ST. PAUL, Minn. -- During a National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) awards ceremony hosted at the Frozen Faceoff, Western Michigan senior forward
Jason Polin and second-year head coach
Pat Ferschweiler were honored for their work throughout the regular season.
Polin was named the NCHC Player of the Year and Forward of the Year, while Ferschweiler was tabbed as the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year. Polin is the first Bronco to win Player of the Year and Forward of the Year, while Ferschweiler is the second WMU head coach to win Coach of the Year. Andy Murray was named the top coach back in 2016-17.
Polin has been the unquestioned leader of the Broncos throughout the season, serving as captain of the team. He has not missed a game this season, tallying 46 points on 29 goals and 17 assists. He leads the nation in goals and is seventh in points. His 29 goals matches the NCHC single-season record, tying Omaha's Josh Archibald. He lit the lamp 29 times in the NCHC's inaugural season in 2013-14.
Along with his awards, he was also a top-three finalist for the Sportsmanship Award and Senior Scholar-Athlete Award. In terms of his teammates,
Ryan McAllister was a finalist for Rookie of the Year,
Aidan Fulp made the top three for Defensive Defenseman of the Year and
Zak Galambos was in the mix for Offensive Defenseman of the Year.
Ferschweiler has been incredible on the bench for the Broncos in just two years as the head man. In 2022-23, he guided Western Michigan to its best finish in program history. WMU claimed second place in the NCHC, with a program best 44 points and 15 conference wins. Overall, Ferschweiler has helped the Broncos finish with back-to-back 20-plus win seasons and is on the brink of making back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.
In his first two seasons, Western Michigan has cracked the top five in each campaign, reaching No. 5 this season. The Broncos were a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season and will learn their tournament fate for this season on Sunday. In just two seasons, Ferschweiler has coached five All-NCHC performers, while three players have earned NCHC individual awards.
