Western Michigan (2-4-0, 0-2-0-0) vs. #10/12 Denver (4-2-0, 1-1-0-0)
All-Time series — WMU leads 27-22-7
Nov. 7-8 // Magness Arena (6,315 seated)
Fri. 9:30 p.m.; Sat. 9:00 p.m. // Kalamazoo, Mich.
RADIO BROADCAST | LISTEN LIVE | LIVE STATS
• Friday and Saturday's game will be live on 96.5 FM (Kalamazoo, Portage, Mattawan);
BROADCAST | NCHC.TV
• Both games can be seen live on NCHC.tv. A subscription is required.
LAST WEEK
The Broncos were off last weekend but are coming off a split with No. 16 Alaska. The Nanooks took the opening game of the series in a 1-0 shutout but Western Michigan responded with a 4-2 win over UAF the following night.
Alaska's Nolan Kaiser netted the lone goal on the power play at 5:06 in the third period. Nanook goalie Sean Cahill made 34 saves in the shutout, besting Lukas Hafner and his season-high 31 saves.
Junior captain Nolan LaPorte tallied two goals and an assist in the win and Neal Goff tallied his second goal of the season. Hafner made 30 saves on the night and allowed just one even-strength goal. The win ended a three-game skid for the Broncos.
AT A GLANCE: DENVER UNIVERSITY
• THE SERIES: The Broncos trail the all-time series 3-7-0 and are 0-4-0 at Denver. Last season WMU went 1-4-0 against the Pioneers, getting swept on the road, splitting at home and then falling in the NCHC Semifinals.
• SCOUTING THE PIONEERS: Denver (4-2-0, 1-1-0-0 NCHC) enters the weekend after a split with national power Boston College. DU fell on Friday 2-1 but rebounded with a 2-1 win on Saturday. In conference play the Pioneers have played in one series, splitting on the road at Minnesota-Duluth.
Denver didn't lose much from its NCHC Championship team from last season, returning 21 letterwinners. The DU offense has averaged 2.33 goals per game so far this season, ranking 40th in the country. Leading the offense has been freshman Danton Heinen and sophomore Trevor Moore, each with six points. Heinen, a fourth-round draft pick by the Boston Bruins, has three goals and three assists on the season. Moore, who was the Pioneers' top scorer last season, has five assists to lead the squad. Senior defenseman Joey LaLeggia has just one goal on the season but has racked up 35 in his career from the blue line.
Defensively the Pioneers rank among the nation's best, coming in at ninth at 1.83 goals allowed per game. Sam Brittain, the NCHC's top goalie from last season, is gone but Evan Cowley has made sure that Denver hasn't skipped a beat. Cowley, a Florida Panthers draft pick, has started all six games with a 1.72 goals against average and a .938 save percentage.
DU's power play has converted 18.2 percent (6/33) of its power plays on the season and has killed 83.3 percent (30/36) of its opponents power plays. Two of Zac Larraza's three goals have come on the power play this season.
BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
• Last season Magness Arena was the site of WMU junior goaltender Lukas Hafner's first career start. Hafner made 22 saves on the night, surrendering just one goal on a five-on-three power play in a 1-0 loss to the Pioneers. Hafner went on to set the WMU single-season save percentage record after recording a .925 in 21 games. Hafner is 1-1-0 all-time against Denver with a .957 save percentage and a 1.01 goals against average.
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET
• WMU's last series against No. 16 Alaska was the first games against a ranked opponent this season. With Western Michigan heading to No. 10/12 Denver, if current trends hold the Broncos will face a ranked opponent in nine of their next 10 weekend series. Next week WMU hosts No. 7/6 St. Cloud State, then travels to No. 11 Miami. At the Shillelagh Tournament they are guaranteed to either face No. 8 Union or No. 15/14 Notre Dame and guaranteed to play No. 4 Colgate at the Three Rivers Classic. The lone team currently not ranked on WMU's schedule is Colorado College.
IT HAD BEEN A WHILE
• Nolan LaPorte's goal at 13:07 in the first period of WMU's 4-2 win over Alaska ended a scoreless drought of 171:49 that spanned four games and nine periods. Prior to LaPorte's goal, the last goal scored by the Broncos was Neal Goff at 1:18 in the second period of the team's 5-2 loss to Nebraska-Omaha.
• At the end of the first period in WMU's 4-2 win over Alaska the Nanooks were awarded a penalty shot. Garrick Perry beat Lukas Hafner to tie the game at 1-1 for the first successful penalty shot against the Broncos since Brennan Vargas beat Riley Gill on Jan. 22, 2010.
FIRST OF THE SEASON
• Junior goalie Lukas Hafner earned the first NCHC weekly award for the Broncos this season after being named NCHC Goalie of the Week for his performance against Alaska. Hafner finished the weekend with a .953 save percentage and a 1.52 goals against average in two starts against the Nanooks. He has started in four of WMU's six games on the season with a 2-2-0 record, a 2.02 goals against average and a .923 save percentage.
