THIS WEEK
Western Michigan enters the weekend having won nine of its last 10 games and ranked in the top 10 in the nation. Colorado College is coming off of a three-point weekend at Omaha and looking to elevate itself in the conference standings with just six games left to play. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos continued to put tallies in the win column, as they collected a 4-1 victory over Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 4. That secured five points on the weekend and elevated them to second in the conference. 

Chad Hillebrand collected two goals, while Luke Grainger and Zak Galambos each notched one in the road win. 

Hillebrand got things going midway through the first period, as Hilsendager found Cole Gallant streaking down the side boards and into the attacking zone. Gallant then found a wide open Hillebrand who finished the play off for a 1-0 WMU lead. 

For the second consecutive night, WMU scored shorthanded, with Jason Polin finding Zak Galambos in the right circle, where he was able to beat the goaltender over his glove hand. 

The Bulldogs would draw within one with just over six minutes left in the game, but Grainger made sure that didn't last long, scoring just nine seconds later to build the lead back to two. That was Grainger's 12th goal of the season. 

As the clock began to wind down, UMD pulled its goalie and Hillebrand was able to tally his second goal of the game, nailing the empty net from around center ice. 

DEJA VU?
If you think you've seen a run like this from Western Michigan before, you are not crazy. The Broncos went on a similar run last season, which helped them gain a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. 

 The Broncos have won nine of their last 10 games, which marks the best stretch since last year's team won 10 of 11 games, including sweeps of St. Cloud State, St. Lawrence, Miami (OH) and North Dakota. 

This year's run has included a Great Lakes Invitational Championship and sweeps of North Dakota and Colorado College. Most recently, WMU took a pair of games against Minnesota Duluth, including an overtime winner on Feb. 3. 

The current run has the Broncos on the brink of back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation. 

PAYING THEIR DUES
A lot of the talk for this year's Western Michigan team has been about the play of the first line, and rightfully so. It is the top scoring line in hockey, featuring three players with 30 or more points. 

However, it's been the play of the second, third and fourth lines that has helped take this WMU team to the next level. Over the last 10 games, those lines have taken on more of a scoring role than the three Hobey Baker nominees on the first line. 

It has started with Cole Gallant, Luke Grainger and Chad Hillebrand on the second line, where they have racked up a combined 39 points over the last 10 games. Gallant has three goals and 10 assists, Grainger has added six goals and seven assists and Hillebrand has tallied six goals and seven assists. 

It's then been Tim Washe and Jack Perbix making an impact, as those two have burst onto the scene as of late to give the Broncos a spark. Washe has recorded five goals and two assists over the last 10 games, while Perbix has two goals and five assists. 

Finally, it would be hard to miss the duo of Hugh Larkin and Dylan Wednt and the way they've worked together on the third line. Wendt has been a passing machine of late, racking up five assists, while adding one goal in the last 10 games. Larkin has played in nine of those 10 games, scoring three goals and handing out two assists. 

THE COLORADO COLLEGE TIGERS | 10-16-2 Overall, 6-10-2 NCHC
- THE SERIES: WMU leads the all-time series 20-9-6, which includes a sweep at Colorado College earlier this season. The Broncos won both games, 4-1. 

- SCOUTING THE TIGERS: The Tigers have struggled to score in league play, lighting the lamp just 31 times, while giving up 46 goals this season. Still, CC is not out of the race to host the opening round of the conference tournament. The Tigers are 10 points behind the second, third and fourth place teams with six games to play. 

Leading the way for CC has been Hunter McKown, who has 16 goals and five assists this season. 10 of those goals have come on the power play and three have been game winning goals. He tallied a goal in last week's series against Omaha. 

Noah Laba has also reached double figures in goals, tallying 10 this season. He has also added seven assists. Bryan Yoon leads the team in assists, as he's earned 13 helpers this season. 

As a team, CC excels at staying out of the box. The Tigers have spent the least time in the box among all conference teams this season. Additionally, when they do go to the box, they've done an excellent job of killing off those penalties, sitting at just under 81 percent on the penalty kill. 

ON THE HORIZON
Western Michigan will look to keep pace in the conference standings when it hosts league-leading Denver for a pair of games at Lawson Arena on Feb. 24-25. Friday's game is set for 7 p.m. and Saturday's game will begin at 6 p.m.