Editor: Ken Dickie, Volunteer Alumni & Events Coordinator [email protected]

Photo Courtesy of Gary Shook

Coach’s Comments • Memorial Tribute to Bill Weessies • Meet the 2020-21 Captains • Bronco Notes • Bronco Team Statistics

• 2020-21 NCHC Bronco Hockey Schedule • Friends and Alumni Weekend & RING OF HONOR

Active Player Stats • Active Hockey Administrators

So much has happened since the last time I had the chance to share my thoughts with you. The uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic have touched virtually every aspect of our personal and professional lives. This makes it imperative that we stay in touch with friends we hold close. I want you to know that all on our staff are thinking about you and your fam- ilies. We hope you are safe, staying well and that each day will be BETTER than the one before.

Unfortunately, I must begin on a sad note as I pay tribute to one of our dedicated fans, Bill Weessies, who passed away on April 16. Our Bronco family lost a passionate member with Bill’s passing. From the time I arrived on campus almost 10 years ago to just a few weeks ago when I last saw him, Bill was honest and straight about our team. He always Pat Ferschweiler appreciated hard work and grit and was not averse to telling me when our team needed more of both. Seeing him interact with our present players and seeing him with our alums at the summer hockey reunion, I knew how popular he was. We will all miss Bill. Our team will continue to play with the hard work and grit Bill would want.

Before providing my thoughts on the summer and the upcoming , I want to extend my congratula- tions to Brad Berry, North Dakota, and Mike Shafer (a former Bronco Assistant Coach and Associate Head Coach), Cornell, on being named co-recipients of the Spencer Penrose NCAA Division I Coach of the Year Award.

I also want to give a shout out to our eight seniors, junior and sophomore who are moving on to profes- Dave Shyiak sional endeavors. To each of them: Sr. Wade Allison (Flyers), Sr. Luke Bafia, Sr. Ben Blacker, Sr. Lawton Courtnall, Sr. Dawson DiPietro (Sabers), Sr. Cam Lee (Pens), Sr. Will Massey, Sr. Hugh McGing (Blues), Jr. Austin Ruesschhoff (Rangers) and So. Mattias Samuelsson (Sabers), you were a special group of student- athletes, on and off the ice. It was my privilege to coach you and watch you grow as players and young men. You led by example. As a group and individually, you exemplified our mantra DWD (Do the right thing, When you are supposed to and Do it that way every time). As your coach, I could not have asked for anything more. You will all be missed, but the example you have set will live on with our returning players and staff. I know you will be a success wherever your future takes you.

A special congratulations to Hugh McGing on being named a First Team West CCM-AHCA All-America as Tim Herrmann well as a First Team All-NCHC All Star. These are well deserved rewards for the leadership, dedication, and hard work that exemplified your career as a Bronco on and off the ice.

Looking to next year, and working around the uncertainties COVID-19 has brought to the university and NCHC activities, the coaching staff is busy staying in touch with our returning players, players who have committed to become Broncos and with players we hope will decide to become Broncos as we build to- ward our goals in 2020-21 and beyond.

I am very excited about the four strong-character seniors who will be our leadership core for next year. Serving as our for the 2020-21 season will be senior Paul Washe. Paul was a force on the ice and in the locker room last year. He was second on the team in minutes played and was among the top cen- J. J. Crew ters in NCAA D-I in faceoffs won. Assisting Paul will be fifth-year senior Kale Bennett, a mature, dependa- ble defenseman, and seniors Josh Passolt and Ethen Frank, both strong-skating, solid, two-way forwards.

Having lost eight seniors, our seniors will be leading a young, but productive, team. Offensively, we have more than 50 percent of last year’s offensive production back. Defensively, we return five veteran de- fensemen, and a sophomore goalie who started 34 games, had a 2.65 goals against average and a 0.910 save percentage. I am very excited about the group of nine or 10 players we are adding. These are high- Dave Killip character and highly skilled young men, who I expect will make an immediate contribution to our suc- cess. I believe our coaching staff and Bronco fans have much to be optimistic about. GO BRONCOS!!

