracts in the off season. With other departures, the Broncos have added 13 new faces to the team. 

WMU dipped into the transfer portal and picked up Minnesota's Jack Perbix, UCONN's Carter Berger, AIC's Zak Galambos, Wisconsin's Cameron Rowe, UMASS' Oliver Macdonald and Miami's Kirk Laursen. The Broncos also brought in seven freshmen.