THIS WEEK
Western Michigan will look to rebound after being swept by Denver at Lawson Arena last weekend. The Broncos are still in the race for second place in the conference. Miami has locked up last place in the league and will play Denver in the opening round of the NCHC Tournament. The Broncos swept Miami back in November. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos came out as the aggressors in game two against Denver, scoring the game's first goal. However, the Pioneers would add three unanswered goals to sweep WMU. 

Cole Gallant got things started for WMU, thanks to a great pass from Zak Galambos on the power play. That was Gallant's fifth goal of the season. 

WMU spent nearly half the first period on the power play, including a two minute 5-on-3 advantage. However, the Broncos were not able to convert during that sequence. 

It wasn't until later in the period where Western Michigan would strike, as Connor Caponi was sent off for tripping. Bauer kicked a pass to Galambos who found Gallant for the Broncos' lone goal of the game. 

Moving to the midway point of the second period, Denver was able to take advantage on the power play, with Jack Devine lighting the lamp, thanks to assists from Massimo Rizzo and Carter Mazur. The two teams entered the final period tied at 1-1. 

Denver didn't waste much time in the final 20 minutes, using a WMU turnover to take the lead. Mazur stole the puck from WMU and beat Cameron Rowe for the game-winning goal. 

As time began to wind down, WMU pulled Rowe from net to gain the extra attacker. But the Broncos wouldn't put a shot on net, and Rizzo fired a shot all the way down the ice for an empty-net goal to secure a 3-1 victory for the Pioneers. 

RACE FOR SECOND
The final week of the regular season will be interesting for a trio of teams looking to nab the second seed in the NCHC Tournament. 

Western Michigan, St. Cloud State and Omaha are among the teams in the mix for the second seed. All three have locked up home-ice advantage for the first round of the tournament, but the only matchup that is set for the quarterfinals is Denver hosting Miami (OH). The other six teams can still move up and down the standings. 

As it stands now, Omaha is two points ahead of WMU and St. Cloud State. Omaha is at 41 points, while the Broncos and Huskies sit at 39 points. Omaha will travel to North Dakota, WMU will play at Miami (OH) and St. Cloud State will host Minnesota Duluth in the final weekend. WMU has never finished higher than third in the NCHC. 

In the bottom four, Minnesota Duluth is the current five seed, sitting at 29 points. Right behind the Bulldogs are North Dakota at 28 points and Colorado College at 25 points. The quarterfinal round of the tournament is a best-of-three series, with the winners heading to St. Paul, Minn. for the Frozen Faceoff at Xcel Energy Center. 

GALAMBOS KEEPS GOING
After transferring in from AIC, senior defenseman Zak Galambos has fit in nicely on the top defensive pair for the Broncos. In 34 games this season, Galambos has tallied 28 points on 11 goals and 17 assists. 

Among defenseman, Galambos ranks tied-for-first in the country in plus/minus (+27) and tied-for-ninth in total points (28). His 11 goals rank tied-for-third in the country for eligible defensman. 

THE MIAMI (OH) REDHAWKS| 8-20-4 Overall, 3-16-3 NCHC
- THE SERIES: The Broncos lead the all-time series 79-70-13, including a sweep at Lawson Arena earlier this season. However, in Oxford, the RedHawks lead the series, 41-32-6. 

- SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS: The RedHawks have struggled this season, having just one player currently at 20-plus points. Miami (OH) will finish the regular season as the last-place team for the second consecutive season and fourth time in the last six seasons. 

Matthew Barbolini leads the team in points, tallying 23 on 10 goals and 13 assists. John Waldron and PJ Fletcher have each contributed 14 points, with Waldron lighting the lamp nine times and handing out five assists. Fletcher has four goals and 10 assists in 32 games this season. 

Though the record may not indicate it, Ludvig Persson is widely regarded as one of the best goaltenders in the conference. He's played in 29 games, recording an 8-16-4 record with two shutouts. He holds a 3.41 goals against average and .899 save percentage. 

As a team, Miami (OH) has struggled in just about every phase of the game. The RedHawks average just 2.03 goals per game and give up 3.56 per contest. 

Additionally, they are last in the conference in faceoff win percentage (.451) and have committed the most amount of penalties in the league (169). 

On the flip side, Miami (OH) has excelled at blocking shots, currently leading the conference with 424 blocks for an average of 13.25 per game. 

ON THE HORIZON
Western Michigan will host a NCHC first-round playoff series next weekend. Opponent and game times are still to be determined.