Western Michigan defeated Boston University 6-2 Saturday night in St. Louis to secure their first NCAA Division I Hockey title.
The road to the title was not an easy one, as the Broncos had to defeat defending champion Denver in the semifinals in a tough double overtime game in which they came out on top 3-2 Thursday night.
With their victory, Western Michigan becomes the fourth program to win a national title in it Frozen Four debut, and the first since Lake Superior State won in 1988. There is no doubt that this is a momentous win for the small school from Kalamazoo, especially in the awaking age where NCAA athletics are becoming dominated by NIL.
“So proud of this team. They believed in themselves from start to finish,” Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler said. “They cared about each other all year. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Before Ferschweiler become the Broncos coach four seasons ago, Western Michigan had just six NCAA tournament appearances since joining Division I in hockey in 1975-76, failing to win a single game. Since Ferschweiler was hired, the Broncos have made the tournament four straight years, advancing to the Frozen Four for the first time this season, and capping their run with the national championship.
We will see of the if this historic win can lead to more future success for the Western Michigan hockey program as the long NCAA season concludes.
