COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The fifth-ranked Western Michigan hockey team completed the road sweep of Colorado College after a crazy 5-4 win at Robson Arena on Saturday night.
With the game tied at 4-4 late in the third period Aidan Fulp corralled the puck after a save by Brandon Bussi and chipped it ahead to Cole Gallant in the neutral zone. Gallant took off down the ice for the 2-on-1 rush and passed it to Ethen Frank to the left of the slot and the fifth-year senior buried it for his 19th goal of the season and the game-winner with 3:16 left to play.
The Broncos (19-6-0, 11-5-0 NCHC) led three times before Frank put them ahead for the fourth and final time. Junior forward Jason Polin scored his first collegiate hat trick and WMU's second of the weekend after Ronnie Attard netted three in Friday's win. Josh Passolt had a goal and an assist for a five-point weekend. His assist came on Polin's second of the night, making him the 62nd player in program history to reach 100 career points. Freshman forward Max Sasson had two assists for a six-point weekend, extending his point streak to seven games.
Western Michigan, once again, got on the board early to take a 1-0 lead. Polin scored his first of the night just 3:05 into the game. Attard picked up the puck in the WMU zone and passed it off to Ty Glover. Glover flipped it up ahead to Polin for the breakaway and he put a back-hander in the top-left corner of the net for his ninth goal of the season.
The Tigers tied it up on a goal by Nate Schweitzer at 14:10 as the teams went into the locker room deadlocked at 1-1.
CC took its only lead of the weekend at 1:43 in the second period on a goal by Hunter McKown, who tallied his ninth of the season with assists from Nicklas Andrew and Schweitzer.
Polin tied it up at 2-2 on the power play at 11:11 on a shot from the left edge of the right circle. Passolt had a shot go wide and Sasson tracked down the rebound, finding Polin open for the goal. Sasson's assist was his eighth of the season and Passolt tallied his 15th assist of the season.
With 10 seconds left in the second period Passolt intercepted a pass at the CC blue line and threw the puck toward the net. It deflected off a Tiger defenseman in front of the net and past Dominic Basse for his sixth goal of the season, giving Western Michigan a 3-2 lead heading into the third period.
Danny Weight tied it up at 3-3 at 8:28 in the third period. A shot by Brian Hawkinson went high and bounced off the glass and over Bussi's shoulder and into the crease, with Weight charging in to tap it in.
Just over three minutes later Polin completed his hat trick, tucking one under the crossbar on a feed from Sasson on a 3-on-2 rush at 11:49.
The lead didn't last long as McKown got his second of the night at 14:10 to tie it up at 4-4 before Frank's game-winner.
Western Michigan outshot Colorado College 35-30 on the night, while finishing 1-for-3 on the power play and holding CC scoreless on four.
WMU's road trip continues as the Broncos travel to St. Cloud State next Friday and Saturday.
