KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Western Michigan returns home for games against undefeated Bowling Green (Thursday) and York (Saturday). WMU won a pair of games against BGSU last season. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos swept Ferris State this past weekend, outscoring the Bulldogs by a total of 9-2. WMU won 4-1 on Friday night and followed that up with a 5-1 triumph on Saturday. Hampton Slukynsky and Cameron Rowe each earned wins in net. 

SPREADING THE WEALTH
Western Michigan displayed impressive depth in its opening series of the season. In the weekend sweep of Ferris State, the Brown and Gold scored nine goals with eight different goal scorers. Owen Michaels was the only player to score more than once. 

Additionally, 15 players recorded at least one point. Grant Slukynsky led the way with one goal and two assists. Outside of him, six other players recorded two points on the weekend. 

HAMMER TIME
Freshman Hampton Slukynsky earned his first career win in his first career start on Saturday night at Ewigleben Arena. 

Slukynsky stopped 28 of the 29 shots that he faced, including a 13-save second period. The Warroad, Minn. native currently leads the league with a 1.00 goals against average and .966 save percentage. 

FANTASTIC FRESHMEN
WMU entered the 2024-25 season with a lot of young talent that was expected to produce quickly. They didn't disappoint, as the rookie class delivered seven points on four goals and three assists during the opening weekend of the season. 

Iiro Hakkarainen lit the lamp just over a minute into the first game of the year, while Joona Väisänen scored just a few minutes later to jump start WMU's offense. Ty Henricks and Zach Nehring also scored in the game, giving the Brown and Gold a 4-1 victory with freshmen scoring all of the goals. 

The rookies weren't done there. Following that performance, Hakkarainen, Henricks and Nehring all registered assists in a 5-1 victory the next night. Overall, the freshmen class ended the series sweep with a combined +7 rating.  

KINGS OF THE KILL
After finishing first in the NCHC and ninth in the nation in penalty kill percentage last season, the Broncos have picked up right where they left off to begin the 2024-25 season. 

Through two games, WMU is 5-for-5 on the PK. Western Michigan limited Ferris State to nine shots on those five power plays. The Bulldogs were limited to two shots or less on four of their five chances on the man advantage. 

Among those that have played two or more games, the Broncos are one of just 10 teams to be perfect on the penalty kill. 

RELIABLE ROWE
Goaltender Cameron Rowe returned to Western Michigan for his final year of eligibility and didn't disappoint to open the 2024-25 season. In an opening night win over Ferris State on Oct. 11, Rowe stopped 17 of 18 shots, including an eight-save second period. 

Thanks to that performance, Rowe is now third in program history in goals against average and sixth in victories. The Wilmette, Ill. native leads the league in goals against average and is fourth in save percentage so far this season. 

Rowe is one of the best active goaltenders in the nation, leading the country with 55 career wins. He is also third in saves (2,396) and shutouts (7). His winning percentage sits at No. 8 in the nation. 

Most of these numbers have come during his time as a Bronco. In the Brown and Gold, Rowe boasts a 44-30-2 record to go along with a 2.47 goals against average, .905 save percentage and five shutouts. He has 1,773 total saves at Western Michigan. 

DOMINATING THE DOT
The Brown and Gold dominated in the faceoff dot this past weekend against Ferris State. Over the two-game series, Western Michigan won 63.8 percent of the draws. 

That mark is good for first in the NCHC and third in the nation so far this season. WMU is just .029 off the national lead. 

The Broncos were led by Tim Washe, as he finished the weekend winning a blistering 70.5 percent of his draws. Behind him were Matteo Costantini and Grant Slukynsky, who both finished at 66.7 percent. 

Western Michigan has won 88 faceoffs in total, with that trio combining for 79 of those wins. 

SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Bowling Green enters Thursday's matchup with a 2-0-0 record, thanks to a pair of wins over Mercyhurst on Oct. 4-5. BGSU won on opening night, 2-1, and followed that up with a 5-4 victory the next day. 

The Falcons lead the all-time series, 78-63-8, but WMU has had the upper hand lately. Over the last 10 meetings, WMU is 6-4-0. In those games, the Broncos have outscored BGSU by a total of 37-25. Western Michigan also has an advantage at home, holding a 36-34-4 record in Kalamazoo. 

Brody Waters is the team's leader in points with three in two games. However, the Falcons also have five players sitting with two points. Brett Pfoh has two goals this season, while Ville Immonen has recorded a goal and an assist in two games. 

In net, Cole Moore has started both games. He boasts a 2.47 goals against average and .925 save percentage. He has played just over 121 minutes and has 62 saves. 

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. 16 in the nation. 

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