Unfortunately, COVID-19 forced the cancellation of our end-of-year Awards Banquet. We are still working to identify an appropriate forum in which to recognize the accomplishments of this past season’s players. Stay tuned. Also, the uncertainties presented by our present health crisis have made it necessary for us to cancel the 2020 Friends and Alumni Weekend and the induction of a 2020 class into the RING OF HONOR. Our plan is for these activities to return in 2021 bigger and better than ever. Justin Penna As we close out the 2019-20 Bronco Hockey year, I want to thank our alumni, supporters and friends for their devotion to Bronco hockey. We want you to know that we will always work to make you proud of what Bronco hockey stands for.

It’s always a great day to be a Bronco . . . GO BRONCOS!!

Warmest regards,

Zeljka Vidic

Andy Murray, Head Coach

Lynn Ross

Andy Murray Pat Ferschweiler Dave Shyiak Dave Killip J.J. Crew [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Ph.: 269-387-3053 Ph.: 816-838-3980 Ph.: 269-366-6484 Ph.: 269-548-9253 Ph.: 714-271-2759

Lynn Ross Ken Dickie [email protected] [email protected] O.: 269-387-3049 Ph.: 269-330-2070 Ken Dickie (Cont.)

June 16, 1939 - April 16, 2020

It is with sadness that we report the passing of a founding member of the Bronco Hockey Blue Line Club and dedicated fan, Bill Weessies.

From its days as a club sport at the Lake St. and 11th St. rinks, its rise to varsity status and through the 2019-20 season, Bill was a lifelong dedicated supporter of Western Michigan Uni- versity hockey. At home games in Lawson, you could always find Bill holding court on the concourse behind Section 6, ready to discuss strengths, weaknesses and strategies for the evening’s game with his many friends, scouts, etc.

If there was a nongame hockey function, you could be sure Bill would be there to lend his support and contribute to the event with insightful comments and challenging questions. This was particularly true at the annual Friends and Alumni Weekend, where the love and respect demonstrated by the alums as they greeted Bill was a testament to their affirmation of his importance to the program.

Bill was remembered by Coach Bill Neal as, “a founding member of the Blue Line Club some 45 years ago and remained loyal to the team and his fellow Blue Liners during up years and down years and everything in between. He was a genuinely nice guy with a big heart and a wonderful sense of humor. My condolences to his family and many friends. Bronco hockey has lost one of its most devoted fans.”

From Bronco hockey, thank you Bill for your unending support of and belief in the Broncos. You will be missed by all in the Bronco hockey family, but will never be forgotten by all those whose life you touched.

Our deepest sympathy to Bill’s son Greg and other family members.

(Cont.)

CAPTAIN #23 Paul Washe

ASSISTANT CAPTAIN ASSISTANT CAPTAIN ASSISTANT CAPTAIN #2 Kale Bennett #21 Josh Passolt #26 Ethen Frank

As a result of the COVID-19 health crisis, the annual Awards Banquet scheduled for April 3 had to be canceled. The winners of individual Bronco awards, NCHC awards and NCAA awards will be recognized at a future date and in a future newsletter. (Cont.)

BECOMING AN ALL-AMERICAN CONGRATULATIONS to #16 Captain Hugh McGing on being named to the 2019-20 First Team West CCM-AHCA All-America in NCAA D-I hockey. Hugh joins former Broncos Dan Dorion, 1985-86, and Wayne Gagne, 1985-86 & 1986-87, as the only other Broncos to receive first team honors.

What is it like to be an all-American and what does it take to get there? To explore these questions I communicated, text and email, with Hugh and his parents, Jim and Breda McGing. This is what I learned.

How does it feel to be the first Bronco in 34 years to earn first team All-America honors? That question was posed to Hugh, “I was just thrilled to receive the award. With how everything ended and us not having a chance to decide our own fate, I felt this was a great way to end my senior season.” I asked Hugh what he considered the key ingredients that brought him this recognition and he responded with three words, “consistency, edge and parents”. He elaborated: “Consistency is key because you want to play the best you can each game. My brothers led the path for me to become the player I am. We competed against each other in everything we did and it gave me an edge to my game that not everyone has. My parents were there every step of the way and helped me stay positive in bad times and level-headed in good times.” What is a parent’s role and how do they do this?

