KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Western Michigan begins its title defense against the same team it opened up against last season. WMU will take on Minnesota State on Friday, March 27 at Blue Arena in Loveland, Colo. This is just the second all-time meeting between the two programs. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos fell to Denver in overtime in the NCHC Semifinals, 2-1. Garrett Szydlowski had the lone goal for the Broncos, while Bobby Cowan and Tyler MacKenzie had assists. Hampton Slukynsky made 30 saves in the setback. 

CAPTAIN CLUTCH
Junior captain Owen Michaels has put up some clutch performances throughout his career, but he seems to take his game to another level in the NCAA Tournament. 

The Northville, Mich. native is the reigning Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player, scoring four goals in St. Louis last season. He had the game-winning goal against Denver to push the Brown and Gold to the championship game. 

Michaels has at least one point in all five NCAA Tournament games he's played in, including two multi-point efforts. He has seven points on four goals and three assists in those five contests.  

Among players in the field this season, Michaels leads the way with seven points and four goals in NCAA Tournament action. He is also fourth in assists (3). 

AMONG THE NCAA'S BEST 
Entering the national tournament as the defending champion, WMU has several top players that can help the team get back to that level. 

Despite being just a sophomore, Hampton Slukynsky boasts some of the best career statistics among goaltenders in the field. He ranks third in both goals against average (2.11) and save percentage (.918), while being fourth in wins (45) and fifth in shutouts (5). 

When looking at just NCAA Tournament play, he leads all goalies in wins (4), save percentage (.943) and GAA (1.26). 

When it comes to Bookman, he is one of the best defensemen in the game. He ranks fourth in assists (62), seventh in goals (14) and ninth in points (76), among blue liners in the field. Looking at all players, he is 10th in assists.

Valente has proven to be one of the top scoring threats in all of college hockey. He ranks second in career power-play tallies (20) and 10th in total goals (41), among all players in the tournament.  

KILLIN' IT
Western Michigan's penalty killing unit has been on fire over the last several weeks, helping the Brown and Gold get up to 86.4 percent on the season. That mark ranks second in the NCHC and seventh in the nation. 

WMU has allowed just 18 power-play tallies all year, aided by a perfect month of February (30-for-30). The Broncos have killed off 41 of their last 42 penalties, limiting opponents to under two shots per man advantage in that stretch. 

The Brown and Gold have a history of great PK units, finishing fourth in the NCAA in 2024-25 (86.7%) and ninth in 2023-24 (84.1 percent). Western Michigan is the only team in the nation to have  a top-10 PK unit each of the last three years. 

VALUABLE VETERANS
Despite having some key young pieces, the Broncos have relied heavily upon upperclassmen this season. Juniors and seniors have combined to produce 238 of the team's 381 points (62.5%). 

WMU's top six scorers are upperclassmen, with junior Grant Slukynsky pacing the Brown and Gold (10-30-40). Liam Valente (20-15-35) and William Whitelaw (19-15-34) are also over 30 points, while Samuel Sjolund leads all blue liners with 27 points. Captain Owen Michaels has had a balanced season, recording 12 goals and 13 assists. 

Among teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament, WMU has the highest scoring junior class (162 points). They are 14 points ahead of the next best program and 33 points higher than the next best NCHC school. 

HAMMER TIME
Sophomore goaltender Hampton Slukynsky has started every game in net for the Broncos, and his play has elevated over the last 10 outings. 

The Warroad, Minn. native is 7-2-1 with a 1.75 goals against average and .936 save percentage in that stretch. That includes 264 total saves and one shutout. The Los Angeles Kings draft pick leads the NCAA in wins (26), having three more than the next highest player. 

Thanks to his hot play down the stretch, Slukynsky has improved his season numbers. He boasts a 26-10-1 record to go along with a 2.26 GAA and .916 save percentage. He has five shutouts and 915 total saves in 37 starts. 

Slukynsky is a two-time Second Team All-NCHC honoree, while also being part of last year's Frozen Four All-Tournament Team. 

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
Minnesota State has been red hot, dropping just one game in its last nine outings. MSU won the CCHA regular season and tournament championships. 

WMU is 1-0-0 all-time against the Mavericks, with last years NCAA Tournament opener being the lone meeting between the two teams. The Broncos won 2-1 in double overtime. 

Former Bronco Tristan Lemyre is the leading scorer for MSU, entering the tournament with 34 points on 16 goals and 18 assists. He has seven points in his last three games. Evan Murr has been great on the blue line, leading all Mankato defensemen with 30 points on 10 goals and 20 assists.

Alex Tracy has been a brick wall in net, starting all but one game this season. He boasts a 21-10-7 record to go along with a 1.80 goals against average and .927 save percentage. He has five shutouts and 882 total saves. 

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 five straight NCAA Tournaments and sit at No. 5 in the national polls. The Broncos have been ranked in the top 20 since Oct. 11, 2021. 

WMU has taken things a step further over the last year and a half, ranking among the nation's top 10 since Nov. 18, 2024. Since that point, Western Michigan has gone 54-16-1 and won the 2025 NCAA Division I National Championship. The Broncos haven't been ranked lower than No. 9 since mid November of 2024.