OMAHA, Neb. – The Western Michigan hockey team improved to 9-5-0 overall and 5-3-0 in NCHC play with a 4-2 win over Omaha on Saturday night at Baxter Arena. 

Owen Michaels, Zaccharya Wisdom, Cole Spicer and Iiro Hakkarainen lit the lamp for the Brown and Gold, while Hampton Slukynsky made 27 saves in net to earn the win. 

FIRST PERIOD
After a pair of Slukynsky saves to open the game, the Bronco offense went to work. After working hard to keep the puck in offensive zone, Samuel Sjolund fired a puck on net that was tipped in by Michaels for a 1-0 lead not even four minutes into the contest. 

The Brown and Gold wouldn't slow down from there, as Spicer won a draw to Wisdom who hit twine for a 2-0 lead. The assist was Spicer's first career point as a Bronco. Despite controlling much of the play, Western Michigan would get the game's first penalty. 

Cole Crusberg-Roseen would block a shot and Slukynsky would make two saves to get back to even strength. Down the stretch, WMU earned a power play. The Broncos got four shots on the man advantage, including a quick wrister from William Whitelaw as time was expiring. The Brown and Gold carried a 2-0 lead and 56 seconds of power-play time into the next frame.  

SECOND PERIOD
WMU kept up the pressure, as Spicer collected a rebound out front to push the lead to 3-0 under three minutes into the middle stanza. The goal was his first in the Brown and Gold. Following that tally, Slukynsky came up big in net, saving a trio of shots from the Mavericks. 

In the back half of the frame, Western Michigan went back on the man advantage due to a holding penalty on Omaha. The Broncos would generate five chances on net, but the Mavs would keep them all out of the net and work back to even strength. 

After getting back to 5-on-5, Omaha would get on the board. The goal was reviewed, but the officials stuck with the call on the ice. The score was 3-1 moving to the final period of play. 

THIRD PERIOD
Omaha got a quick goal to make things interesting, but the Bronco defense buckled down from there. Sjolund and Crusberg-Roseen nearly got the goal right back, as their shots were saved from dangerous areas. 

In the middle portion of the period, Liam Valente had a quality chance from the slot. The Omaha goaltender was just able to keep it out of the net. Down the stretch, the pressure started to ramp up. 

The Mavericks pulled their goaltender with about two minutes left, getting a few strong chances on net. The Brown and Gold would block multiple shots and Slukynsky kept all of the others out of the net. 

Eventually, Hakkarainen would bury a shot into the empty net to close out a 4-2 victory. Wisdom and Slukynsky picked up assists on the play. 

UP NEXT
The Broncos will have a week off before a home series against Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 5-6. The series opener is set for 7 PM at Lawson Arena.