2020–21 Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey season
College ice hockey team season
The 2020–21 Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey season was the 47th season of play for the program. They represented Western Michigan University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season and for the 8th season in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). The Broncos were coached by Andy Murray , in his 10th season, and played their home games at Lawson Arena .
Season
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Western Michigan's players would lose a season of play.[ 1] [ 2]
Western Michigan began the season playing a series of games in Omaha, Nebraska , along with the rest of the NCHC. Before the team could even finish its first game, the Broncos were hamstrung by an injury to their starting netminder, Brandon Bussi.[ 3] Miami at the beginning of January, freshman Alex Aslanidis was put in net and the team began to show signs of life. After nearly returning the favor to Miami, the Broncos swept #4 St. Cloud State and turned their season around virtually overnight. Aslanidis' performance, paired with the stellar play of Ronnie Attard, allowed Western Michigan to sweep another #4 team a few weeks later (Minnesota Duluth ). In their final weekend of the regular season Bussi returned from his injury and swept Miami to put the team within one game of a .500 record.
Despite the teams vastly improved performance in the second half of the season, their record meant that the team had no real chance of making the NCAA tournament without winning the NCHC championship . The team had to get through Minnesota Duluth in the quarterfinals and the Broncos gave everything they had, taking a lead into the third period and then tying the game with less than a minute to play. WMU nearly matched UMD shot-for-shot but the final goal came from the Bulldogs and Western Michigan's season was over.
Jacob Bauer, Rhett Kingston and Jared Kucharek sat out the season.
Departures
Recruiting
Player
Position
Nationality
Age
Notes
Alex Aslanidis
Goaltender
United States 19
Moorestown, NJ
Jacob Bauer
Defenseman
United States 18
Detroit, MI
Trevor Bishop
Forward
United States 21
Rochester Hills, MI
Cédric Fiedler
Defenseman
United States 19
Boca Raton, FL
Aidan Fulp
Defenseman
United States 20
Indianapolis, IN
Ty Glover
Forward
Canada 20
Salford, GBR
Luke Grainger
Forward
Canada 20
Montreal, QC
Chad Hillebrand
Forward
United States 21
Park Ridge, IL
Daniel Hilsendager
Defenseman
Canada 20
Lloydminster, SK
Cam Knuble
Forward
United States 20
Grand Rapids, MI
Hugh Larkin
Forward
United States 21
Livonia, MI
Tim Washe
Forward
United States 19
Detroit, MI
Jarred White
Forward
Canada 21
Edmonton, AB
Roster
As of March 1, 2021[ 4]
No. S/P/C
Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
1
Austin Cain Senior
G 6' 4" (1.93 m)
187 lb (85 kg)
1996-09-12
Ottawa, Ontario Whitby (OJHL —
2
Kale Bennett A Senior (RS )
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1995-11-30
St. Louis, Missouri Nanaimo (BCHL —
3
Michael Joyaux Junior
D 5' 10" (1.78 m)
181 lb (82 kg)
1997-02-13
Bloomingdale, Illinois Youngstown (USHL —
4
Cam Knuble Freshman
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
2000-07-23
Grand Rapids, Michigan Muskegon (USHL —
6
Scooter Brickey Sophomore
D 6' 3" (1.91 m)
207 lb (94 kg)
1999-05-27
Burtchville, Michigan Des Moines (USHL —
7
Ronnie Attard Sophomore
D 6' 4" (1.93 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
1999-03-20
White Lake, Michigan Tri-City (USHL PHI 2019
8
Matteo Pecchia Freshman
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
192 lb (87 kg)
2000-06-05
Nobleton, Ontario Mississauga (OJHL —
9
Luke Grainger Freshman
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1999-09-03
Montreal, Quebec Hawkesbury (CCHL —
10
Chad Hillebrand Freshman
F 6' 4" (1.93 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1999-01-22
Park Ridge, Illinois Green Bay (USHL —
11
Rhett Kingston Junior
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1997-11-04
Black Diamond, Alberta Salmon Arm (BCHL —
12
Cole Gallant Junior
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1998-03-14
Dover, Florida Omaha (USHL —
13
Drew Worrad Junior
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
186 lb (84 kg)
1997-06-30
Birr, Ontario Steinbach (MJHL —
14
Jason Polin Sophomore
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
198 lb (90 kg)
1999-06-17
Holt, Michigan Cedar Rapids (USHL —
15
Daniel Hilsendager Freshman
D 6' 1" (1.85 m)
202 lb (92 kg)
2000-03-30
Lloydminster, Saskatchewan Omaha (USHL —
