KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Western Michigan will get back into NCHC play this week, taking a trip to Oxford, Ohio to take on the Miami RedHawks. WMU and Miami will begin the series on Friday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m.  

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos came out and dominated Lindenwood, winning by a final score of 6-1 on Jan. 6. That win helped WMU claim a series sweep of the Lions. Dylan Wendt and Alex Bump each notched two goals, while Sam Colangelo and Ethan Phillips each had one goal in the victory. 

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 coach Bill Wilkinson, former captains Brian Tulik and Brent Brekke, former NHLer Joe Corvo, former teammates Derek Roehl and Brett Beebe and former off-ice official Bill Saunders have joined the festivities thus far, and more players are scheduled to join for upcoming games. 

HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Western Michigan has become one of the top programs in the country for producing offensive talent, as evidence by having the nation's leading goal scorer each of the last two seasons (Ethen Frank in 2021-22 and Jason Polin in 2022-23). 

Nothing has changed this season, as the torch has been passed to Dylan Wendt, who is currently sitting at 16 goals in 18 games this season. That mark is good for second in the country and just one behind the nation's leader. 

Since Western Michigan began as a Division I program in the 1975-76 season, no program has had three consecutive NCAA goal leaders. 

HEATIN' UP
Since getting swept at home by St. Cloud State in mid-November, Western Michigan has been one of the hottest teams in hockey, boasting a 9-1-0 record since that series. 
In that time, WMU has not lost in regulation and has outscored its opponents by a margin of 45-16. It's only loss came in overtime to then No. 4 Denver. 

The current run includes sweeps of Colorado College, St. Lawrence and a two different sweeps of Lindenwood. The Broncos also claimed four points in a series against No. 4 Denver back in December. 

A big reason for the current run has been the play of Luke Grainger and Dylan Wendt, who have produced 18 and 17 points, respectively, over the last 10 games. 

Grainger has been a great distributor of the puck, dishing out 15 assists, while adding three goals. 

Wendt has been a major factor putting the puck in the back of the net, lighting the lamp 10 times, while handing out seven assists. 

Over the last 10 games, six players have averaged more than a point per game (Grainger, Wendt, Sam Colangelo, Alex Bump, Matteo Costantini and Ethan Phillips). 

MATTEO MAKES PLAYS
After losing a good chunk of production at the center spot following the 2022-23 season, Western Michigan dipped into the transfer portal and found Matteo Costantini from North Dakota. 

The former NCHC All-Rookie Team selection has become one of the best passers on the team and in the league. On the season, he has produced 17 points on three goals and 14 assists. His 14 assists are second on the team and sixth in the NCHC. 

He's really turned his play up a notch over the last 8 games, scoring at least one point in all of those contests. In that stretch he is averaging 1.38 points per game. 

In that stretch, Costantini has been an elite setup man, dishing out 11 assists, including a three-assist game in a 7-3 victory over No. 4 Denver back in December. 

Thanks in large part to Costantini's ability to find open teammates, Sam Colangelo has turned into one of the game's best goal scorers. Over the last eight games, Colangelo has seven goals and Costantini has assisted on five of them. 

Costantini is now tied-for-18th in the league in points and already has a new career high in assists. He is four points away from matching his career-high points mark, which he set as a freshman in 2021-22. 

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
Miami enters the weekend series with a 2-7-1 record over its last 10 games. The RedHawks haven't won a game in conference play yet this season. 

Despite that, talent is there for Miami and has shown flashes in some games this season. Leading the way for the RedHawks is Matthew Barbolini, who has posted 19 points on eight goals and 11 assists. 

Aiding the attack has been PJ Fletcher and John Waldron, who have combined for 31 points on 14 goals and 17 assists. In total, Miami has four players over 10 points so far this season. 

In net, Logan Neaton has been the go-to guy, as he's made 16 starts thus far. In those 16 games, he's produced a 5-9-2 record, 3.03 goals against average and .900 save percentage. Bruno Vruveris has seen action in three games, earning a 1-1-0 record, 3.00 goals against average and .889 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. 10 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.