Western Michigan (8-21-3, 5-16-1-1)
vs. #2/2 North Dakota (26-5-3, 17-4-1-1)
All-Time Series — North Dakota leads 13-1-0
March 5-6 | Ralph Engelstad Arena (11,640 seated)
Fri. 9:00 PM ET - CBSSN | Sat. 8:00 PM ET - FCS/NCHC.tv
THIS WEEK
Western Michigan wraps up the 2015-16 regular season at No. 2 North Dakota. Friday's 9 p.m. ET start will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network. Saturday's 8 p.m. start will be live on NCHC.tv and Fox College Sports.
BROADCASTING NOTE
Friday's game on the Bronco Radio Network will be live on 590 AM and wkzo.com
LAST WEEK
WMU wrapped up play at Lawson Ice Arena, falling to the University of Denver in both games, 5-1 and 4-1. In Friday's game the Pioneers netted four goals in the first period to give the Broncos an insurmountable deficit. Aidan Muir netted a goal in the second period to cut the lead to 4-1 but Matt Marcinew finalized the score with a goal late in the second period. Trevor Gorsuch made 25 saves in relief.
Saturday's game had a similar result but DU didn't build it's 4-0 lead until the third period. Nolan LaPorte, in his final game at Lawson Ice Arena, spoiled the shutout bid by Tanner Jaillet after a goal with 1:15 left in the game.
AT A GLANCE: THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING HAWKS
• THE SERIES: North Dakota leads the all-time series 13-1-0. The lone WMU win came back at the end of the 2013-14 season in Grand Forks.
• AGAINST THE FIGHTING HAWKS: Nolan LaPorte leads all Broncos with three points in nine games. Lukas Hafner has a 1-5-0 record but a 1.85 goals against average and a .938 save percentage.
• PRO POTENTIAL: North Dakota's 11 NHL draft picks are the most on a team that Western Michigan will face this season. Amongst the 11 are two first-round draft picks in sophomore Nick Schmaltz and freshman Brock Boeser. Boeser's leads the NCHC in goals scored with 22.
• SCOUTING THE FIGHTING HAWKS, AGAIN: North Dakota enters the weekend needing just one point to repeat as NCHC Regular Season Champions and are 12-2-1 at home this season.
The Fighting Hawks boast the 10th-ranked offense in the nation, averaging 3.35 goals per game and are led by Boeser and his 37 points. The Vancouver Canuck draft pick leads the team with 22 goals and is fifth on the team with 15 assists. Senior Drake Caggiula, who missed the earlier WMU series due to injury, sits second on the team with 36 points on 17 goals and 19 assists. Sophomore Nick Schmaltz, also a first-round draft pick, leads the team with 26 assists. Junior Troy Stetcher leads all UND defenseman with 22 points and is also the team's top goal-scoring blue-liner with six goals on the season.
Cam Johnson leads the North Dakota defense that ranks second in the nation and allowing just 1.82 goals per game. Johnson himself allows just 1.54 goals per game, holds a .940 save percentage and a 17-3-1 record. Junior Matt Hrynkiw has made 13 appearances with a 9-2-2 record, a 2.18 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.
UND's power play ranks in at 27th and has converted 23-of-129 (17.8 percent) of its chances on the season. Boeser leads the team with five power play tallies, while Luke Johnson has three. The penalty kill ranks sixth in the nation, killing off 113-of-129 (87.6 percent) of its opponents power plays.
TOUGHEST IN THE NATION
According to USCHO.com the Broncos have the toughest schedule in the nation. WMU has had to battle ranked teams in 25 of its 32 games this season, including 10 against teams the top 10. That number jumps to 12 with the series against No. 2 North Dakota this weekend.
ODDS AND ENDS
• Freshman Griffen Molino heads into the weekend with 21 points, matching Frederik Tiffel's total from his freshman season a year ago. Molino has the chance to score the most points by a freshman since Chase Balisy's 30 from 2010-11. He also has the opportunity to be the first freshman to finish the season as WMU's top point-man since Mark Letestu tallied 46 points during his freshman season back in 2006-07.
• WMU's playoff future is still undecided. The Broncos can finish in either seventh or eighth place and have the possibility to play North Dakota again, at St. Cloud State, or at Denver.
