GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The 18th-ranked Western MIchigan hockey team advanced to the Great Lakes Invitational Championship game after an 8-1 drubbing of Michigan Tech on Tuesday afternoon at Van Andel Arena.
Senior captain Jason Polin recorded his fourth hat trick of the season, while the Broncos also got two goals from Cole Gallant, and tallies from Jacob Bauer, Wyatt Schingoethe and Dylan Wendt. Gallant added an assist, joining Polin for a three-point night. Freshman forward Ryan McAllister, junior forward Luke Grainger, junior forward Chad Hillebrand, junior defenseman Daniel Hilsendager and sophomore forward Max Sasson each had two assists. Bauer also tallied an assist for a two-point night.
Junior netminder Cameron Rowe was stellar in net for WMU (11-9-1), with 24 total saves and helping blank the Huskies on five power plays. Western Michigan outshot Michigan Tech 33-25.
The layoff had no effect on the nation's leading point-man and WMU's leading talisman. McAllister got the puck in the left circle from Hilsendager and threaded the needle through the slot to the back door for Polin to punch it into the net for his 14th goal of the season. McAllister tallied his nation-leading 24th assist and 34th point on the goal. Hilsendager tallied his first helper of the year as the Broncos took an early lead at 6:49 in the first period.
Western Michigan took that 1-0 lead into the second period and then poured it on, scoring six in the middle stanza.
Gallant netted his first of the night at 4:13, chipping the puck in off a pass by Hillebrand on a 3-on-2 rush to push the lead to 2-0. Grainger played the puck to Hillebrand from in front of the benches. Hillebrand brought the puck in the zone and dished it to Gallant, who was streaking to the net to punch in his second goal of the season. Hillebrand tallied his third assist of the season, with Grainger notching his 11th.
Just over two minutes later Rowe made a save on a close chance by MTU. McAllister got control of the puck and sent it down the ice for the breakout. The puck got through two Michigan Tech players and to Polin, who buried his second of the night and 15th of the season on a breakaway to make it 3-0.
Gallant scored again, and in similar fashion, just 23 seconds later to push the Broncos ahead 4-0. Bauer broke up a play in the neutral zone and found Hillebrand at the left boards at the MTU blue line. Hillebrand skated into the left circle and passed it across the slot for the tap-in by Gallant.
Bauer netted his second of the season at 11:18 in the second period to extend the lead to 5-0. The d-man skated in for a shot that was saved but Sasson intercepted the puck moments later and Bauer cut back to the net to punch it in. Sasson tallied his 17th assist of the season on the goal.
Polin completed the hat trick 11 seconds later to go ahead 6-0. Sasson played the cross-ice pass from the back tip of the right circle and Polin one-timed a rocket top shelf for his 16th goal of the season. Hilsendager picked up his second assist of the night and the season on the goal.
Schingoethe capped off the crazy period with his first collegiate goal at 12:28, giving the Broncos a 7-0 lead thanks to three goals in 70 seconds. Grainger won a battle for the puck at the left edge of the left circle and dropped it back for Gallant. Gallant found Schingoethe open in the left circle and the Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick fired a rocket into the top corner of the net.
Wendt, a Grand Haven native, scored WMU's eighth and final goal at 6:32 in the third period. Jack Perbix won a faceoff back to Wendt, who passed it back to Cedric Fiedler. Fiedler gave it back to Wendt and the sophomore forward fired it off the back bar and in from the right circle for his fifth goal of the season.
MTU's Kash Rasmussen scored at 10:26 to spoil the shutout bid.
The Broncos will play the winner of Tuesday night's Michigan State and Ferris State semifinal on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
