KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Western Michigan carries a five-game winning streak into a series against Denver this weekend at Magness Arena. The two teams will open the series on Friday at 9 PM ET.
LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos picked up a sweep of Notre Dame, shutting out the Irish 4-0 both nights. The pair of wins pushed WMU to 14-6-0 on the season.
Zach Nehring (1-2-3),
Grant Slukynsky (1-2-3) and
Liam Valente (0-3-3) led the way on offense, combining for nine points on two goals and seven assists.
Hampton Slukynsky was stellar in net, stopping all 51 shots he saw on the weekend.
HAMMER TIME
WMU sophomore goaltender
Hampton Slukynsky has taken his game to another level over the last few weeks, helping the Brown and Gold win its last five games and nine of its last 10.
Slukynsky was named the NCHC Goaltender of the Week on Tuesday afternoon, after collecting two shutouts in a series sweep against Notre Dame. The Warroad Minn. native has earned the award in three of the last four weeks Western Michigan has hit the ice.
During the Broncos' current five-game winning streak, the Los Angeles Kings draft pick has been on top of his game. He is 5-0-0 with a 1.19 goals against average and .950 save percentage. Over the Brown and Gold's last 10 games, he is 9-1-0 with a 1.79 GAA and .925 save percentage.
Slukynsky leads the nation with three shutouts and is 13th in the country in win percentage.
A HELPING HAND
WMU has produced one of the best offenses in the nation, thanks in large part to its willingness to share the puck. The Brown and Gold lead the NCHC and are second in the country with 140 total assists this season.
Grant Slukynsky leads the team with 17 helpers this season. During his current four-game point streak, the Warroad, Minn. native has five assists.
Zach Nehring and
Samuel Sjolund are also in double figures, entering the weekend action with 10 assists.
Ty Henricks is knocking on the door with nine in 20 games. Overall, 24 players have recorded at least one assist this season, with 15 having five or more.
PK PROWESS
After a slow start to the season, Western Michigan's penalty killing unit has started to round into form over the last several weeks. WMU has killed off its last 10 penalties and is up to 82.1 percent on the season. That mark is good for fourth in the NCHC and 24th in the nation.
Along with good goaltending, the Broncos have done well to limit shots for opposing power plays. Opposing teams have recorded just 13 shots in their last 10 chances on the man advantage.
DOMINATING THE DOT
The Broncos have consistently been one of the best faceoff teams in the nation over the last several years, and nothing has changed in 2025-26. WMU is second in the NCHC and fifth in the nation with a win rate of 54.6 percent.
Owen Michaels leads the team with a 61.3 percent win rate. That number was aided by a dominant series against Notre Dame last weekend. The Northville, Mich. native went 25-of-38 (65.8%) in the dot against the Irish. Michaels is third in the NCHC and fourth in the nation with 241 total faceoffs won.
Grant Slukynsky has also been strong, entering Friday's action with a win rate of 53.6 percent. He is eighth in the NCHC and 31st in the nation with 185 faceoffs won.
GOING STREAKING
Several players have started to heat up over the last few games, including
William Whitelaw, who is riding a five-game point streak entering the series against the Pioneers.
Whitelaw has been nearly unstoppable over the last five games, recording seven points on five goals and two assists. In that stretch, he's been named the NCHC Foward of the Week (Dec. 31) and Most Outstanding Forward of the Kwik Trip Holiday Faceoff. On the season, he's up to 20 points on 12 goals and eight assists.
Grant Slukynsky,
Zach Nehring,
Liam Valente and
Zaccharya Wisdom have also been red hot, as all four have four-game point streaks. Slukynsky has produced the most, scoring two goals while adding five assists.
Nehring (2-4-6), Valente (1-4-5) and Wisdom (3-1-4) have combined for 15 points on six goals and nine assists over the last four games.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Denver is having another strong season, holding a 12-7-1 overall record. However, the Pios are 2-2-1 over their last five outings, going 0-1-1 against Maine last weekend.
DU leads the all-time series, 17-28-2, including a series sweep at Lawson Arena earlier this year. The two teams are 5-5-0 over the last 10 meetings.
The Pioneers are led by a pair of defensemen in Eric Pohlkamp and Boston Buckberger. The two blueliners have combined to score 41 points on 19 goals and 22 assists. Pohlkamp leads all NCAA defensemen in points and goals so far this season.
In net, Quentin Miller has been tremendous. He was the NCHC Goaltender of the month in November and December. He holds an 11-6-2 record, 2.08 goals against average and .926 save percentage. Additionally, he has three shutouts and 504 total saves in 19 starts.
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. 6 in the national polls. The Broncos have been ranked in the top 20 since Oct. 11, 2021.
