KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The No. 6/5 Western Michigan hockey team returns to Lawson Arena for its final non-conference series before NCHC play begins, hosting LIU on Thursday and Friday nights. Both games start at 7 p.m. at Lawson Arena and will stream on NCHC.tv and broadcast on 106.9 FM/590 AM.

Thursday marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

THIS WEEK
Western Michigan hosts LIU at Lawson Arena on Thursday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. and again on Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. The series is WMU's last before NCHC play begins Nov. 6-7 at North Dakota.

LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, the Broncos suffered their first loss of the 2026-27 season on Friday night, falling 3-2 at No. 1/1 Michigan on a goal with 0.1 seconds remaining in regulation. Zaccharya Wisdom and William Whitelaw lit the lamp for the Brown and Gold, with Whitelaw tallying the team's first shorthanded goal of the season. Cole Spicer notched two assists, while Quentin Miller made 25 saves in the Western Michigan net.

DOMINATING AT BOTH ENDS
In its series sweeps of Ferris State and Notre Dame to start the 2026-27 campaign, Western Michigan outscored its opponents 21-2 during its 4-0-0 start. After a 3-2 loss at No. 1 Michigan on Oct. 23, the Broncos are 4-1-0, with 23 goals for and 5 against in five counted games. Led by sophomore goaltender Quentin Miller, WMU ranks second in the nation in defense, allowing 1.00 goals per game, and third nationally in offense at 4.60 goals per game.

The Broncos have spread the wealth offensively, with 11 different players having scored at least one of the team's 23 goals. Bobby Cowan and William Whitelaw lead the Brown and Gold with three goals apiece, while eight players have each netted two.

IT'S MILLER TIME
With National Championship-winning goalie Hampton Slukynsky gone to the professional ranks, Western Michigan has turned to another National Champion netminder in 2026-27. The Broncos landed Quentin Miller from the transfer portal after the Montreal native spent his freshman season at Denver.

Miller has been strong in his first five games for the Brown and Gold, allowing just five goals while winning four of his five starts, including two shutouts. The sophomore is tied for eighth in the nation in goals-against average (1.00) and tied for 11th in save percentage (.956).

FRESHMAN PHENOM
Freshman forward Adam Benák earned NCHC Rookie of the Week honors for the first two weeks of the season. He scored his first two collegiate goals against Notre Dame on Oct. 16-17 and added an assist on Saturday for a three-point weekend.
In his first five collegiate games, Benák is tied for the WMU team lead with seven points, two goals and five assists. His seven points are tied for the second-most among freshmen in the nation.

WELCOME BACK JOONA
After missing most of last season with an injury, junior defenseman Joona Väisänen has made a big impact since returning to the Western Michigan lineup. He had three assists in the series-opening win over Notre Dame on Oct. 16 and led all NCHC defensemen in points in the opening Ferris State weekend, earning NCHC Defenseman of the Week honors. Through five games, Väisänen is tied for the team lead with seven points (2-5-7), and is tied for the fifth-most points among defensemen in the nation.

KILLIN' IT
The Broncos have had great penalty killing units over the last three seasons, finishing top-10 nationally in all three. Western Michigan was eighth in the NCAA in 2025-26 (86.2%), fourth in 2024-25 (86.7%) and ninth in 2023-24 (84.1%).
WMU's PK picked up right where it left off, going 5-for-5 on Oct. 23 at Michigan to raise its penalty-kill percentage to 94.7% (18-for-19). Western Michigan also picked up its first shorthanded tally of the season on Friday, with William Whitelaw scoring on a breakaway to tie the game at 2-2 in the third period.

SCOUTING THE SHARKS
LIU is off to a 2-5-0 start to its season after opening with two losses at Minnesota Duluth, a split with Canisius, two losses at RPI, and a 7-6 win at St. Lawrence on Oct. 20. Sixten Jennersjö paces the Sharks with nine points (2G-7A), while Luca Leighton leads LIU with three goals and joins Dylan Kinch, Brennan Nelson and Isaac Lambert with five points apiece. The goaltending duo of Lukas Renaud (2-2-0, 3.00 GAA, .914 SV%) and Daniel Duris (0-3-0, 4.33 GAA, .879 SV%) has helped LIU allow 3.86 goals per game, while the Sharks are scoring 2.71 per game.

Bronco goaltender Michael Polston spent the past two seasons at LIU, appeared in two games (all in 2024-25), posted an .846 SV% and a 3.87 GAA, and now faces his former team as a member of the Brown and Gold.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Western Michigan has consistently been among the nation's top teams, and the polls reflect that. The Broncos have made five straight NCAA Tournaments and entered 2026-27 ranked No. 8/9 nationally. The Broncos have ranked in the top 20 since Oct. 11, 2021.

WMU has taken it a step further over the last year and a half, ranking in the top 10 since Nov. 18, 2024. Since that point, Western Michigan has gone 59-18-1 and won the 2025 NCAA Division I National Championship. The Broncos haven't been ranked lower than No. 9 since mid-November of 2024.

FINAL SEASON AT LAWSON
The 2026-27 campaign marks the Final Season at historic Lawson Arena for Western Michigan hockey. Named after the founding father of the program, Harry W. Lawson, the arena has been home to Bronco hockey since the 1974-75 season. All throughout the 2026-27 season, WMU hockey will be celebrating its five-plus decades at Lawson Arena with special events, promotions and 'Fan Friday' giveaways.