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Updated: October 23, 2022 @ 2:32 am
Luke Grainger has been a major part of the Broncos’ early success this season, scoring one goal and handing out five assists over four games.
Luke Grainger has been a major part of the Broncos’ early success this season, scoring one goal and handing out five assists over four games.
Western Michigan hockey is scorching hot approaching this weekend’s home-and-home series against the University of Notre Dame.
The Broncos have won four games in a row since being handed an opening night loss by Alaska-Anchorage on the road, and have done it in dominant fashion. WMU houses the third-highest scoring offense in the country thanks mainly to the efforts of forwards Ryan McAllister and Max Sasson, who have combined for 14 points on the young season behind six goals and eight assists. McAllister, a freshman, leads the NCAA in points with eight.
“His offensive stick and his offensive mind are brilliant,” head coach Pat Ferschweiler said when referring to McAllister. “He’s going to score a lot of goals in his time here.”
The defense has also been brilliant, holding opposing teams Bowling Green and Ferris State to just five shots on net during a single period on two separate occasions.
On top of casting a protective shield around goalie Cameron Rowe, WMU’s defenseman have also generated plenty of offense from the back end, particularly from senior transfer Zak Galambos. Galambos has three goals on the season so far, making him one of the top scoring defensemen in all of college hockey.
Notre Dame should prove to be a formidable challenge for the Broncos, though. The Fighting Irish maintained most of its roster following a 28-12-0 record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals in 2021-22 that saw them lose to No. 1 seed Minnesota State. After falling to Denver to start the year, UND is 2-1, scoring 13 goals.
Powering the Fighting Irish offense is Ryder Rolston. Rolston is clearly the focal point of UND’s attack, as he’s taken 20 shots, eight more than the next closest player. He’s converted three of those shots while also dishing out three assists, leading the team in total points. Drew Bavaro is the team’s swiss army knife; he’s racked up four assists and one goal on 10 shots so far this season, showing his ability to create offense for himself and his teammates.
Goalie Ryan Bischel is in for a tough matchup against WMU. Bischel has struggled to open the 22-23 season, allowing 12 goals in just four games and sporting a save percentage of .886, outside of the top 50 goalies in the country. The Broncos should have no problem generating natural and fluid offensive opportunities against him.
Witgh both teams playing fast and offensively minded, whichever team can stand up on defense will prevail. This plays in the Broncos’ favor, as the the Fighting Irish’s back end has been sub-par. As long as Rowe, who sports a .907 save percentage, can continue his stellar play and the WMU defensemen can continue to stonewall offenses while avoiding penalties, the squad should easily sweep the series.
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