Achieving All-America status is not something the McGings had in mind for any of their three sons, Hugh and his two older siblings, James and Liam. With all three active in AAA hockey at the same time, the family was kept busy getting the boys to games and practices. Jim recalls “one six-week period I was in Detroit four different weekends with the boys since their league, the HPHL, was centered in Detroit with two Chicago teams.” Jim also acknowledged that it took a team of he, Breda and other hockey families to keep up with all the commitments. To compound the challenges Jim states, “In Chicago at AAA, every year is a re-evaluation of where your player is on a team. There is constant re- cruiting and players switching teams. Every year, we were presented with opportunities for Hugh to change teams/ organizations, but the challenge was always making sure he was with the best coach. Often, that wasn’t with the best team. Hugh has always been a good person first, a great athlete, dedicated and hard working. No one will outwork Hugh.” Given these attributes, “choosing the coach first gave Hugh opportunities to grow and learn the game while excelling. This became an annual challenge, to make sure we were picking the best environment for him to develop as a player and a person.”

Often parents live their lives vicariously through the athletic successes of their children, and that can lead to decisions on growth and opportunity being driven by a team’s success. This was not a consideration in the McGing family’s deci- sion making. In Jim’s words, “Hugh played on some teams that did not do very well when he was very young, yet he kept getting better and better because of his coaches. Hugh, at AAA in squirt, pee wee and bantam, played so many minutes and in so many situations that he was able to really develop as a player. We saw colleges talking to other play- ers at our AAA games. We saw advisors talking to players and always wondered when or if it would happen for Hugh. When it did, it exploded. Suddenly there were many schools talking to us, and Hugh was only 15 then. My simple advice is choose the best coaches who will help develop your son as a player, and, more importantly, as a person.”

As the boys grew, James and Liam attended and played hockey at the Culver Military Academy in Indiana and Hugh played U16 at Chicago Mission and attended Loyola Academy for high school. When it came time for Hugh to choose a junior team, he had earned tender status in the USHL – if a team chose him that team would give up their first round pick. After talking to several teams, one coach stood out, Mark Carlson of the Cedar Rapids Roughriders. As Jim says, “Breda, Hugh and I drove to Cedar Rapids and met Mark and his staff, toured the facilities, the town, the school, etc. This was the environment we wanted Hugh in and the person we wanted Hugh to be with.”

When asked why Hugh and the family decided on Western, their reasons were not surprising. In their words, it was “the coaching staff, the academic support and the educational importance stressed by the athletic department and the abil- ity of the players to study what was best for them and not necessarily for the program. Hugh is a biomedicine major. Other players are engineering majors and so on. We know players at other schools who have been discouraged from pursuing tough academic degrees because it might interfere with hockey. That was never an issue at WMU. Hugh was unable to take some classes during the hockey season and was always able to make them up in summer. The school supported him completely. Academics are stressed heavily by the coaches and school comes first.” Jim, Breda and Hugh also thought Western was a perfect size and valued the proximity of the university to Chicago.

From the experience he and his family had when selecting a junior team and a college setting to further his career, Hugh’s advice to a young player is choose wisely. “The past six years of my life (two in juniors & four in college) were some of the best years of my life. I made memories and friends in both places that I’ll have forever.”

Reflecting on Hugh’s four years as a Bronco, Jim and Breda shared, “We always thought Hugh would be in junior for another year or two and come out as most players do when they are 20 or 21 years old. However, Coach Murray said he wanted Hugh as a true freshman, when he was just 18. It was exciting. We were proud to see him in the Bronco jersey and knew all of his years of hard work had come to fruition. Yet as parents, we had apprehensions. However, Hugh and his group of freshmen really took off from the start. They were able to be an addition to the great players that were already there. We are really proud of him.”

