THIS WEEK
Western Michigan continues to be one of the hottest teams in the country having won six games in a row. Now sitting as the No. 9 team in the country, the Broncos will meet another hot team in the Omaha Mavericks. Omaha has won five consecutive games and sits ahead of WMU in the NCHC standings. The Mavericks swept WMU back in December and are receiving votes in the national polls. 

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan went down early against Colorado College on Jan. 21, but the Broncos went on to score four unanswered goals in a 4-1 victory over the Tigers. 

Tim Washe lit the lamp twice, while Jason Polin and Jack Perbix each scored once. Cole Gallant had two assists, while Max Sasson, Dylan Wendt and Chad Hillebrand were each credited with one. 

After an early CC goal, the Broncos' top line quickly went to work, as Sasson chipped the puck off of a defenders stick right to Polin who hammered a shot into the back of the net to knot the game at 1-1. As the first period started to wind down, Gallant found a loose puck at the blue line and converted a two-on-one opportunity by sliding a pass to Washe who was able to put WMU up 2-1. 

Early in the second period, Dylan Wendt was able to get a piece of the puck and it found its way to Perbix, who beat the Tigers' goaltender on the glove side to give the Broncos a 3-1 advantage. Just under five minutes later, Washe cleaned up a loose puck in front, backhanding a shot by Kaidan Mbereko for his second goal of the game. 

The defense and Cameron Rowe would do the rest. The unit blocked seven shots and Rowe had three saves in the final seven minutes of the game. The Broncos improved their win streak to six games with the 4-1 victory. 

ROWE'S REVENGE
Western Michigan goalie Cameron Rowe has been excellent throughout the team's six-game win streak. He earned NCHC Goalie of the Week on Jan. 23 for his efforts in the series against Colorado College this past weekend. Rowe finished the two-game set with a 2-0-0 record, 50 saves and a  .962 save percentage. 

Over the last six games, Rowe was the goaltender in all six wins and has allowed more than two goals just once in that stretch. He has recorded 146 saves and holds a .930 save percentage in the win streak.

POLIN PALOOZA
Western Michigan captain Jason Polin is among the nation's best players and has been rewarded for his dominant play this season. Polin, alongside teammates Ryan McAllister and Max Sasson, was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, which is given annually to the best player in college hockey. 

Polin currently leads the nation in goals with 23 this season, but it's his play over the last six games that has helped solidify Western Michigan as a team to watch going forward. 

The Broncos are currently riding a six game win streak, and Polin is a major reason why. In that span, Polin has lit the lamp 10 times, while also recording two assists. On the season, he leads the country with five hat tricks, including two at the Great Lakes Invitational, which is where the Broncos began their current winning streak. 

THE OMAHA MAVERICKS | 13-9-2 Overall, 8-5-1 NCHC
- THE SERIES: Omaha leads the all-time series 33-24-6, including a pair of wins earlier this season. The Mavericks defeated the Broncos 7-6 and 3-1 back in December. Omaha is just one spot ahead of WMU in the NCHC standings. 

- SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS: Outside of Western Michigan, Omaha has been one of the hottest teams in college hockey. The Mavericks have won five straight games and have outscored opponents 20-6 in that run. 

As a team, Omaha likes to share the puck, as five different players have 10 or more assists and three players have nine or more goals. Jack Randl leads the team with 15 goals and 25 points. Ty Mueller has chipped in nine goals and 12 assists. 

Randl and Mueller have been especially dangerous when it matters most, as Randl has five power-play goals and three game-winning goals.. Mueller has scored four times on the power play, while adding two game-winning goals. 

Matt Miller also has nine goals to go along with 10 assists, while Jonny Tychonick and Tyler Weiss have each recorded 19 points this season. 

As a team, Omaha has taken the least amount of penalties (87) in the league this season and has excelled on the power play and in the faceoff circle. The Mavericks are second in the conference in power-play percentage, converting 26.1 percent (23/88) of their chances. 

In the faceoff circle, Omaha is the best team in the league, winning just under 54 percent of the time. 

ON THE HORIZON
Western Michigan will be back on the road next weekend taking on Minnesota Duluth. The two squads split at Lawson Arena back in November.