KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Western Michigan will square off with No. 12 Boston College in the opening round of the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off on Dec. 28. The two teams will hit the ice at 8:30 PM ET at Fiserv Forum. The winner will play either Lake Superior State or No. 2 Wisconsin. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos collected a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over No. 4 Minnesota Duluth back on Dec. 6. The win was WMU's 10th of the season. 

William Whitelaw stole the show, scoring twice, including the game winner in overtime. Zack Sharp provided the other tally in the game for the Brown and Gold. In net, Hampton Slukynsky made 18 saves and notched an assist on the game-winning goal. 

WILL THE THRILL
Joining the program this season, junior forward William Whitelaw has started to find his footing in the Brown and Gold. The Rosemount, Minn. native has seven points on four goals and three assists over his last six games. He has at least one point in five of his last six games. 

That includes a two-goal outing, including the game winner, against No. 4 Minnesota Duluth back on Dec. 6. For his efforts, the Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick was named the NCHC Forward of the Week on Dec. 9. 

Whitelaw leads the Broncos in points (15) and goals (9) this season, while chipping in six assists. He is +6 with three game-winning tallies. 

SWEDISH SUPERSTAR
Swedish blue liner Samuel Sjolund is taking the next step in his career, spearheading a strong defensive core in his senior season. Despite losing his partner to injury earlier this season, Sjolund has kept producing, entering the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off with 13 points on three goals and 10 assists. 

Sjolund is averaging a point per game over his last seven games, handing out seven helpers in that stretch. He has at least one point in four of his last five outings. 

The Stockholm native is up to 60 points on 10 goals and 50 assists in his career. The veteran defenseman is just four games away from 100 in his career. 

DOMINATING THE DOT
The Broncos have handled their business in the faceoff circle this season, sitting at fifth in the nation with a 54.7 percent win rate. WMU dominated Minnesota Duluth in its last action, winning 63.7 percent of the draws in the series. 

Owen Michaels has led the way for the Brown and Gold, winning 60.7 percent of his faceoffs. He is fourth in the conference and 11th in the nation with 196 faceoffs won. Slukynsky isn't too far behind, ranking 10th in the league with 153 draws won. He is just under 55 percent for the season. 

Aiding the attack have been Cole Spicer and Ryan Kusler. Despite taking a smaller number of faceoffs, the duo has been just as good. Spicer is at 59.1 percent, while Kusler enters the tournament with a 58.4 percent win rate. 

LETTING IT FLY
Western Michigan has been able to produce one of the top offenses in the country, thanks in large part to its ability to put pucks on net. Through 16 games, WMU is averaging 37.00 shots per game, which ranks second in the NCHC and third in the nation. 

William Whitelaw and Liam Valente lead the squad in shots, and it's not surprising that the duo also leads the team in goals. Whitelaw has nine goals on 76 shots, while Valente has produced eight goals on 56 shots. 

With the amount of pucks that get on net and relentless pressure, the Broncos have a powerful offense that averages more than 3.50 goals per game. WMU was the top scoring team in the nation last season and finished top three nationally in shots per game. 

HAMMER TIME
After a slow start to the 2025-26 campaign, sophomore goaltender Hampton Slukynsky has started to find his footing. He is 5-1-0 over his last six outings and holds a 2.32 goals against average and .900 save percentage in that stretch. 

The Warroad, Minn. native has allowed more than two goals just once over his last six starts and has made 126 total saves. He is 10-6-0 with a 2.83 GAA on the season. 

Despite being just a sophomore, his career numbers are impressive as well. He is WMU's leader in GAA and is fifth in save percentage. Additionally, the Los Angeles Kings draft pick is just one win away from being in the top 10 in program history. 

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Boston College is having a strong season, entering the matchup with a 10-5-1 overall record and a 7-3-0 mark in Hockey East play. The Eagles have won eight of their last nine games. 

This is just the second meeting between the programs all-time. BC won last year's matchup, 4-2, in Chestnut Hill. 

James Hagens and Dean Letourneau lead the way for the BC offense, combining for 35 points on 19 goals and 16 assists. Hagens wont' be with the team for the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, as he's playing with Team USA in the World Junior Championship. 

In net, Louka Cloutier has started 14 games. He enters Sunday's contest with a 10-3-1 record, 2.01 goals against average and .918 save percentage. He has two shutouts and has made 314 total saves this season. 

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. 7 in the national polls. The Broncos have been ranked in the top 20 since Oct. 11, 2021.