Western Michigan defeats Denver in double OT to advance to its first national championship

By / / Sports / 6 minutes of reading


By Scott Wheeler, Joe Smith and Jeremy Rutherford 

ST. LOUIS — Twenty-six seconds into double overtime, Owen Michaels made himself a hero in Kalamazoo, scoring bar down to send Western Michigan University to its first-ever national championship game.

“I kind of blacked out a little bit,” Michaels said after it was over. “It was kind of a little bit of a broken play and I just saw the puck squirt out to me in the middle of the ice and I had some open time and space and I just figured I’d put it in the net.”

With his goal, his second of the night, the Broncos, in their first-ever appearance in the Frozen Four, defeated the defending national champions from Denver, with their record nine national titles, 3-2 in the second double overtime game between the two teams in a month on Thursday night.

The Broncos controlled the game throughout, and nearly opened the scoring a minute in when freshman forward and Winnipeg Jets prospect Zachary Nehring, with the net wide open on the back post, pounded a shot off the crossbar.

For stretches of the game, the Pioneers looked completely overwhelmed. The Broncos outshot them 12-3 in the first period and 20-5 in the second frame, eventually breaking through.

Fifth-year Brian Kramer, 24, the Broncos’ oldest player after transferring from AIC for his final year of eligibility, opened the scoring for the Broncos’ first-ever goal at the Frozen Four, jumping off the line off a won faceoff on a second-period power play and beating Denver senior goalie Matt Davis high.

Late in the second period, Michaels beat Davis high again to make it 2-0.

The Pioneers pushed back in the third, though, outshooting the Broncos 9-4 in the final 20 and sending the game to overtime on goals from junior forward and Chicago Blackhawks prospect Aidan Thompson and a late jam play around the crease finished by junior forward and Kings prospect Jared Wright after a point shot from sophomore defenseman and Sharks prospect Eric Pohlkamp — the goal standing after a challenge and a video review for goaltender interference.

But it felt like it never stopped feeling like it was Western Michigan’s game to win, and when it was over,r they’d outshot Denver 47-22, beaten them for a third time in four meetings this season, and they were off to Saturday’s final, with a chance at history.

Gutsy finish by Buium

It didn’t look good when Zeev Buium hobbled to the bench in the second period after getting his legs tangled against the boards on a hit by Wyatt Schingoethe. Buium wasn’t able to fully spin away from it, and he looked labored the rest of the period. But Buium found a way in the third to help the Pioneers rally. That included a beauty zone entry that set up the game-tying goal with 2:39 left. Buium had three or four turnovers at the blue line and had a couple of shifts run long and hemmed in over the course of the game, things he’ll have to manage at the next level. But he also made things happen, particularly in the third and into overtime, where one of his dashes nearly won it for Denver before Western Michigan’s game-winner passed through his outstretched hands and onto Michaels’ stick. He was a Hobey Baker finalist for a reason and is expected to sign with the Wild in the coming days. — Joe Smith

Matt Davis leaves a legacy of winning in Denver’s net

Before Thursday, Davis had never given up more than one goal in the national tournament. He went AJHL-to-USHL-to-two-time-national-champion goaltender (once as a backup and once as the guy) with a reputation for coming up big in big games. Despite giving up three on Thursday night, the story was no different in defeat. Davis was the difference in even getting Denver into overtime and it felt like each of his 44 saves were earned.

A colleague asked me ahead of the tournament about his NHL prospects and it’s tricky.

Because of his long path and two years as Denver’s backup behind Magnus Chrona, he’s now 23 (he’ll turn 24 this summer). He’s also not big for a goalie by today’s standards, with a 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame. But anyone who has watched Denver over the last couple of years knows how important he has been to their success and he’s got a career save percentage above .921 through 93 games with the Pioneers to sell himself on. He’s also a fearsome competitor in the net, which was on display all night on Thursday. It could have been 4-0 or 5-0 through 40, instead of 2-0. There were entire shifts where Denver was hemmed in and they surrendered multiple breakaways. Davis fought WMU off. He just battles in the crease and holds the line, never giving up on pucks. He plays the puck well, too. I really respect the way he plays and what he has accomplished at Denver. He’s going to get a pro contract here. I don’t know if it’ll be an NHL one or an AHL one, but he’s the kind of guy I’d want to be part of my organization.

“He’s a heck of a goaltender. Not too fun playing against him. His resume speaks for itself. He’s a winner,” Michaels said of Davis postgame.

And he’s right. — Scott Wheeler

Pat Ferschweiler has turned Western Michigan into a top program

When Ferschweiler took the top job with the Broncos in 2021, they’d just come off a losing season and their third straight quarterfinal exit from the NCHC tournament. In his very first season in charge, the program beat Omaha and North Dakota in the NCHC quarters and then semis before losing to Minnesota-Duluth in the final, went back to the national tournament, and won their regional semifinal against Northeastern before losing in their regional final to Minnesota. Now, in his fourth season behind the bench, they’ve won their first NCHC title as a program and are headed to their first national championship game. They might have been the team in college hockey with the clearest identity all year long. Without a first-round pick on the roster, he has built a four-line team up front and he has them all pulling on the same rope. They’re big, strong and competitive. They win on the cycle, battles and being detail-oriented. Win or lose on Saturday, they’ve been consistently impressive and usually the better team all year long. — Scott Wheeler

(Photo: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)





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