As parents, Jim and Breda guided Hugh’s development by looking for people and an environment who would best con- tribute to Hugh’s growth first as a person and as a player, rather than the potential for trophies. As a result, Western and Bronco Hockey received and graduated a young man who through his leadership, scholarship and competitiveness is a walking/skating definition of the Bronco DWD mantra – in all walks of life, always Do the right thing, When you are supposed to, and Do it that way every time.

Jim and Breda, thank you for sharing Hugh with us these last four years. Hugh thank you for your exemplary perfor- mance as a Bronco and an ambassador for Western!

(Cont.)

(Continued) Bronco Influence:

NCAA:

MIKE SHAFER, Bronco Assistant Coach 1986-90

Congratulations to former Bronco Assistant Coach, and now Cornell University Head Coach, Mike Shafer on being recognized as the co-recipient of the 2020 Spencer Penrose award as the NCAA Division I Coach of the year and ECAC Coach of the Year for a record fifth time.

After completing a four-year playing career as a defenseman at Cornell, Mike was an Assis- tant Coach for the Big Red from 1986-90. Following the 1989-90 season, Mike moved to Western Michigan as a Bronco Assistant Coach. In 1995, he returned to Cornell as Head Coach. In his 25 seasons at the helm of the Big Red, Mike has made more appearances in the ECAC tournament championship game than any other head coach with 11 and is tied for the most victories at five. Shafer's teams have recorded 12, 20-plus win seasons. The 2003 team is, thus far, the only one to reach 30 wins in Cornell's history, although the 1970 undefeated and untied championship team only played 29 games, finishing 29-0-0 and the 2019-20 team finished the shortened season with an overall record of 23-2-4.

Mike congratulations on receiving the 2020 Spencer Penrose award as the NCAA Division I Coach of the year, being named the ECAC Coach of the Year for a record fifth time, and for an amazing coaching ca- reer at Cornell University!

INDIVIDUAL OVERALL SKATER’S STATISTICS:

INDIVIDUAL OVERALL ’S STATISTICS

Fri. Nov. 6 DENVER Sat. Nov. 7 DENVER Fri. Nov. 13 OMAHA Sat. Nov. 14 OMAHA Fri. Nov.20 COLORADO COLLEGE Sat. Nov 21 COLORADO COLLEGE Fri. Dec. 11 MINNESOTA DULUTH Sat. Dec. 12 MINNESOTA DULUTH Fri. Jan. 8 MIAMI Sun.Jan 9 MIAMI Fri. Jan. 15 ST. CLOUD Sat. Jan. 16 ST. CLOUD Fri. Jan. 22 COLORADO COLLEGE Sat. Jan. 23 COLORADO COLLEGE Fri. Jan. 29 OMAHA Sat. Jan.30 OMAHA Fri. Feb. 12 NORTH DAKOTA Sat. Feb. 13 NORTH DAKOTA Fri. Feb. 19 DENVER Sat. Feb.20 DENVER Fri. Feb. 26 St. CLOUD Our plan is to bring both these events Sat. Feb. 27 St. CLOUD Fri. Mar. 5 MIAMI back in 2021 and make that celebration Sat. Mar. 6 MIAMI BIGGER and BETTER than ever!

NCHC Playoffs Stay tuned for more information! March 12, 13, 14 NCHC Quarter Finals March 19-20 NCHC Championships It’s always a great day to be a Bronco

NCAA Tournament Fri. March 26-27 NCAA REGIONALS GO BRONCOS!! April 8 & 9, NCAA FROZEN FOUR

NCHC League games in capitals Home games bold Times: Home games tentatively set for 7:05pm

 TIMES/DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Alumni currently playing in North America 2019-20

Statistics as of April 28, 2020 (www.hockeydb.com) (www.eliteprospects.com).

Shane Berschbach, F, 2010 - 14, , ECHL, GP 56, G 20, A 43, TP 63, PIM 17, +/- +20.

Kevin Connauton, D, 2009, , AHL, GP 38, G 5, A 22, TP 27, PIM 36, +/- +5. , NHL, GP 4, G 0, A 0, TP 0, PIM 0, +/- -2 *

Colt Conrad, F, 2015-19, , ECHL, GP 42, G 6, A 32, TP 38, PIM 30, +/- +3. , AHL, GP 3, G 0, A 1, TP 1, PIM 0, +/- +1.

