KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan has announced its 2025-26 schedule, which is set to begin with an exhibition on Oct. 4. 

WMU is fresh off of a 34-7-1 season where it captured the National Championship, Penrose Cup and NCHC Frozen Faceoff title. The Broncos are the only team in league history to win all three in one season. 

For the third consecutive season, the Broncos will play the USNTDP to begin the season. This year's game will be at Lawson Arena on Saturday, Oct. 4. 

The regular season opener will take place on Thursday, Oct. 9 against Ferris State. WMU will have a banner raising ceremony prior to the game. The Brown and Gold will visit Big Rapids, Mich. the next day to complete the series. 

Following that, WMU will get its first long road trip of the season. UMass Lowell will host the Broncos on Oct. 17-18. It will be just the second and third meetings all-time between the two programs. 

Western Michigan will then turn its attention to rival Michigan. The Broncos will play in Ann Arbor on Thursday, Oct. 23 before hosting the Wolverines on Friday, Oct. 24. 

From there, NCHC play begins with a road series at St. Cloud State (Oct. 31-Nov. 1). The Broncos won all four games against the Huskies last season. WMU will then get four straight homes games, two against Denver (Nov. 7-8) and two against Miami (Nov. 14-15). The Brown and Gold went 7-1-0 against those two teams last season. 

After that, WMU will travel to Omaha for a series on Nov. 21-22. WMU swept the season series against the Mavericks last season. Minnesota Duluth will then be in town on Dec. 5-6 for the last NCHC series of 2025. 

The Brown and Gold will then take part in the Kwik Trip Holiday Faceoff on Dec. 28 and 29. The Broncos will be joined by Boston College, Wisconsin and Lake Superior State. 

To open the new year, Western Michigan will have a home-and-home with Notre Dame. WMU will play in South Bend, Ind. on Jan. 2 before returning home to host the Fighting Irish on Jan. 3. 

The Broncos will see NCHC opponents the rest of the way, as the Brown and Gold travel to Denver on Jan. 9-10. After a bye week in the schedule, WMU will stay on the road for two games against Minnesota Duluth (Jan. 23-24). 

To end January, Omaha will be in town for a pair of games on Jan. 30-31. The Broncos will travel to Miami on Feb. 6-7 before returning home to host Arizona State on Feb. 13-14. 

Colorado College is next up on the schedule, as the Broncos will play in Colorado Springs on Feb. 20-21. To close out the regular season, Western Michigan will host North Dakota on Feb. 27-28. The Brown and Gold clinched the Penrose Cup against the Fighting Hawks last season. 

The NCHC Quarterfinals will then take place on March 6-8. The semifinal round will be on March 14, while the championship game will be on March 20 or 21. The higher seed in each game will host throughout the tournament.