16
Tim Washe Freshman
F 6' 3" (1.91 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
2001-08-25
Clarkston, Michigan Nanaimo (BCHL —
17
Cédric Fiedler Freshman
D 6' 3" (1.91 m)
204 lb (93 kg)
2001-04-20
Zug, Switzerland Fargo (USHL —
18
Brett Van Os Senior
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
1996-02-21
St. Albert, Alberta Calgary Canucks (AJHL —
19
Lukas Samuelsson Senior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
177 lb (80 kg)
1996-10-08
Voorhees, New Jersey Toronto (GMHL )—
20
Jamie Rome Junior
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
211 lb (96 kg)
1998-10-03
Cochrane, Alberta Victoria (BCHL —
21
Josh Passolt A Senior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1996-09-13
Hayward, Wisconsin Sioux Falls (USHL —
22
Trevor Bishop Freshman
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1999-01-23
Rochester Hills, Michigan Victoria (BCHL —
23
Paul Washe C Senior
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
201 lb (91 kg)
1998-11-27
Clarkston, Michigan Fargo (USHL —
24
Aidan Fulp Freshman
D 6' 3" (1.91 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
2000-02-29
Indianapolis, Indiana Dubuque (USHL —
25
Jared Kucharek Junior
D 6' 4" (1.93 m)
203 lb (92 kg)
1998-05-23
Royal Oak, Michigan Madison (USHL —
26
Ethen Frank A Senior
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1998-02-05
Papillion, Nebraska Lincoln (USHL —
27
Ty Glover Freshman
F 6' 3" (1.91 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
2000-10-01
London, Ontario Lincoln (USHL —
28
Hugh Larkin Freshman
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
1999-03-27
Livonia, Michigan Austin (NAHL —
29
Jarred White Freshman
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1999-05-21
Edmonton, Alberta Sherwood Park (AJHL —
30
Brandon Bussi Sophomore
G 6' 5" (1.96 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
1998-06-25
Sound Beach, New York Muskegon (USHL —
31
Ross Hawryluk Freshman
G 6' 4" (1.93 m)
208 lb (94 kg)
2001-03-19
Lloydminster, Alberta Nipawin (SJHL —
35
Alex Aslanidis Freshman
G 6' 5" (1.96 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
2001-01-20
Morristown, New Jersey Navan (CCHL —
Jacob Bauer Freshman
D 6' 3" (1.91 m)
202 lb (92 kg)
2002-02-25
Milford, Michigan Lincoln (USHL —
Standings
Conference record
Overall record
GP
W
L
T
OTW
OTL
3/SW
PTS
PT%
GF
GA
GP
W
L
T
GF
GA
#5 North Dakota †*
24
18
5
1
2
1
0
54
.750 94
47
29
22
6
1
114
57
#2 St. Cloud State
24
15
9
0
3
3
0
45
.625 78
64
31
20
11
0
101
84
#3 Minnesota Duluth
24
13
9
2
1
2
1
43
.597 72
54
28
15
11
2
84
66
#13 Omaha
24
14
9
1
4
0
1
40
.556 79
69
26
14
11
1
85
81
Denver 22
9
12
1
0
2
1
31
.470 61
60
24
11
13
1
67
66
Western Michigan 24
10
11
3
1
0
1
33
.458 73
84
25
10
12
3
77
89
Colorado College 22
4
16
2
0
2
2
18
.273 35
77
23
4
17
2
36
79
Miami 24
5
17
2
0
1
0
18
.250 46
83
25
5
18
2
48
89
Championship : March 16, 2021 USCHO.com Top 20 Poll
Schedule and results
Date
Time
Opponent#
Rank#
Site
TV
Decision
Result
Attendance
Record
Regular season
December 1
8:07 p.m.
vs. St. Cloud State
#17
Baxter Arena • Omaha , Nebraska
Cain
L 3–4 0
0–1–0 (0–1–0)
December 3
8:35 p.m.
vs. Omaha
#17
Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska
Cain
L 2–10 0
0–2–0 (0–2–0)
December 6
1:05 p.m.
vs. #1 North Dakota
#17
Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska
Cain
L 2–8 0
0–3–0 (0–3–0)
December 8
12:35 p.m.
vs. Colorado College
Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska
Cain
T 3–3 SOL
0
0–3–1 (0–3–1)
December 9
4:35 p.m.
vs. #13 St. Cloud State
Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska
Cain
W 2–1 0
1–3–1 (1–3–1)
December 11
8:35 p.m.
vs. Colorado College
Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska
AT&T RM
Cain
W 5–2 0
2–3–1 (2–3–1)
December 13
5:05 p.m.
vs. #1 North Dakota
Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska
Cain
L 3–6 0
2–4–1 (2–4–1)
December 15
4:35 p.m.
vs. #8 Denver
Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska
Altitude
Cain
L 2–3 0
2–5–1 (2–5–1)
December 18
4:35 p.m.
vs. #17 Omaha
Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska
Cain
L 5–6 0
2–6–1 (2–6–1)
December 19
5:05 p.m.
vs. #8 Denver
Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska
Altitude
Cain
T 3–3 SOL
0
2–6–2 (2–6–2)
January 2
5:05 p.m.
vs. Miami
Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo , Michigan
Cain
L 1–3 0
2–7–2 (2–7–2)
January 3
5:05 p.m.
vs. Miami
Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
Cain
L 1–5 0
2–8–2 (2–8–2)
January 8
7:00 p.m.
at Miami
Steve Cady Arena • Oxford , Ohio
Aslanidis
W 4–1 0
3–8–2 (3–8–2)
January 9
5:00 p.m.
