The Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey team is a

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA) Division I

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the g ...

program that represents

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

. The Broncos are a member of the

National Collegiate Hockey Conference The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) is an NCAA men's Division I hockey conference formed on July 9, 2011. The league began playing for the 2013–14 season, the same season that the Big Ten Conference began competition, as a combina ...

(NCHC). They play at Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States.

History

The Broncos program began in 1973 and joined the

Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) is a college athletic conference that participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The current CCHA began play in the 2021–22 season; a previous incarnation, which the curr ...

(CCHA) for the 1975–76 season. After ten seasons in the league Western Michigan won the 1986 CCHA Playoff Tournament and advanced to the school's first NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament in 1986. The 1986 season marked the program's first CCHA Tournament Championship and the program's first bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Broncos entered the tournament in the West Regional against Harvard and lost the two-game aggregate series, being outscored 11–4 by the Crimson. Western Michigan's next post season appearance came in 1994. Western Michigan received an at-large bid to the 1994 NCAA Division I Tournament and again fell in the first round with a 6–3 loss to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. The Broncos rebounded in the 1995–96 season after a sub-.500 season in 1994–95. Western Michigan received the program's second at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Western Michigan lost again in the first round to Clarkson 6–1. Under first-year coach Jeff Blashill, Western Michigan received an at-large bid to the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, where they would lose their opening game 3–2 in double overtime to

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Denver scored two goals in the last 4:29 of the third period to force overtime. In 2011–12, for the second consecutive season, Western Michigan had a new head coach and reached the NCAA tournament. Longtime

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) coach Andy Murray was named as coach of the Broncos after Blashill left for the Detroit Red Wings. WMU finished tied for second in the CCHA and won the CCHA tournament, thereby receiving an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. Western Michigan lost in the first round of the tournament 3–1 to No. 1 seed

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

. The Broncos joined the

(NCHC) starting in the 2013–14 season. The CCHA disbanded after the 2012–13 season, in part due to the addition of men's ice hockey to the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

. Western Michigan won the 2013 four-team

Great Lakes Invitational The Great Lakes Invitational (GLI) is a four-team National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's ice hockey tournament held annually at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit around the New Year's holiday as part of College Hockey in the D. The ...

which was played outdoors at Comerica Park in Detroit. The Broncos defeated No. 3 Michigan 3–2 in overtime in the semifinals, and then claimed the championship by beating Michigan Tech 1–0, also in overtime. WMU won the 2014 Shillelagh Tournament with an 8–2 victory over No. 17 Union. The Broncos also defeated Ohio State in the first round of the tournament, 6–2. In 2016–17, the Broncos followed up a disappointing 8-25-3 season with an impressive 22-13-5 and a third-place finish in the NCHC. Western Michigan was invited to the final

Joe Louis Arena Joe Louis Arena was an arena in Downtown Detroit. Completed in 1979 at a cost of US$57 million as a replacement for Olympia Stadium, it sat adjacent to Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and was accessible by the Joe Louis Arena ...

, where they defeated Michigan Tech in the championship. WMU has been invited to the GLI 5 times dating back to 1977, winning it 3 of those times. The Broncos were defeated in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Division I tournament by

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

Season-by-season results

Source:

Coaching

All-time coaching records

As of the completion of 2021–22 season † The 1998–99 season was coached by both Wilkinson and Culhane.

Statistical leaders

Source:

Career points leaders

Career goaltending leaders

''GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% =

Save percentage Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various goal-scoring sports that track saves as a statistic. In ice hockey and lacrosse, it is a statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal ...

; GAA =

Goals against average Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending ...

'' Minimum 30 games played Statistics current through the start of the 2022–2023 season.

Current roster

As of August 23, 2022.

Awards and honors

All-Americans

AHCA First Team All-Americans *1985–86: Wayne Gagné, D; Dan Dorion, F *1986–87: Wayne Gagné, F *2019–20: Hugh McGing, F *2020–21: Ronnie Attard, D *2021–22: Ronnie Attard, D AHCA Second Team All-Americans *1983–84: Dan Dorion, F *1984–85:

Glenn Healy Glenn Healy (born August 23, 1962) is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender who played for 15 years in the National Hockey League. Prior to that, he was a member of the Western Michigan University hockey team, and 1985 graduate of the school. H ...

, G *1985–86: Bill Horn, G *1995–96: Marc Magliarditi, G *2000–01: Mike Bishai, F *2011–12: Danny DeKeyser, D *2012–13: Danny DeKeyser, D *2021–22: Ethen Frank, F

CCHA

Individual awards

Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is he ...

