Miami hasn’t won an NCHC game in over a calendar year, but its last victory came against Western Michigan.
The RedHawks are 0-27-1 vs. conference foes since, and they’ve lost 14 straight overall.
Meanwhile, the Broncos are ranked third in Division I and are 8-1-1 in league play.
And despite that blemish vs. MU last January, Western Michigan is 14-1-1 vs. the RedHawks in their last 16 meetings.
VFG takes a look at the upcoming series:
WHO: Miami RedHawks (3-17-2, 0-12 NCHC) at No. 3 Western Michigan Broncos (15-4-1, 8-1-1).
WHERE: Lawson Arena (3,667), Kalamazoo, Mich.
WHEN: Friday — 7 p.m.; Saturday — 6 p.m.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Western Michigan leads, 84-71-13.
VIDEO STREAMING: NCHC.tv ($).
MIAMI RADIO STREAMING: MiamiRedHawks.com (Greg Waddell PxP).
MIAMI RADIO: Both nights — WBKV-AM (1490), Richmond, Ind.
NOTES: Western Michigan’s save percentages this season more closely resemble baseball fielding averages.
Graduate senior Cameron Rowe is having a career season in net for the Broncos, going 11-1 with a 1.83 goals-against average and a save percentage of .931.
But freshman Los Angeles Kings draftee Hampton Slukynsky’s qualitative numbers have been even better — a 1.73 GAA and .943 save percentage.
Western Michigan is tops in the NCAA on the penalty kill at 92.2 percent and its 1.90 average goals against is the fourth-best clip in Division I.
WMU can score too. In 20 games, three Broncos have netted at least nine goals on a team averaging 3.40 tallies.
Alex Bump leads the team in points with 20, including nine goals. His shot total of 112 is more than twice that of any other Western Michigan skater.
Owen Michaels leads the team with 10 goals, plus six assists, and he also paces all Broncos skaters with a plus-16 rating.
Senior and Providence transfer Liam Valente is 9-7-16 with a team-high four power play goals.
And Tim Washe has eight goals — including five game winners.
Western Michigan has only generated six goals from its D-corps, and former RedHawk Robby Drazner has three.
Dallas draftee Samuel Sjolund does not have a goal but leads the Broncos with 13 assists, and freshman Pittsburgh selection Joona Vaisanen is 1-8-9.
Sixteen WMU skaters have dressed for all 20 games, so the Broncos’ regular lineup is pretty well set — except in goal, where Rowe and Slukynsky are currently rotating while they slug it out for the starting job.
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