ST. LOUIS — Here are five numbers to know from Western Michigan’s 6-2 victory against Boston University in Saturday’s NCAA championship game at Enterprise Center.
9
Western Michigan’s two first-period goal-scorers combined for 27 characters in their last names but their combined goal total increased to just nine in 147 collegiate games. Senior forward Wyatt Schingoethe scored his sixth goal in his 83rd game and sophomore defenseman Cole Crusberg-Roseen netted his third in his 64th game. Crusberg-Roseen also became the player with the longest surname to score in a national championship game.
11
Teams killed 11 straight power plays in NCAA championship games before Shane Lachance scored for Boston University in the second period Saturday. The last power-play goal in a title game before that was scored by Minnesota State’s Sam Morton against Denver in the first period in 2022.
98
It took just 98 seconds after the opening faceoff for Schingoethe to give the Broncos the lead. That was the earliest goal in a championship game since Patrice Tardif scored for Maine 28 seconds into the 1993 final against Lake Superior State.
24
Western Michigan is the 24th team to win an NCAA Division I men’s hockey title in 77 tournaments, a group that has added three new names in the last five seasons (also Quinnipiac in 2023 and UMass in 2021).
8
Eight goals was the most in a national championship game since Union defeated Minnesota 7-4 in 2014. The six goals scored by the Broncos came from five different players.