* Dan Dorion: 1986 * Wayne Gagné: 1987 Best Defensive Forward * Pat Ferschweiler: 1992 * Dane Walters: 2013 Best Defensive Defenseman * Brent Brekke: 1994 * Danny DeKeyser: 2012, 2013 Rookie of the Year * Chris Brooks: 1993 * Marc Magliarditi: 1996 * Daryl Andrews: 1997 * Patrick Dwyer: 2002 * Mark Letestu: 2007

Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

* Bill Wilkinson: 1984, 1986, 1996 Ilitch Humanitarian Award * Brett Beebe: 2013 Most Valuable Player in Tournament *

: 1984 * Bill Horn: 1986 * Frank Slubowski: 2012

All-Conference teams

First Team All-CCHA *1976–77: Tim Dunlop, F *1980–81: Ross Fitzpatrick, F *1983–84: Dan Dorion, F *1985–86: Wayne Gagné, D; Dan Dorion, F *1986–87: Wayne Gagné, D *1987–88: Paul Polillo, F *1991–92: Keith Jones, G *1995–96: Marc Magliarditi, G *2012–13: Danny DeKeyser, D Second Team All-CCHA *1977–78: Bernie Saunders, F; Paul Cappuccio, F *1979–80: Bob Scurfield, F *1984–85:

, G *1985–86: Chris MacDonald, F; Stu Burnie, F *1986–87: Bill Horn, G; Rob Bryden, F *1987–88: Mike Posma, D; Ron Hoover, F *1990–91:

Mike Eastwood Michael Barry Eastwood (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Eastwood played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blue ...

, F *1995–96:

Jeremy Brown Jeremy Scott Brown (born October 25, 1979) is an American former professional baseball catcher with the Oakland Athletics. Career Brown played for Hueytown High School in Hueytown, Alabama, and went on to the University of Alabama, where he pl ...

, F *1996–97:

Joe Corvo Joseph Edward Corvo (born June 20, 1977) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, and Bosto ...

, D *1999–00: David Gove, F *2000–01: Mike Bishai, F; David Gove, F *2004–05: Brent Walton, F *2008–09: Patrick Galivan, F *2011–12: Danny DeKeyser, D; Matt Tennyson, D *2012–13: Frank Slubowski, G;

Luke Witkowski Luke Witkowski (born April 14, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Springfield Thunderbirds in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey Le ...

, D CCHA All-Rookie Team *1991–92: Chris Belanger, D *1992–93: Scott Chartier, D; Chris Brooks, F *1994–95:

Steve Duke Steve Duke (born 1954) is an American classical and jazz saxophonist noted for his performance of contemporary classical music, particularly computer music. Education and teaching career Steve Duke earned both B.M. and M.M. degrees in performan ...

, D *1995–96: Marc Magliarditi, G;

, D *1996–97: Daryl Andrews, D *2001–02: Patrick Dwyer, F *2002–03:

Vince Bellissimo Vince Bellissimo (born December 14, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Bellissimo was selected by the Florida Panthers in the 5th round (158th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career Bellissimo, brother of ...

, F *2006–07: Mark Letestu, F *2010–11: Danny DeKeyser, D; Chase Balisy, F *2011–12: Frank Slubowski, G; Garrett Haar, D *2012–13: Kenney Morrison, D

NCHC

Individual awards

Offensive Defenseman of the Year * Ronnie Attard: 2021, 2022 Scholar-Athlete of the Year * Kale Bennett: 2021 * Drew Worrad: 2022 Herb Brooks Coach of the Year * Andy Murray: 2017

All-Conference teams

First Team All-NCHC *2019–20: Hugh McGing, F *2020–21: Ronnie Attard, D *2021–22: Ronnie Attard, D; Ethen Frank, F Second Team All-NCHC *2013–14: Chase Balisy, F *2016–17: Sheldon Dries, F *2018–19: Hugh McGing, F *2019–20: Ronnie Attard, D *2021–22: Drew Worrad, F NCHC All-Rookie Team *2016–17: Ben Blacker, G *2019–20: Ronnie Attard, D

Western Michigan Broncos Hall of Fame

The following is a list of people associated with the Western Michigan men's ice hockey program who were elected into the Western Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame. * Dan Dorion (1998) * Ross Fitzpatrick (2004) * Wayne Gagné (2001) *

(1996) * Rob Hodge (2008) *

Harry Lawson Harry Lawson may refer to: *Harry John Lawson (1852–1925), British bicycle designer, cyclist, motor industry pioneer and fraudster *Harry Levy-Lawson, 1st Viscount Burnham (1862–1933) *Sir Harry Lawson (politician) (1875–1952), Australian pol ...

(1990) *

Jamal Mayers Jamal David Mayers (born October 24, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He spent time playing for the St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, San Jo ...

(2014) * Bernie Saunders (1994) * Neil Smith (1991)

Broncos in the NHL

As of July 1, 2022 ‡Scott Foster played 14 minutes for the Blackhawks after being signed to a 1-day contract as an emergency backup due to injury. File:Kevin Connauton 2014-12-13 2.JPG, Kevin Connauton File:Joe Corvo of the Boston Bruins at TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts - 20120204.jpg,

File:Patrick Dwyer 2013-2.jpg, Patrick Dwyer File:Mark Letestu 1 2012-02-26.JPG, Mark Letestu File:Jamal Mayers Flames.png,

File:Jordan Oesterle 2014.jpg, Jordan Oesterle File:Luke Witkowski 2015-04-11.jpg,

Source:

References

External links

Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey
{{Western Michigan University Ice hockey teams in Michigan

History

Season-by-season results

Coaching

All-time coaching records

Statistical leaders

Career points leaders

Career goaltending leaders

Current roster

Awards and honors

All-Americans

CCHA

Individual awards

All-Conference teams

NCHC

Individual awards

All-Conference teams

Western Michigan Broncos Hall of Fame

Broncos in the NHL

See also

References

External links