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 College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(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 go ...

program that represents

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. B ...

. 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. The league was formed on July 9, 2011 and began playing for the 2013–14 season, the same season that the Big Ten Conference began competition, as a ...

(NCHC). They play at

Lawson Arena Harry W. Lawson Ice Arena and Gabel Natatorium is a 3,667-seat multi-purpose arena, and adjacent natatorium in Kalamazoo, Michigan, located on the far Southwest corner of Western Michigan University's main campus. The arena is a single-level, hor ...

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

, United States. Western Michigan won their first national championship in 2025.

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 in the Midwestern United States that participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The current CCHA began play in the 2021–22 season; a previ ...

(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 year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

. 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 Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

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 U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. 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 List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. 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; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) coach

Andy Murray Sir Andrew Barron Murray (born 15 May 1987) is a British former professional tennis player and coach. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professio ...

was named as coach of the Broncos after Blashill left for the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

. 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 people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

. 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, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

. This led the Broncos to join the

(NCHC) starting in the 2013–14 season 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 Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, around the New Year's holiday. It was previously held in D ...

which was played outdoors at

Comerica Park Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It has been the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers since 2000, when the team left Tiger Stadium (Detroit), Tiger Stadium. History Construction Founded in 1894, t ...

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 Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Uppe ...

in the championship. WMU has been invited to the

GLI Gli ( 2004 – 7 November 2020) was a cat from Istanbul best known for living in the Hagia Sophia, for which she became an Internet celebrity, grabbing the attention of visiting tourists. Gli was born in 2004 and was raised at the Hagia Sophi ...

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 army aviati ...

. In the 2021-2022 season, Western Michigan had a legendary 26-win season under first-year head coach

Pat Ferschweiler Pat Ferschweiler (born February 20, 1970) is an American ice hockey coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey, Western Michigan Broncos. Playing career Ferschweiler began his Colle ...

. The Broncos shared the 2021

championship by defeating Michigan State. The Broncos advanced to their first NCHC championship game, losing to Minnesota-Duluth 0-3. Western Michigan clinched their first 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament and would claim the first playoff win in program history by defeating Northeastern. They would be defeated by Minnesota 3-0 in the regional final. The Broncos’ 2024-2025 season was their best season to date. The Broncos collected numerous wins against top-10 ranked opponents and remained ranked in the top-5 for the majority of the season. On February 28, 2025, WMU defeated North Dakota 6-4 to claim their first NCHC regular season championship. After being down 3-0 in the NCHC Tournament Championship, WMU would score four unanswered goals to defeat

4-3 in double overtime. This would the Broncos’ first ever NCHC Tournament Championship and third overall conference championship. WMU earned the 1-seed in the Fargo Regional for the NCAA Tournament, where they defeated Minnesota State and

UMass The University of Massachusetts is the public university system of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes six campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, a medical school in Worcester and a law school in Dartmouth ...

to advance to

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, where they would play in their first Frozen Four in school history. In a rematch of the NCHC Tournament Championship, the Broncos defeated Denver in a 2OT thriller to advance to their first championship game. In the championship game, they defeated

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

by a score of 6-2 to claim their first national championship.

Season-by-season results

Source:

Coaching

All-time coaching records

As of the completion of 2023–24 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 (sports), goal-scoring sports that track Save (goaltender), saves as a statistic. In ice hockey and lacrosse and association football, it is a sta ...

; GAA =

Goals against average Goals against average (GAA), also known as average goals against (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 on spo ...

'' Minimum 30 games played Statistics current through the end of the 2023–2024 season.

Current roster

As of September 23, 2024.

Awards and honors

NCAA

Individual awards

Spencer Penrose Award The Spencer Penrose Award is awarded yearly to the top coach in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey by the American Hockey Coaches Association. The finalists for each year's award comprise the conference Coach of the Year winners from each Division ...

: 2025 Tournament Most Outstanding Player * Owen Michaels;

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

All-Americans

AHCA First Team All-Americans *1985–86:

Wayne Gagné Wayne Gagné (born June 27, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Career Wayne Gagné began his college career at Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey, Western Michigan in 1983 in Bill Wilkinson (ice hockey), Bill Wilki ...

, D; Dan Dorion, F *1986–87:

, F *2019–20: Hugh McGing, F *2020–21:

Ronnie Attard Ronald Attard (born March 20, 1999) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently under contract to the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 72nd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2019 NH ...

