KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Western Michigan begins the regular season at home against Ferris State on Friday night. WMU beat the Bulldogs, 6-4, in last season's opener. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos picked up a nice win against the USNTDP in an exhibition game last Saturday at Lawson Arena. The Brown and Gold won the game 4-1 and got goals from Zach Nehring, Cole Crusberg-Roseen, Tristan Lemyre and Liam Valente. 

PRO POTENTIAL
The Broncos' 2024-25 roster features eight players that have been drafted to the NHL, with four of those picks entering the program this season. 

Alex Bump (PHI '22), Matteo Costantini (BUF '20), Wyatt Schingoethe (TOR '20) and Samuel Sjolund (DAL '19) are returners for the program, while Ty Henricks (NYR '23), Zach Nehring (WPG '23), Hampton Slukynsky (LAK '23) and Joona Väisänen (PIT '24) enter this season. 

Bump, Costantini and Sjolund make up the team's top three returning scorers, while Schingoethe, Henricks, Nehring, Slukynsky and Väisänen will all be in the lineup for the Broncos this season. 

Bump was a NCHC All-Rookie Team honoree last season, while Slukynsky and Väisänen were First Team All-USHL selections. Slukynsky was the USHL's Goalie of the Year and was selected as the USA Hockey Goaltender of the Year. 

LIGHTING THE LAMP
Under Pat Ferschweiler, Western Michigan has been one of the top offensive teams in the nation, and that shows in the stat sheet. The Broncos have finished in the top 10 nationally in goals per game each of the last three seasons and have had two national goal leaders in that same time frame. 

WMU has finished each of the last three years averaging more than 3.50 goals per game, including a blistering 3.79 goals per game in 2022-23. 

Individually, Western Michigan is one of just four teams to have at least one player finish in the nation's top 10 in goals each of the last three years. Jason Polin broke the NCHC single-season record and led the nation in goals by tallying 30 in 2022-23. The year before, Ethen Frank led the nation with 26 tallies. Last season, Sam Colangelo finished eighth in the country with 24 goals. 

DOMINATING THE DOT
Tim Washe and Owen Michaels were excellent at winning draws last season, finishing first and third in the NCHC, respectively. 

Washe produced a second consecutive season of being at 60 percent or higher, while Michaels was just under the mark at 59.9 percent. The duo combined to win 580 faceoffs last season, which accounted for just under 50 percent of the team's total last year. 

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Senior forward Tim Washe was selected as the team's captain, while Alex Bump, Matteo Costantini and Cam Knuble were named as assistant captains. 

Washe is in his fifth year with the program and has 36 points on 12 goals and 24 assists in his career. He has led the NCHC in faceoff winning percentage each of the last two seasons, being at 60 percent or higher in both years. 

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Ferris State is off to a 0-0-2 start after earning a pair of ties against Miami (OH) last weekend. The Bulldogs won the shootout in both games. 

All-time, Western Michigan leads the series, 86-53-15. The Broncos have 50 of those wins on home ice. Additionally, WMU is 9-0-1 in its last 10 games against FSU. 

The Bulldogs were balanced in their opening series against Miami, having five players tally two points. Trevor Taulien led the way in goals, lighting the lamp twice. 

In net, Noah West played both games. He made 61 total saves and allowed seven goals on the weekend. 

BUMP IT UP
Alex Bump returns for his sophomore season in the Brown and Gold after an impressive rookie season. In 38 games, the Prior Lake, Minn. native was able to produce 36 points on 14 goals and 22 assists. His 14 goals were the most by a WMU freshman since Mark Letestu in 2006-07. 

He was selected to the NCHC All-Rookie Team and was a finalist for the league's Rookie of the Year award. He enters the 2024-25 season as the Broncos' top returning scorer and is one of the top returning scorers in the NCHC. 

DEFENSEMAN DEJA VU? 
Brian Kramer joins the program after spending the last three seasons at AIC. He totaled 22 points on 10 goals and 12 assists last season, which led to him being named the Atlantic Defenseman of the Year. He was also a First Team All-Conference selection. 

Similarly, former WMU defenseman Zak Galambos joined the program after three years at AIC. He joined the Broncos after winning Atlantic Defenseman of the Year in 2021-22. He went on to produce 50 points on 20 goals and 30 assists in two years with the Brown and Gold. 

Among active defensemen, Kramer leads the nation in career goals (19) and game-winning goals (5). Additionally, he is among the top 10 in the nation in points (68), assists (49) and games played (128). 

RETURN OF ROWE
After posting great numbers during his first two seasons in the Brown and Gold, Cameron Rowe returns for his final year with Western Michigan in 2024-25. Rowe started every game in 2023-24, collecting a 21-16-1 record to go along with a 2.47 goals against average, .903 save percentage and two shutouts.

He is up to seventh on WMU's all-time wins list, currently sitting at 43. He needs just three wins to move into the program's top five. Nationally, Rowe is second in victories among active Division 1 goaltenders. Over his career, Rowe has collected 54 victories. He sits just one win behind Wisconsin's Tommy Scarfone for the active NCAA lead. 

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 three straight NCAA Tournaments and currently sits at No. 17 in the nation. 

The Broncos have been ranked in the top-20 since Oct. 11, 2021.