KALAMAZOO Mich. -- Western Michigan will head on the road for a series against UMass Lowell this weekend. The two teams will open play on Oct. 17 at the Tsongas Center at 7:15 PM. Both games of the series will be on ESPN+ and the Bronco Radio Network.
LAST TIME OUT
The Bronco offense got going, leading the team to a 6-4 victory over Ferris State on Oct. 10. The win was the team's first of the season.
WMU had
Zack Sharp,
Zaccharya Wisdom,
William Whitelaw,
Zach Nehring,
Sam Huck and
Owen Michaels light the lamp in the triumph. Nine players recorded at least one point in the game. Michaels led the way with a goal and two assists.
DOMINATING THE DOT
WMU has been exceptional in the faceoff dot over the last several years, and the Broncos are off to a fast start in 2025-26.
On opening weekend, Western Michigan won 60.1 percent of its faceoffs. That mark currently leads the nation. WMU finished 10th in the NCAA with a 53.5 percent mark last season.
Owen Michaels is a major factor in that number, winning 66.7 percent of his draws last weekend.
Iiro Hakkarainen wasn't too far behind, as he secured 60 percent of his faceoffs.
Grant Slukynsky and
Tyler MacKenzie were also at 50 percent or higher in the series.
KINGS OF THE KILL
After finishing last season top five in the nation in penalty kill percentage, Western Michigan has kept that momentum going to start the 2025-26 campaign.
The Broncos killed off all five penalties last weekend, allowing just seven total shots. Additionally, WMU was able to block three shots by the Bulldogs.
The Brown and Gold have finished top-10 nationally in penalty kill percentage each of the last two seasons. The Broncos had a stretch of 42 straight penalties killed in the middle of the 2024-25 season.
BALANCED BRONCOS
WMU has one of the deepest lineups in the country, and that showed during WMU's opening weekend split against Ferris State.
The Brown and Gold tallied eight goals between eight different goal scorers. Along with that, 12 players recorded at least one point. Seven of those 12 had more than one point.
Owen Michaels,
Zach Nehring and
Zack Sharp led the way with a goal and two assists each. Joona Väisänen had three assists and pushed his point streak up to five games.
LETTING IT FLY
The Broncos are known as top-tier offense, and putting pucks on net is a big reason why. WMU has been top-two in the nation in shots per game over the last two seasons, and the 2025-26 squad is off to a hot start.
The Brown and Gold peppered shots at the Ferris State goaltenders, tallying 50 looks on net in the series opener and 44 the following night. The team's mark of 47.0 SPG currently ranks third in the nation.
William Whitelaw leads the way with 13 shots this season. Along with him,
Zach Nehring,
Grant Slukynsky and
Liam Valente each have nine shots through two games.
Sam Huck,
Zack Sharp and
Zaccharya Wisdom have been the most efficient shooting the puck, scoring on 33 percent of their chances.
MILESTONE MOMENTS
Western Michigan had a few firsts in its series against Ferris State last weekend, as four newcomers tallied their first goals in the Brown and Gold.
Bobby Cowan was the first Bronco to light the lamp this season, securing his first collegiate goal in the home opener. The following night,
Zaccharya Wisdom,
William Whitelaw and
Sam Huck all found the back of the net. Huck's tally was the first of his career, while the goals from Whitelaw and Wisdom were their first as Broncos.
That quartet finished the season-opening series with a combined six points on four goals and two assists.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Western Michigan named
Owen Michaels as the team's captain for the 2025-26 season. The junior forward is fresh off of a career season where he totaled 36 points on 18 goals and 18 assists. He had three points (1-2-3) on opening weekend.
Michaels will be joined by
Cole Crusberg-Roseen,
Samuel Sjolund and
Grant Slukynsky. That trio will serve as assistant captains for the Brown and Gold. Slukynsky had two assists, Sjolund provided one helper and Crusberg-Roseen blocked five shots in the season-opening series against Ferris State.
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
UMass Lowell is off to a 1-1-0 start, opening the season with a pair of conference games against Merrimack. The River Hawks opened the season with a 4-0 victory before dropping the series finale, 4-1.
This will be the second meeting all-time between the two programs. The first matchup came back in 1994, with the River Hawks nabbing a 3-2 victory on neutral ice.
Jay Ahearn has been a strong weapon on offense, leading the team with two goals in two games. Jak Vaarwerk and Dalyn Wakely have each added two assists.
In net, Austin Elliott and Samuel Richard have each played one game. Elliott blanked Merrimack, stopping 17 shots in the season opener. Richard followed that up with a 26-save performance. He allowed three goals in the losing effort.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Western Michigan has been consistently among the top teams in the nation, and the polls reflect that. The Broncos have now made four straight NCAA Tournaments and sit at No. 2 in the national polls. The Broncos have been ranked in the top 20 since Oct. 11, 2021.
