KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan travels to Grand Forks for a two-game series with North Dakota, which is set to begin on Friday, March 1 at 8 p.m. The series opener will be on CBS Sports Network. This will be WMU's fifth straight week playing a top-20 opponent. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos split their series with St. Cloud State last weekend, taking the series opener 4-3 before dropping Saturday's finale, 3-0. Alex Bump led the way for the Brown and Gold, finishing the two-game set with three points on two goals and one assist. He had the game-winning goal in Friday's victory. 

ROAD BRONCOS
Under head coach Pat Ferschweiler, WMU has been one of the best road teams in the NCHC, and nothing has changed this season. 

On the year, the Broncos are 9-4-1 away from Kalamazoo, with just two of those losses coming in regulation. Their 0.679 winning percentage is tied for third in the country and WMU's nine wins are tied for the fourth most in the nation. 

In three seasons with the Brown and Gold, Ferschweiler has guided his team to 33 road victories, which is the most in the NCHC over that span. Among the other NCHC teams, only Denver has more than 25 road wins in the last three seasons. 

Twenty of WMU's 33 road victories in the last three seasons have come against conference foes, including a sweep of the Fighting Hawks at Ralph Engelstad Arena in 2022-23. 

FRESHMAN PHENOM
After a strong February on the ice, freshman Alex Bump was named the NCHC Rookie of the Month earlier this week. 

In six games in February, Bump was able to produce nine points on five goals and four assists. His five goals were the most in the conference and his nine points ranked first among rookies. 

Bump had at least one point in five of his six games in February, and he posted two three-point outings. One of those three-point games came last week against St. Cloud State, where he tallied two goals, including the game-winning goal, and an assist to help the Broncos defeat the Huskies, 4-3, in overtime. 

On the season, Bump has posted 27 points on 11 goals and 16 assists. All of those numbers are top-20 in the conference this season. 

GRAINGER DANGER
Senior center Luke Grainger has had success against North Dakota in the past, and the Broncos' captain has a chance to create some more magic in Grand Forks this weekend. 

Grainger is three points away from becoming the 61st player in program history to reach 100 career points. The last player to accomplish that feat in the Brown and Gold was Ethen Frank in 2021-22. 

The last time he stepped on the ice at Ralph Engelstad Arena, he produced six points on two goals and four assists in a 7-6 victory last season. He was the first Bronco to record six points in a game since David Gove back in 2000. 

COSTANTINI'S RETURN TO GRAND FORKS
Prior to beginning his career in Kalamazoo this season, junior forward Matteo Costantini spent two years in Grand Forks with the Fighting Hawks. 

Costantini had a great two years with North Dakota, recording 24 points on 10 goals and 14 assists. He was named to the NCHC All-Rookie team during the 2021-22 season. 

However, in his first season with the Broncos, Costantini is having a career year. He  has career highs in points (24) and assists (17) and is one goal away from a career high in that category. 

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING HAWKS
North Dakota enters the weekend in first place in the conference and fresh off of a sweep of Minnesota Duluth, outscoring the Bulldogs by a margin of 10-2. The Fighting Hawks hold a three-point edge over St. Cloud State in the NCHC standings with four regular season games to play. 

UND has been strong at home, boasting a 15-4-1 record at Ralph Engelstand Arena this season. The Fighting Hawks have a pair of home losses to Colorado College to go along with setbacks against Minnesota and Omaha. 

Jackson Blake is tied for the league lead in points with 47. He has 18 goals and 29 assists in 32 games. Cameron Berg has also been excellent for the Fighting Hawks, as he carries a line of 18-15-33 into the weekend. 

On defense, Garrett Pyke leads the way with 24 points on three goals and 21 assists. Not far behind is freshman Jake Livanavage, who has totaled 22 points on three goals and 19 assists this season. 

In net, Ludvig Persson has been the go-to option. He has started 29 games this season, registering a 19-8-2 record, 2.50 goals against average and .903 save percentage. 

Hobie Hedquist has started three games, winning each of those. He has a 2.65 goals against average and .890 save percentage in four games played. 

50 YEARS OF BRONCO HOCKEY
Throughout the season, WMU has been celebrating the 50th anniversary of varsity hockey, which has included a 50th anniversary logo at center ice and tributes to former players and coaches. 

On Jan. 26-27, the program welcomed back a bunch of former players and coaches for alumni weekend at Lawson Arena. The weekend series began with a special recognition of former WMU captain Danny DeKeyser, who was recently inducted into the Bronco Athletic Hall of Fame. 

The Broncos also had a ceremonial puck drop with Rob Hodge and Bernie Saunders to go along with a special in-game tribute to welcome back all of the former players and coaches that came back to Kalamazoo for the weekend.

Throughout the season, Western Michigan has honored former coach Bill Wilkinson, former captains Ryan Mahrle, Brian Tulik and Brent Brekke, former NHLer Joe Corvo, former teammates Derek Roehl and Brett Beebe and former off-ice official Bill Saunders. 

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. 11 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.