Danny DeKeyser, D, 2010-13, Detroit Red Wings, NHL, GP 8, G 0, A 4, TP 4, PIM 4, +/- 0.

Sheldon Dries, F, 2013-17 Colorado Eagles, AHL, GP 50, G 21 , A 14, TP 35, PIM 69 +/- -5. Colorado Avalanche, NHL, GP 5 G 0, A 0, TP 0, PIM 0, +/- -2.*

Neal Goff, D, 2014-18, , ECHL, GP 37, G 1, A 4, TP 5, PIM 41, +/- -17.* , ECHL, GP 15, G 1, A 1, TP 2, PIM 9, +/- +1.

Trevor Gorsuch, G, 2015-19, , ECHL, GP 1, GA 4, GAA 4, W 1, L 0, SO 0, Sav 20 S% 0.833 * Fayetteville Marksmen, SPHL, GP 3, GA 9, GAA 2.94, W 2, L 0, T 1, 84, SA%, 0.903 * Toledo Walleye, ECHL, GP 1, GA 2, GAA 1.79, W 1, L 0, T 0, SA 42, SA% 0.955.

Matheson Iacopelli, F 2015-17, , ECHL, GP 41, G 16, A 15, TP 31, PIM 31, +/- -10.

Oliwer Kaski, D, 2015-17, Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL, GP 19, G 2, A 3, TP 5, PIM 12, +/- -8.* Charlotte Checkers, AHL, GP 35, G 11, A 9, TP 20, PIM 2, +/- +2.

Justin Kovacs, F, 2011-15, Kalamazoo Wings, ECHL, GP 52, G 11, A 21, TP 32, PIM 16, +/- -16.

Mark Letestu, F, 2007 , Jets, NHL, GP 7, G 0, A 0, TP 0, PIM 0, +/- 0.

Mike McKee, D, 2013-17, , ECHL, GP 56, G 2, A 10, TP 12, PIM 122, +/- +4.

Scott Moldenhauer, D, 2014-18, San Diego Gulls, AHL, GP 37, G 0, A 4, TP 4, PIM 21, +/- -4.

Griffin Molino, F 2015-17, , ECHL, GP 50, G 22, A 37, TP 59, PIM 23, +/- +32. , AHL, GP 2, G 0, A 1, TP 1, PIM 0, +/-+1.* Colorado Eagles, AHL, GP 9, G 1, A 2, TP 3, PIM 4, +/- +1.

Jordan Oesterle, D, 2011- 14, Arizona Coyotes, NHL, GP 58, G 3, A 10, TP 13, PIM 14, +/- -9.

Corey Schueneman, D, 2015-19, , AHL, GP 44, G 3, A 18, TP 21, PIM 29, +/- +4. Kansas City Mavericks, ECHL, GP 4, G 2, A 1, TP 3, PIM 0, +/- -2. *

Matt Tennyson, D, 2009-12, , NHL, GP 20, G 0, A 3, TP 3, PIM 6, +/- -2.* Binghampton Devils, AHL, GP 25, G 1, A 8, TP 9, PIM 20, +/- 1.

Luke Witkowski, D, 2009-13, , NHL, GP 12, G 1, A 2, TP 3, PIM 13, +/- -4. * Syracuse Crunch, AHL, GP 29, G 2, A 4, TP 6, PIM 63, +/- +12.

(Cont. next page)

Alumni currently playing abroad 2019-20.

Statistics as of April 28, 2020 (www.hockeydb.com) (www.eliteprospects.com).

Chase Balisy, F, 2010- 14, Straubing Tigers, DEL, GP 52, G 8, A 22, TP 30, PIM 26, +/- +11.

Mike Cichy, F, 2012– 14, GKS Tychy, Poland, GP 46, G 23 A 35, TP 58, PIM 20 +/- 0. Playoffs, GP 4, G 3, A 1, TP 4, PIM 0. Tournament GKS Tychy, Champions HL GP 5, G 0, A 1, TP 1, PIM 2, +/- -1.

