Western Michigan Sweeps Colorado College in Weekend Series

In a series that featured one of the top defensive teams with Colorado College and one of the best offensive teams with Western Michigan, the offense prevailed. 

Western Michigan came away with a weekend sweep, winning Friday’s matchup 4-0, which was extremely lopsided. The shots came out to 36-15 for the Broncos, and the momentum was clear in the second period, when Western Michigan outshot Colorado College 16-2. 

What made this win so impressive was that Western Michigan was without star freshman Adam Benak, who received a suspension from the NCHC for a slash against North Dakota, which led to one game in the press box for Benak. 

The Saturday matchup was much closer, finishing at 5-4 in overtime for Western Michigan. Considering how consistent Colorado College has been in their own end, putting up four and five goals on them is extremely impressive. But for the Tigers, they need to reassess their team and figure out what steps they need to take to become one of those elite teams, because after this weekend, it’s hard for them to make a case. 

Although not as bad as Friday, the Broncos outshot the Tigers again, but this time it was only 33-23; in overtime, it was 7-0 for Western Michigan. 

In his return, Benak recorded an assist while finishing with a minus-one. Cole Spicer and Zaccharya Wisdom were the only Mustangs with multi-point nights, as they have been solid players in the top six. 

Both goalies played well in this series, but Western Michigan’s pace and instant turnover-to-transition offense made it hard for Colorado College to get in their structure and defend like they normally do. For the Broncos, they now know their offense can get going against anyone in the country, and for the Tigers, they need to hit the drawing board and figure out their identity and what to do if the puck is going in their net.