at Miami
Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio
Aslanidis
T 3–3 SOW
0
3–8–3 (3–8–3)
January 15
7:05 p.m.
vs. #4 St. Cloud State
Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
Aslanidis
W 6–2 0
4–8–3 (4–8–3)
January 16
7:41 p.m.
vs. #4 St. Cloud State
Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
CBSSN
Aslanidis
W 3–1 0
5–8–3 (5–8–3)
January 23
7:00 p.m.
at #7 Minnesota Duluth
AMSOIL Arena • Duluth , Minnesota
Aslanidis
L 1–5 150
5–9–3 (5–9–3)
January 24
5:00 p.m.
at #7 Minnesota Duluth
AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota
Aslanidis
L 1–4 150
5–10–3 (5–10–3)
February 5
8:30 p.m.
at #4 St. Cloud State
Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud , Minnesota
Aslanidis
L 1–5 153
5–11–3 (5–11–3)
February 6
7:07 p.m.
at #4 St. Cloud State
Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, Minnesota
Cain
W 5–4 OT
157
6–11–3 (6–11–3)
February 12
6:05 p.m.
vs. #4 Minnesota Duluth
Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
Aslanidis
W 4–0 125
7–11–3 (7–11–3)
February 13
4:05 p.m.
vs. #4 Minnesota Duluth
Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
Aslanidis
W 4–1 125
8–11–3 (8–11–3)
February 26
6:05 p.m.
vs. Miami
Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
Bussi
W 5–2 125
9–11–3 (9–11–3)
February 27
2:00 p.m.
at Miami
Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio
CBSSN
Bussi
W 4–2 0
10–11–3 (10–11–3)
NCHC tournament
March 13
8:30 p.m.
vs. #9 Minnesota Duluth
Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks , North Dakota
Bussi
L 4–5 OT
2,167
10–12–3
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Eastern Time .
[ 5]
Scoring statistics
Name
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
PIM
Drew Worrad C 25
5
18
23 8
Ronnie Attard D 25
8
14
22 8
Ethen Frank C 24
13
8
21 4
Paul Washe C 25
8
13
21 18
Josh Passolt LW 25
7
12
19 14
Cole Gallant RW 25
5
13
18 2
Jason Polin F 23
7
7
14 4
Michael Joyaux D 25
4
10
14 8
Ty Glover C 24
5
6
11 10
Aidan Fulp D 25
0
11
11 12
Brett Van Os LW 24
4
4
8 37
Luke Grainger F 25
4
4
8 12
Scooter Brickey D 25
2
4
6 16
Jamie Rome F 24
2
1
3 12
Cédric Fiedler D 15
0
3
3 6
Chad Hillebrand F 12
1
1
2 4
Hugh Larkin RW 19
1
1
2 7
Jarred White LW 14
0
2
2 22
Daniel Hilsendager D 21
0
2
2 4
Tim Washe C 13
1
0
1 10
Kale Bennett D 23
0
1
1 4
Trevor Bishop F 1
0
0
0 0
Brandon Bussi G 4
0
0
0 0
Lukas Samuelsson F 5
0
0
0 0
Cam Knuble F 8
0
0
0 4
Alex Aslanidis G 13
0
0
0 0
Austin Cain G 15
0
0
0 0
Bench
-
-
-
-
-
8
Total
77
135
212
234
[ 6]
Goaltending statistics
Name
Games
Minutes
Wins
Losses
Ties
Goals Against
Saves
Shut-outs
SV % GAA
Brandon Bussi 4
211
2
1
0
10
80
0
.889
2.84
Alex Aslanidis 13
613
5
3
1
31
231
1
.882
3.03
Austin Cain 15
683
3
8
2
46
308
0
.870
4.04
Empty Net
-
14
-
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
Total
25
1522
10
12
3
89
619
1
.874
3.51
Rankings
Poll
Week
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21 (Final)
USCHO.com
18
17
17
17
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
-
NR
USA Today
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20. [ 7]
Awards and honors
References
^ Cobb, David (August 21, 2020). "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility" . CBS Sports . Retrieved January 25, 2021 . ^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately" . NCAA . December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021 .^ Kotila, Tyler (December 8, 2020). "Western Michigan Hockey: Losing Brandon Bussi detrimental to season" . FanSided . Retrieved April 4, 2021 . ^ "2020-21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster" . Western Michigan University Athletics. Retrieved July 18, 2024 .^ "Western Michigan Broncos (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results" . College Hockey Stats . Retrieved December 5, 2019 .^ "Western Michigan Univ. 2020-2021 Skater Stats" . Elite Prospects . Retrieved July 16, 2020 .^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll" . USCHO.com . Retrieved November 26, 2019 .^ "Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin lead way with three All-American college hockey players apiece for '20-21 season" . USCHO.com . April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021 .^ a b "North Dakota's Berry, Pinto Garner NCHC's Top Honors for 2020-21" . NCHC . March 11, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021 .^ a b "North Dakota Paces 2020-21 NCHC All-Conference Teams" . nchchockey.com . March 8, 2021. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021 .
Playing venues Head coaches Seasons Conference affiliations All-time leaders NCAA Tournament appearances Conference Tournament titles