Colton Hargrove, F, 2012-15, Bolzano HC, Austria, GP 47, G 7, A 24, TP 31, PIM 45, +/- +13. Playoffs, GP 3, G 3, A 1, TP 4, PIM 2, +/- +3.

Jerry Kuhn, G, 2008- 11, EC Kassel Huskies, DEL2, GP 39, GAA 2.39, S% .915.

Nolan LaPorte, F, 2012-16, Glasgow Clan, EIHL, GP 47, G 16, A 23, TP 39, PIM 41, +/- +5.

Kenney Morrison, D, 2012-15, HK , , GP 48, G 10, A 29, TP 39, PIM 52, +/- -7.

Josh Pitt, F, 2012-16, Budapest MAC, Slovakia, GP 52, G 11, A 13, TP 24, PIM 61, +/- -2.

Greg Squires, F, 2008- 12 , Graz 99ers, EBEL, GP 6, G 5, A 2, TP 7, PIM 0, +/- +3. TPS Turku, SM-Liga, GP 14, G 0, A 4, TP 4, PIM 10, +/- -4. (Loan) HCB Ticio, NLB, GP 11, G 4, A 6, TP 10, PIM 6, +/- -3. Playoffs, GP 4, G 1, A 6, TP 7, PIM 14, +/- +2.

Frederik Tiffels, D, 2014-17, Cologne Sharks, DEL, GP 51, G 9, A 18, TP 27, PIM 29, +/- -5. Germany, International, GP 3, G 1, A 1, TP 2, PIM 0, +/- -3.

Paul Szczechura, F, 2004– 07 , Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, KHL, Russia, GP 40, G 4, A 11, TP 15, PIM 12, Playoffs, GP 4, G 0, A 0, TP 0, PIM 0.

ALUMNI Administrators: 2019-20 Spiros Anastas: Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations, Beast, ECHL Ben Barr, Assoc. Head Coach, UMass Minutemen, ECAC : Head Coach, Detroit Red Wings. Joe Bonnett: USA Hockey, ADM Regional Manager Brent Brekke: Head Coach, St Lawrence., ECAC. Chris Brooks: Asst. Coach, Michigan Tech Univ. WCHA. Danny Brooks: Scout, Washington Capitals, NHL Jeff Campbell: Head Coach, SC Langenthal in the SWISS NLB League J.J. Crew: Director of Player Development, Western Michigan University, NCHC Travis Culhane: Director of Hockey Operations, Colorado College, NCHC Mike Eastwood: Player Development, Anaheim Ducks, NHL. Trevor Elias: Asst. Coach, Mount Royal College, , AB Rob Facca: Amateur Scout, Chicago Blackhawks, NHL. Pat Ferschweiler: Associate Head Coach, Western Michigan University, NCHC Ross Fitzpatrick: Professional Scout, , NHL Glenn Healy: Executive Director/President, NHL Alumni Association David Killip: Director of Hockey Operations, Western Michigan University, NCHC Mike Leone: Volunteer Graduate Student Coach, Bowling Green State University, WCHA. Chris MacDonald: Director of European Amateur Scouting, Arizona Coyotes, NHL Brian Renfrew: Amateur Scout, Winnipeg Jets, NHL Scott Robson: Amateur Scout, Winnipeg Jets, NHL Jim Scanlon: Head Coach, Women’s Hockey, Bemidji State University, WCHA Mike Shafer: Head Coach, Cornell, ECAC. Derek Schooley: Head Coach, Robert Morris, AHA. Frank Serratore: Head Coach, Air Force Academy, AHA. Matt Stewart: Assistant Coach, Tri-City Storm, USHL. Ben Warda: Head Coach of the U16AAA and the U13AAA Nashville Junior Predator Teams in the NAPHL. : Operations Asst., Univ. of Minn. Duluth, NCHC. Chris Wells: Head Coach, Women’s Hockey, St. Lawrence University, ECAC