THIS WEEK
Western Michigan is set to take on Boston University in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 23. The matchup will be the first game of the 16-team tournament. 

The winner of that game will square off with the winner from the other regional semifinal in Manchester, which features Denver and Cornell. Denver is the No. 1 seed, BU claimed the No. 2 seed, WMU plays as the No. 3 seed and Cornell was tabbed as the No. 4 seed in the region. 

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan was eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the NCHC Tournament after dropping a pair of games to Colorado College. 

Ryan McAllister scored in both contests, but the Tigers claimed a 3-1 victory in the first game and finished the series with a 3-2 overtime victory the following night. 

ROAD WARRIORS
The Broncos have been dominant away from home this season, tallying a 15-6-0 record away from Lawson Arena. Since the turn of the new year, Western Michigan hasn't lost on the road, earning an 8-0-0 road record in 2023. 

WMU's last road loss came back on Dec. 3 at Omaha. The Broncos fell 3-1 in that contest. Since that point, Western Michigan has rattled off 10 consecutive wins on the road. 

Not only have the Broncos been winning on the road, but they have been dominant in doing so. In that 10-game road winning streak, WMU has averaged 5.2 goals per game, while boasting an average margin of victory of 3.4. 

Western Michigan hasn't lost on neutral ice this year, defeating Northeastern, Michigan Tech and Ferris State. WMU has outscored neutral ice opponents by a margin of 22-7. 

BRINGING HOME THE HARDWARE
WMU head coach Pat Ferschweiler and senior captain Jason Polin were honored for their incredible work during the regular season at the NCHC Awards Ceremony on March 16. 

Polin was named the league's Player of the Year and Forward of the Year, while Ferschweiler earned the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year Award. Polin was also a First Team All-NCHC selection. 

POLIN FOR HOBEY?
The Hobey Baker Memorial Award announced its top-10 finalists last week, with senior forward Jason Polin being the lone NCHC representative on the list. 

Polin is the third Bronco to be named a finalist for the award. Wayne Gagne (Defenseman) finished as the runner-up during the 1986-87 season, while Dan Dorion (Right Wing) was the runner-up in 1985-86 and a finalist in 1983-84.

CHASING HISTORY
Western Michigan senior captain Jason Polin is on the brink of etching his name in the history books of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. In the 5-4 win over Miami on March 4, Polin tied the NCHC single-season goal record (29). Currently, the record is shared with Omaha's Josh Archibald, who accomplished the feat in the 2013-14 campaign. 

His next shot to find the back of the net will put him alone at the top of that list, and he will become just the second player in the country to tally 30-plus goals in a season over the last five years. 

RECORD-BREAKING SEASON
After an excellent 2021-22 campaign, the Western Michigan hockey team has continued to build on that success, earning its best NCHC regular-season finish in program history. 

Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, three teams were within striking distance of second place. But it was Western Michigan that came away with that prize, as the Broncos swept Miami in Oxford. WMU finished two points ahead of Omaha and three points ahead of St. Cloud State. 

Not only was second place the highest finish in program history, but WMU's 15 conference wins and 44 points were also the highest marks in school history. Last year's team totaled 14 NCHC wins and 43 points. 

THE BOSTON UNIVERSITY TERRIERS | 27-10-0 Overall, 18-6-0 HE
- THE SERIES: Boston University leads the all-time series, 3-0, but the two teams haven't played since the 1994-95 season. 

- SCOUTING THE TERRIERS: BU has been one of the hottest teams in the country over the last few weeks having won seven consecutive games, including the Hockey East Tournament. 

Western Michigan and Boston didn't have too many common opponents this season, but each team played Michigan, Notre Dame, Northeastern and Michigan Tech. The Broncos beat Northeastern and Michigan Tech, split with Notre Dame and were swept by Michigan. 

The Terriers split with Michigan, defeated Notre Dame, lost two of three against Northeastern and lost to Michigan Tech. 

Boston University is led by Hobey Baker finalist Lane Hutson, who leads the team in points and assists with 47 and 33, respectively. He has also added 14 goals, which is tied for second on the team and most among defensemen. 

Up front, Matt Brown leads the team in goals, lighting the lamp 15 times so far this season. He and Hutson are the only two players on the team with 40-plus points. 

In net, Drew Commesso has been the go-to option, as he's started 31 games between the pipes. On the year, he holds a 22-7-0 record, 2.51 goals against average, and .912 save percentage.

NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES

ALL-TIME NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS
• 1986 vs. Harvard (Cambridge, Mass.) L, 2-4, 2-7
• 1993 vs. Wisconsin (Albany, N.Y.) L, 3-6
• 1996 vs. Clarkson (Albany, N.Y.) L, 1-6
• 2011 vs. Denver (Green Bay, Wis.) L, 2-3 2OT
• 2012 vs. North Dakota (St. Paul, Minn.) L, 1-3
• 2017 vs. Air Force (Providence, R.I.) L, 4-5
• 2022 vs. Northeastern (Worcester, Mass.) W, 2-1, OT
• 2022 vs. Minnesota (Worcester, Mass.) L, 0-3
• 2023 vs. Boston University (Manchester, NH) TBD

ALL-TIME NCAA POINTS LEADER
• 3 - Troy Thrun 2 gp, 1-2-3 (1986)
• Several tied at 2 points

ALL-TIME NCAA GOALS LEADER
• 2 - Dan Dorion (1986), Frederick Tiffels (2017)

SINGLE GAME NCAA GOALS LEADER
• Dan Dorion - 2 vs. Harvard, 3/22/1986
• Frederick Tiffels - 2 vs. Air Force, 3/24/2017

SINGLE GAME NCAA ASSISTS LEADER
• Matheson Iacopelli - 2 vs. Air Force, 3/24/2017

MOST SAVES IN A NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME
• Jerry Kuhn - 35 vs. Denver, 3/18/2011