Broncos capture first CCHA title since 1986
By Brian Kalisher –
DETROIT – Andy Murray said he was at a loss for words at his post-game press conference.
When you lead a team to their first CCHA Tournament championship since 1986, in your first season at the helm, it’s an understandable circumstance.
Western Michigan defeated perennial powerhouse Michigan 3-2 to capture the Mason Cup – a fitting end for a program that is coming off its first 20-win regular season in over a decade.
“It’s pretty tough to talk after something like that – your emotions,” first-year Broncos head man Andy Murray said. “I’m just so happy for our players and this is all about them. It’s all about their commitment, all year they worked extremely hard. I’ve had a lot of hard-working teams as a hockey coach…we’ve got a real hard-working core here.”
Led by a multiple-point effort from WMU’s line of Chase Balisy, Shane Berschbach and Dane Walters, and a plethora of momentous saves from CCHA tournament MVP Frank Slubowski, the Broncos earned their biggest win in 26 years.
“I told them last night that all year the way that they’ve played, they’ve battled, the enthusiasm at Lawson Arena, beating top-quality teams,” Murray said. “They’ve already done a lot for the university and the hockey program, but this weekend was all about them, all about the togetherness, the team sticking together, the battling, it was all about the players.”
According to Walters, who was a part of the Broncos’ most productive line, the whole team needed to chip in for the victory.
“We have a confidence in everybody,” Walters said. “We like to roll four lines because we believe each person on our team can carry their own weight.
“After we killed that five-minute penalty I think it was just a huge momentum boost for us. It was still a goal lead going into it, and we looked around and all we said is ‘boys, we have to advance here, play our game and we’re going to come out with the win.’ They peppered us and pulled their goalie, six guys, and we found a way to get through it and get it done.”
Even Michigan’s legendary coach Red Berenson isn’t surprised by Western Michigan’s success.
“I think it’s long overdue,” Berenson said. “They should be a good program, they’ve had good players and good teams and good coaches. It’s good to see them down here.”
Although these two squads have never met for a CCHA championship, the Broncos brought a 3-8 all-time record against the Wolverines in CCHA postseason play to their first ever dance in the title game. Needless to say, WMU was forced to post a full-game effort to walk away with the championship.
WMU failed to capitalize on an early power play opportunity stemming from a Kevin Lynch boarding minor at 1:46. Right after the penalty expired, WMU freshman goaltender Frank Slubowski deflected a David Wohlberg shot out of play, after the Michigan senior broke in alone.
Each burdened the other in the offensive end before any goals were scored. Despite holding the one-goal lead, WMU was outshot 9-7 in the first frame.
The first period’s lone goal came courtesy of the Broncos. Senior captain Ian Slater buried a rebound past a diving Shawn Hunwick at 13:26.
Like last night, the Broncos play in their own zone benefitted their offensive game. WMU steadily clogged the neutral zone and kept pressure in Michigan’s end, stifling a lot of their breakout chances. With two junior defensemen ranking in the top five in defenseman scoring for the CCHA playoffs– Tennyson with five points and Witkowski with 3 – the Broncos consistently demonstrate what a team with back-end punch can bring to the ice.
Early in the second at 3:31, WMU was successful in killing off a Garrett Haar hooking minor. Five minutes later Slubowski did the splits to keep a puck out of the net on a Wolverines shot on goal.
WMU took their turn at the other end of the ice at the midpoint of the period, as sophomore defenseman Dennis Brown literally skated through the entire Michigan squad for a shot on Hunwick, which ended up sailing high over the net and out of play.
The Broncos added to their lead, making it 2-0, when Brown made a spectacular play to hold the puck in at the Michigan blue line on the power play. From there, sophomore Chase Balisy skated the puck toward a scrum in front of Hunwick’s crease and Dane Walters chipped it in for his 16th goal of the season at 12:02. Clawson native Shane Berschbach was also credited with a helper.
WMU only made it tougher on Michigan after that, scoring another goal at 17:56. Dan Walters worked hard to poke the puck out from behind the net in the offensive zone to Berschbach, who then tipped it over to Balisy for the tally.
The Broncos took a 3-0 lead into the second intermission, despite still being out-shot by the Wolverines for a two-period total of 20-18.
The game got a bit ugly in the third period when WMU’s Kyle O’Kane and Michigan’s Jon Merrill collided in a knee-on-knee collision. After spending a few minutes on the ice, O’Kane was helped off and Merrill headed to the box to serve a five-minute kneeing major.
Michigan found the scoreboard at 8:01 for their first goal of the evening when sophomore defenseman Kevin Clare drove the net, put a spiffy move on the defender, and roofed the puck over Slubowski’s shoulder for a shorthanded goal.
The Wolverines brought themselves within a goal, making it 3-2 at 14:02, when Lee Moffie received an across-the-crease pass from Luke Moffatt and buried it. A.J. Treais also assisted.
Undeterred by Michigan’s late effort on the five-minute man-advantage, and working under extreme late pressure, the Broncos held on for the 3-2 victory and ability to call themselves CCHA champs.
Murray has plenty of stops on his coaching resume, but this is one he won’t ever forget.
“You only live once, you’ve got to do it all,” Murray said. “The chance to be a college coach now at the Division 1 level, it’s great.”