KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Western Michigan and Denver will meet for the sixth time this year and the 10th time in the last two seasons. This time, a trip to the Frozen Four is on the line. The two teams will hit the ice on Sunday at 3 PM at Blue Arena.
LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos took care of Minnesota State on Friday afternoon, downing the Mavericks by a final score of 3-1.
Zaccharya Wisdom,
Zach Bookman and
Owen Michaels lit the lamp in the triumph. Wisdom, Bookman and
Samuel Sjolund each had two points in the game. In net,
Hampton Slukynsky made 23 saves on 24 shots.
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 six NCAA Tournament games he's played in, including two multi-point efforts. He has eight points on five goals and three assists in those six contests.
Among players in the field this season, Michaels leads the way with five goals in NCAA Tournament action. He is also second in points (8) and fifth in assists (3).
AMONG THE NCAA'S BEST
Entering the regional final 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 (2.10) and save percentage (.919), while being fourth in wins (46) and fifth in shutouts (5), among goalies that have played more than 2000 minutes in their career.
When looking at just NCAA Tournament play, he leads all goalies (at least three games played) in wins (5), save percentage (.946) and GAA (1.21).
When it comes to
Zach Bookman, he is one of the best defensemen in the game. He ranks fourth in assists (63), seventh in goals (15) and eighth in points (78), 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 86.7 percent on the season. That mark ranks second in the NCHC and sixth 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 44 of their last 45 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 246 of the team's 389 points (63.2%).
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 28 points. Captain
Owen Michaels has had a balanced season, recording 13 goals and 13 assists.
Among teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament, WMU has the highest scoring junior class (165 points). They are 15 points ahead of the next best program and 31 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 .935 save percentage in that stretch. That includes 259 total saves and one shutout. The Los Angeles Kings draft pick leads the NCAA in wins (27), 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 27-10-1 record to go along with a 2.22 GAA and .917 save percentage. He has four shutouts and 938 total saves in 38 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 PIONEERS
Denver is the hottest team in the field, winning its last 10 games and going unbeaten over its last 14 outings. DU's last loss came back on Jan. 23 against St. Cloud.
The Broncos and Pioneers will meet for the sixth time this season and the 10th time in the last two years. Four of the meetings have come in the postseason. In that stretch, WMU is 5-4-0 against the Pios, including a win in the 2025 Frozen Four.
Eric Pohlkamp is one of the most explosive defensemen in the nation, leading all blue liners with 37 points on 17 goals and 20 assists. Rieger Lorenz and Sam Harris headline the forward group, combining for 67 points in 40 games this season.
In net, Johnny Hicks has been unbeatable since taking over the net a couple months ago. He is 13-0-1 with a 1.07 goals against average and .960 save percentage. Just one team has scored more than two goals on him this year.
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 55-16-1 and won the 2025 NCAA Division I National Championship. The Broncos haven't been ranked lower than No. 9 since mid November of 2024.
