ST. PAUL, Minn. – Western Michigan defeated North Dakota for the fourth time this season, helping the Broncos advance to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship tomorrow night. The Brown and Gold collected a 4-2 victory over the Fighting Hawks and picked up win No. 29 on the season. 

WMU had great depth of scoring, getting goals from Alex Bump, Grant Slukynsky, Iiro Hakkarainen and Samuel Sjolund. Hampton Slukynsky made 23 saves in net to earn his 14th win of the season. 

FIRST PERIOD
Both teams started fast, getting quality looks on net in the opening minutes. Matteo Costantini nearly found the back of the net on an odd-man rush. He had his shot saved by UND's goaltender about 45 seconds into the frame. 

Those offensive chances didn't slow down, as Bump helped WMU get on the board first. He stole the puck in the offensive zone and wristed a shot into the back of the net to make it 1-0 with under eight minutes to play in the opening period. 

With about two minutes remaining in the period, the Fighting Hawks would get the game's first power play. They cashed in to make the score 1-1 going to the second frame.

SECOND PERIOD
Tim Washe had a great chance in the opening minutes of the second frame, having his shot saved by the Fighting Hawks. From there, WMU's offense continued to generate pressure. Zack Sharp and Zach Nehring tried their luck on net, but the game remained tied. 

UND was given a hooking penalty, giving Western Michigan its first power play. The Broncos got four shots, but North Dakota worked back to full strength. After the Brown and Gold killed off a penalty a few minutes later, the Fighting Hawks were sent off for playing with a broken stick.

After missing on a few strong chances, WMU carried 14 seconds of power play time into the third frame. 

THIRD PERIOD
Bump nearly broke the deadlock with a wrister in the early stages of the final period. However, not much later, Liam Valente had a shot blocked right to the stick of Slukynsky. He fired the puck on net and it squeaked by UND's goaltender to give the Broncos a 2-1 advantage. 

As the game moved on, Slukynsky made some big saves to keep the Brown and Gold in front. The Fighting Hawks pulled their goalie to get the extra attacker. Wyatt Schingoethe blocked a shot, which eventually led to an empty-net goal for Hakkarainen. That made the score 3-1 with under two minutes to play. 

North Dakota would find a second tally, scoring with 50 seconds left in the game. However, a few seconds later, Sjolund found the puck on his stick and he fired a shot into the empty net for his fourth goal of the season. That capped off a 4-2 victory for the Broncos. 

UP NEXT
WMU advances to tomorrow night's Frozen Faceoff Championship game against Denver. Puck drop is set for 8:30 PM ET at Xcel Energy Center.