This is the final regular season weekend for these teams, who will both finish below .500 and out of the NCHC’s top four.
But they still have plenty to play for, as both could move up a seed for the conference tournament in two weeks.
Western Michigan is in sixth, a point behind fifth-place Denver, and Miami is tied with Colorado College for last place.
The RedHawks swept the Broncos in a two-game set in Kalamazoo last month, and WMU took five of six points in Oxford the following weekend.
WHO: Miami RedHawks (5-15-2) vs. Western Michigan Broncos (8-11-3).
WHERE: Friday – At Lawson Arena, Kalamazoo, Mich.; Sunday – At Cady Arena, Oxford, Ohio.
WHEN: Friday – 6:05 p.m.; Sunday – 3:05 p.m.
TV: None.
STREAMING: NCHC.tv.
NOTES: It has been a season of streaks for Western Michigan, which has endured three three-game losing streaks and a trio of three-plus game unbeaten swings.
The Broncos are currently on the upside of the wave, having won their last three – all against top-10 St. Cloud State and Minn.-Duluth.
Third goalie Alex Aslandis has taken over the starting job, with expected starter entering 2020-21 Brandon Bussi out since Game 1 and Austin Cain ineffective. Aslandis is 5-3-1 and is a key reason for WMU’s current winning streak.
He stopped 46 of 47 shots in a pair of wins in St. Cloud last weekend.
Ethen Frank is Western Michigan’s most dangerous scoring threat, having scored 11 times this season, tied for third in the conference. The senior has found the net 42 times in his WMU career.
Drew Worrad leads the team in assists (16) and points (20), and junior Josh Passolt has seven goals and 10 assists, with a team-best three game-winners.
Paul Washe and Cole Gallant have 16 points each for the Broncos.
On defense, Philadelphia draft pick Ronnie Attard leads that corps with six goals, 11 assists and 17 points.
Michael Joyaux, younger brother of former RedHawks Chris and Matt Joyaux, is 4-8-12 including the first defenseman hat trick in league history.
Aidan Fulp, Scooter Brickey, Daniel Hilsendager and Kale Bennett have been the other regulars on the Broncos’ blue line.
Western Michigan is tied for the fifth-most goals allowed in the NCAA, but that’s largely due to the team’s catastrophic struggles in net during the Pod after Bussi was injured.
The Broncos are 4-2 at home, but both of their Lawson Arena losses came against Miami.
Miami is 1-8-1 in its last 10 and has scored more than three goals once this entire season.
But the RedHawks played well two weeks ago against SCSU, earning a split vs. the Huskies in Oxford.
Offense continues to be a problem for Miami, which is one of just seven teams in Division I averaging fewer than two goals per game.
Only three skaters have more than two goals this season (Matthew Barbolini 5, Derek Daschke 4, John Sladic 3).
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