KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Western Michigan will be looking to bounce back after getting swept by St. Cloud State this past weekend. WMU will be in Colorado Springs, Colo. for a pair of games against Colorado College on Nov. 17 and 18. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos were shutout by St. Cloud State, 3-0, last Saturday at Lawson Arena. It was the first time WMU had been shutout since January 28, 2023 against Omaha. 

50 YEARS OF BRONCO HOCKEY
WMU will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of varsity hockey this season, which will be commemorated in a variety of ways. Along with a 50th anniversary logo at center ice, there will be special in-game tributes to former players and teams and an alumni weekend for the Colorado College series on January 26 and 27. 

Throughout the season, WMU will welcome back former captains and key players from the last 50 years to participate in a One Last Lap promotion, along with other events. Former captain Brian Tulik, former NHLer Joe Corvo and former teammates Derek Roehl and Brett Beebe have joined the festivities thus far, and more players are scheduled to join for upcoming games. 

DOMINATING THE DOT
Western Michigan has been terrific in the faceoff circle so far this season, winning just under 55 percent of draws. 

The Broncos' 54.9 percent mark ranks first in the NCHC and tied-for-fifth in the country. They are less than one percent behind the nation's leader (Maine). 

A big part of that has been Tim Washe, who leads the team with an impressive 65 percent win percentage on faceoffs. Washe ended last season with a 61.4 percent mark. 

Behind him are Luke Grainger and Matteo Costantini, who are both over 50 percent this season. Grainger is at 55 percent, while Costantini is sitting at 52 percent entering this weekend. 

TRANSFER TAKEOVER
After losing its entire first line from last season, Western Michigan dipped into the transfer portal to help reload that talent. The early returns have been solid, with transfers Sam Colangelo, Ethan Phillips, Matteo Costantini and Joe Cassetti each sitting among the team's top seven scorers. 

Colangelo came over from Northeastern and leads the transfer class in scoring thus far. Through eight games, he has nine points on six goals and three assists. He opened his WMU career with a point in five straight games and scored in four straight contests from Oct. 13-Nov. 3. 

Phillips made his presence felt early in his WMU tenure, netting a hat trick in his first game in the Brown and Gold. He is currently sitting at eight points on five goals and three assists.

Costantini is currently at six points on three goals and three assists. He has scored a goal in three of the team's last five games and is above 50 percent on faceoffs. 

Finally, Cassetti, has started to settle in, producing four points on two goals and two assists. He has scored two points in two different games this season (at BGSU, vs. St. Cloud State).

LETTING IT FLY
The Broncos haven't been shy about firing pucks on net, averaging 34.6 shots per game so far this season. 

That mark is good for first in the conference and tied-for-ninth in the country. It has also allowed WMU to become one of the top goal scoring teams in the country, with the Broncos netting 3.5 goals per contest. That is good for the 12th best average in the country. 

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Colorado College is off to a strong start in 2023-24, boasting a 7-3-0 overall record and 2-2 conference mark. The Tigers are fresh off of a sweep of Miami last week, where they outscored the RedHawks, 9-2. 

CC is averaging four goals per game, while giving up 2.8 through 10 games this year. The Tigers excel at blocking shots, getting in front of 12.30 shots per game. One area they've struggled, however, is on the power play. Colorado College has scored just six times on 46 chances. 

The strong start has been aided by the play of Gleb Veremyev and Noah Laba. Both are over 10 points this season, with Veremyev leading the way with 12 on six goals and six assists. He is also a +11 through 10 games. Laba has chipped in 11 points on six goals and five assists. 

The Tigers also have one of the best goalies in the league in Kaidan Mbereko. Mbereko was an All-NCHC Second Team performer last season. So far this year, Mbereko has a 7-3-0 record to go along with a 2.76 goals against average and .908 save percentage. 

CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Since early in the 2021-22 season Western Michigan has been consistently among the top teams in the nation, and the polls reflect that. WMU has made back-to-back NCAA Tournaments and cracked the top-five of the USCHO poll each of the last two seasons. 

The Broncos have been ranked in the top-20 since Oct. 11, 2021 and currently sit at No. 16 in nation. 

A CHANCE AT HISTORY
The 2023-24 Broncos will have a chance to make history, as the program has never reached the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons. WMU has made back-to-back appearances on two separate occasions (2011 & 2012, 2022 & 2023). 

In 2022, the Brown and Gold earned a No. 1 seed in the tournament and picked up the first NCAA Tournament win in program history. The Broncos upended Northeastern, 2-1, in overtime.