KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Western Michigan returns home for its first game at Lawson Arena since a 4-0 victory over Notre Dame on Jan. 3. WMU will take on Omaha, beginning at 7 PM on Friday night.  

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos handled Minnesota Duluth, sweeping the Bulldogs with a pair of 4-3 wins last weekend in Duluth. 

Liam Valente, Grant Slukynsky, Zaccharya Wisdom, and Iiro Hakkarainen all had three points on the weekend. In net, Hampton Slukynsky made 64 total saves and had a .914 save percentage. 

POWER-PLAY PRODUCER
WMU's power play has seen an uptick in production over the last few weeks, and senior Liam Valente has played a big role in that. 

The Swedish forward has lit the lamp seven times on the man advantage this season, including twice in a sweep of Minnesota Duluth this past weekend. Entering Friday's action, Valente has just under 40% of Western Michigan's power-play tallies. 

The veteran winger ranks second in the NCHC and fifth in the nation in power-play goals. The Broncos are up to 20.5 percent on the man advantage this season. 

ZACCH ATTACK
Zaccharya Wisdom was a solid player over his two years at Colorado College, but he's become a consistent every day performer since joining the Broncos this season. 

The Canadian winger has seen his offensive game take off this season, entering the weekend series with a career-best 11 goals and eight assists. With 10 games left in the regular season, he is just three points away from passing his career-best mark of 21 points. 

Wisdom is currently riding an eight-game point streak, producing nine points on five goals and four assists in that stretch. Additionally, he's collected 13 points on eight goals and five assists, as Western Michigan has won 13 of its last 14 outings. 

DOMINATING THE DOT
WMU has been one of the most consistent faceoff teams in the nation, and that is evident by the team's 53.9 percent win rate this season. The Brown and Gold rank second in the NCHC and sixth in the nation so far this season. 

Owen Michaels has been the go-to option in the dot, winning 60.8 percent of his draws. He has 295 total wins this season, which ranks third in the NCHC and fourth in the nation. The Bronco captain was an efficient 28-of-41 in the faceoff circle during last weekend's sweep at Minnesota Duluth. 

Along with him, Grant Slukynsky has stepped up this season. He sits at 53.5 percent through 24 games. His 220 wins rank ninth in the conference and 40th in the NCAA. 

Michaels and Slukynsky are the top two centers for the Broncos and have combined for more than 65 percent (515-of-790) of the team's faceoff wins this season. 

TAKING THE NEXT STEP
Pat Ferschweiler has been known for developing players, and the 2025-26 roster has several standouts taking the next step in their careers.

Ty Henricks has produced career-best numbers in his second year on campus, entering Friday's game with career highs in goals (8), assists (11) and points (19). He has more than doubled his assist total from last season and is up to 32 points in his career. 

Zack Sharp has also taken a leap in his sophomore campaign, boasting career highs in assists (10) and points (13) through 22 games. He's also more than doubled his assist total from last season and is up to 22 points and a +35 rating in his career. 

PURSUIT OF THE PENROSE
Western Michigan has started to get hot, and that has the team right in the thick of the pursuit of the Penrose Cup. The Broncos are third in the NCHC standings, but they have played two fewer games than the teams above them. 

Since starting 1-3-0 in conference play, the Brown and Gold have gone on to win nine of their last 10 NCHC contests. In that 10-game stretch, WMU has outscored its conference foes by a total of 43-23. 

With five series remaining in the regular season, the Broncos will see just one team currently ranked in the top five of the conference standings. Western Michigan is the defending Penrose Cup champion. 

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
Omaha has had a rough 2025-26 campaign, entering the weekend with a 9-17-0 overall record and 5-11-0 NCHC mark. The Mavericks are tied for last in the league with 15 points. 

The Broncos swept Omaha at Baxter Arena earlier this season and hold a 20-15-4 record against the Mavericks at Lawson Arena. 

Maxime Pellerin is the team's leading scorer, producing 15 points on seven goals and eight assists in 25 games. Trevor Wong and Luke Woodworth have aided the attack, with each having 14 points this season. 

In net, Simon Latkoczy and Dawson Cowan have split time. Latkoczy was the NCHC Goaltender of the Year last season. He has a 5-9-0 record to go along with a 3.16 goals against average and .903 save percentage. Cowan has registered a 4-8-0 record, 3.21 GAA and .901 save percentage. 

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