Western Michigan Hockey Falls 4-1 at North Dakota in NCHC Series Finale
Western Michigan hockey dropped its series finale 4-1 against North Dakota on Saturday night at Ralph Engelstad Arena, closing out a hard-fought weekend in Grand Forks. The loss brings the Broncos’ record to 6-2-1 overall and 0-1-1 in National Collegiate Hockey Conference play.
The Fighting Hawks established early control on home ice. North Dakota opened the scoring at 1:14 of the first period with a goal from Gavin Lindberg, setting the tone for an aggressive offensive push. Cody Croal added another tally at 7:54 of the second period, building a 3-0 lead for the home team heading into the second intermission.
Freshman forward Adam Benák broke through for the Broncos at 8:23 of the third period, putting his team on the board. Benák, who leads the team with 15 points on five goals and ten assists, extended his scoring streak to three straight contests. He is the first WMU freshman to accomplish that feat since Ty Henricks during the 2024-25 campaign.
Any hopes of a late comeback were halted when Croal netted an empty-net goal at 17:57 of the third period, sealing the 4-1 final score for North Dakota. Between the pipes, sophomore netminder Quentin Miller stopped 24 shots for Western Michigan, while Jan Špunar recorded 17 saves for the Fighting Hawks.
Looking Ahead to Colorado College at Lawson Arena
The Broncos will look to bounce back when they return home to host Colorado College. The two teams face off on Friday and Saturday at Lawson Arena, with Friday’s game scheduled for a 7:00 PM start time available on NCHC.tv. This weekend’s series carries added significance for the program, as the 2026-27 season marks the final campaign at historic Lawson Arena before the facility concludes five-plus decades of hosting Bronco hockey.
