Broncos sweep No. 1 Denver
I’m personally hesitant to talk about upsets in the first month or so of the season, but what Western Michigan did this weekend will certainly turn heads.
Denver will be knocked off its perch at the top of the national rankings early next week thanks to a pair of road losses to the Broncos. A Henrik Borgstrom hat trick Friday for DU ended up not being the main headline after Colt Conrad and Dawson DiPietro scored in the final two minutes to give WMU a 6-5 win. Western switched goaltenders in the second period but got 15 saves in relief from Austin Cain.
More third-period magic came from the Broncos in Saturday’s 7-4 victory. Three goals in 43 seconds from Conrad, Hugh McGing and Paul Washe erased an earlier 3-2 deficit before Wade Allison and Jade McMullen put the game away in the final seven minutes. Cain and Ben Blacker again split time in the Western nets, with Blacker putting together eight saves in part of the second period and all of the third.
Both teams face tough tests again next week. Western visits No. 8 Minnesota Duluth, while Denver hosts a St. Cloud State team that entered this weekend ranked second. Speaking of which…
Huskies sweep top-10 series
SCSU came away tops at home in the most anticipated NCHC series this weekend. Five different Huskies scored Friday in a 5-3 win over UMD. Two St. Cloud goals came on power plays, including Easton Brodzinski’s game-winner eight minutes into the third period.
The Huskies found smoother sailing Saturday, again getting goals from five different players in a 5-0 victory. Mikey Eyssimont had a goal and an assist, both in the first period, and David Hrenak made 29 saves in his first collegiate shutout.
SCSU is now 7-0 on the season, signifying the first time it’s done so since 2001-02. The Huskies started that season 9-0, a mark SCSU will try to match next weekend at Magness Arena.
UND gets win, tie at Wisconsin
No. 4 North Dakota received bad news from Friday’s morning skate ahead of a series opener at seventh-ranked Wisconsin, as starting goaltender Cam Johnson had picked up an undisclosed injury.
Freshman backup Peter Thome took the news in stride. He ended up making 36 saves that night, including 34 in a row, to help carry the Fighting Hawks to a 3-2 win over the Badgers. At the other end of the ice, a second-period goal from Austin Poganski tied the game before former Ohio State Buckeye Nick Jones scored the winner 11 minutes into the third.
Thome started again Saturday, making 22 saves in a 2-2 tie. He conceded Wisconsin’s first goal on a penalty shot late in the first period, but UND goals in the third from Collin Adams and Shane Gersich helped the Hawks end well a weekend that started shakily with Johnson’s injury.
UND plays at home next weekend against a Miami team that split a pair of one-goal games this weekend at home against Colorado College.