, D *2021–22:

, D *2024–25: Alex Bump, F AHCA Second Team All-Americans *1983–84: Dan Dorion, F *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 *2022–23: Jason Polin, F

CCHA

Individual awards

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

* Dan Dorion: 1986 *

: 1987 Best Defensive Forward *

: 1992 * Dane Walters: 2013 Best Defensive Defenseman *

Brent Brekke Brent Brekke (born August 16, 1971) is an American former ice hockey player who currently the head coach at St. Lawrence. Career Playing Brekke played his college hockey at Western Michigan for Bill Wilkinson. He played for years for the Bronc ...

: 1994 * Danny DeKeyser: 2012, 2013 Rookie of the Year * Chris Brooks: 1993 * Marc Magliarditi: 1996 * Daryl Andrews: 1997 * Patrick Dwyer: 2002 *

Mark Letestu Mark Letestu (born February 4, 1985) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward. He played in eleven seasons of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmont ...

: 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 * 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:

, D; Dan Dorion, F *1986–87:

, 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 *1985–86: Chris MacDonald, F;

Stu Burnie Stuart Burnie is a retired professional ice hockey player, most notably with the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League. History College career Burnie played his college hockey with the Broncos of Western Michigan University. H ...

, 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, 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 Bost ...

, 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 Matthew Thomas Tennyson (born April 23, 1990) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played for 8 seasons in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks, Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, and Nas ...

, D *2012–13: Frank Slubowski, G; Luke Witkowski, D CCHA All-Rookie Team *1991–92: Chris Belanger, D *1992–93: Scott Chartier, D; Chris Brooks, F *1994–95: Steve Duke, D *1995–96: Marc Magliarditi, G;

, D *1996–97: Daryl Andrews, D *2001–02: Patrick Dwyer, F *2002–03: Vince Bellissimo, F *2006–07:

, 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

* Jason Polin: 2023 Forward of the Year * Jason Polin: 2023 * Alex Bump: 2025 Offensive Defenseman of the Year *

: 2021, 2022 Defensive Forward of the Year * Tim Washe: 2025 Scholar-Athlete of the Year * Kale Bennett: 2021 * Drew Worrad: 2022 * Luke Grainger: 2024 Herb Brooks Coach of the Year *

: 2017 *

: 2023, 2025 Frozen Faceoff MVP * Alex Bump: 2025

All-Conference teams

First Team All-NCHC *2019–20: Hugh McGing, F *2020–21:

, D *2021–22:

, D; Ethen Frank, F *2022–23: Jason Polin, F *2024–25: Alex Bump, F Second Team All-NCHC *2013–14: Chase Balisy, F *2016–17: Sheldon Dries, F *2018–19: Hugh McGing, F *2019–20:

, D *2021–22: Drew Worrad, F *2023–24: Luke Grainger, F *2024–25:

Hampton Slukynsky Hampton Slukynsky (born July 2, 2005) is an American college ice hockey goaltender for Western Michigan University of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Playing career Slukynsky played high school hockey at Warroad High School ...

, G Third Team All-NCHC *2024–25: Cameron Rowe, G; Joona Väisänen, D NCHC All-Rookie Team *2016–17: Ben Blacker, G *2019–20:

, D *2022–23: Ryan McAllister, F *2023–24: Alex Bump, F *2024–25:

, G; Joona Väisänen, 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) *

(2001) * Rob Hodge (2008) * Harry Lawson (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) * Danny Dekeyser (2024)

Broncos in the NHL

As of July 1, 2024 ‡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 Kevin Connauton (born February 23, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Utah Mammoth of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted ...

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,

File:Jamal Mayers Flames.png,

File:Jordan Oesterle 2014.jpg,

Jordan Oesterle Jordan Oesterle ( ; born June 25, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Early life Oesterle was born on June 25, 1992, in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, U.S. He at ...

File:Luke Witkowski 2015-04-11.jpg, Luke Witkowski Source:

References

External links

Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey
{{Western Michigan University College ice hockey teams in Michigan NCAA Division I men's ice hockey teams 1973 establishments in Michigan Ice hockey clubs established in 1973

History

Season-by-season results

Coaching

All-time coaching records

Statistical leaders

Career points leaders

Career goaltending leaders

Current roster

Awards and honors

NCAA

Individual awards

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