ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The fifth-ranked Western Michigan hockey team battled back on the road from a late deficit to tie No. 10 St. Cloud State, 5-5, and then earn the extra point with a 2-1 shootout win in four rounds.
The Broncos (19-6-1, 11-5-1 NCHC) trailed 4-3 entering the third period but Jason Polin scored his first of two in the final stanza to tie it up at 4-4 just 54 seconds in. Max Sasson created a turnover in the SCSU zone and Cedric Fiedler fired a shot on net. The rebound kicked out to Polin and he back-handed it past David Hrenak and into the net for his 12th goal of the season. Fiedler picked up his seventh assist and Sasson tallied his 10th, extending his career-long point streak to eight games.
Jami Krannila scored short-handed at 9:48 in the third to push the Huskies back in front 5-4 but Polin threaded the needle and found the left corner over Hrenak's shoulder at 14:39 to tie it up. Jacob Bauer picked up the puck in the WMU zone and dished it ahead to Jamie Rome. Rome found Polin entering the zone on the right side and he went through the right circle, firing a shot into the top-left corner for his 13th goal of the season and sixth in his past three games.
WMU had a late power play in regulation that carried over to overtime but was unable to find the net and the extra point had to be settled in the shootout. Kevin Fitzgerald and Ethen Frank traded goals to start out but Brandon Bussi then made three straight saves and Sasson beat Hrenak in the fourth round on the stick side.
Drew Worrad, Polin and Frank each had two points on the night, with Frank tallying a goal and an assist and Worrad picking up two helpers. The Broncos also picked up goals from Luke Grainger and Michael Joyaux.
St. Cloud State jumped on Western Michigan early with a goal by Zach Okabe just 1:57 into the game. Okabe came streaking down the slot and Veeti Miettinen threw the puck toward the slot with Okabe redirecting it into the net to make it 1-0.
The Broncos responded with two goals in the span of 18 seconds to take a 2-1 lead. Frank was sprung on a breakaway by Worrad and beat Hrenak in his five-hole to score his nation's-leading 20th goal of the season. Worrad picked up his team-leading 25th assist of the season as WMU tied it up at 1-1 at 8:22.
Just 18 seconds later Grainger weaved his way through traffic and tucked one under the crossbar for his third goal of the season after getting fed the puck by Josh Passolt on the left edge of the right circle. Passolt picked up his 16th assist of the season and Hugh Larkin tallied his first.
Western Michigan extended the lead to 3-1 with a power play goal by Joyaux at 1:26 in the second period. Frank cycled the puck to Worrad and Worrad dished it off to Joyaux at the center point and the senior defenseman ripped a one-timer into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season. Worrad tallied his 26th assist of the season and Frank picked up his ninth.
SCSU responded with three straight goals of its own at 5:44, 6:34 and 8:51. Joe Molenaar threw a shot on net from the right circle and the rebound bounced up and over Bussi and into the net to cut the lead to 3-2, while drawing a penalty in the process. The Huskies scored on that power play with Spencer Meier firing a shot from the left circle that deflected off a Bronco stick and found the net to tie it up at 3-3. Micah Miller then scored a goal in transition to put St. Cloud State back on top, 4-3.
The two teams battle it out for the final time of the regular season on Saturday at 7 p.m. The game can be watched live on NCHC.tv and heard live on the Bronco Media Network.
