Reigning national champion No. 7 Western Michigan added another trophy to the case, winning the Kwik-Trip Holiday Faceoff with a 4–1 victory over host No. 2 Wisconsin in a game that was far tighter than the final score. The Badgers scored first and were level on shots for long stretches, but the Broncos’ second-period surge and late empty-netter sequence provided the separation on the scoreboard.
Wisconsin grabbed a 1–0 lead at 9:51 of the first when Vasily Zelenov scored, and the Badgers carried that edge into intermission. Western Michigan flipped the game early in the second as Zaccharya Wisdom tied it at 2:20, a goal awarded after length review, then Zach Nehring put the Broncos in front at 11:09 to make it 2–1 heading to the third.
The closing minutes turned a one-goal game into a comfortable margin. With Wisconsin pressing, William Whitelaw scored into an empty net at 17:21, and Grant Slukynsky followed just 14 seconds later to cap the scoring at 17:35. Hampton Slukynsky finished with 22 saves for Western Michigan, while Eli Pulver stopped 21 for Wisconsin as the Broncos outshot the Badgers 25–23 and owned the faceoff circle (63 percent).
Think we'll see this on top plays this week, @TheNCHC?
📺: B1G+#BroncosReign pic.twitter.com/DpHDO9RVz6
— WMU Hockey (@WMUHockey) December 30, 2025
Boston College edged Lake Superior State 4–3 in the third-place game. BC led 2–0 late in the first on goals from Dean Letourneau and Will Moore, but had to rally after the Lakers got two unassisted tallies from Ryan Beck — one midway through the second and another early in the third — to tie it. After Lake Superior briefly went in front on William Ahlrik’s power-play goal at 4:50, Will Vote answered 33 seconds later and then scored the game-winner at 8:34 to lift the Eagles. Jan Korec made 19 saves, while Rorke Applebee stopped 30 in the loss as BC outshot the Lakers 34–22.
Great Lakes Invitational
No. 3 Michigan State 4, Michigan Tech 1
No. 3 Michigan State won the Great Lakes Invitational for the second straight year, beating Michigan Tech 4–1 to go back-to-back after last season ended a 15-year title drought in the event. Trey Augustine made 32 saves and the Spartans used a two-goal second period to take control.
After a scoreless first, Michigan State broke through at 10:26 of the second on Anthony Romani’s goal, then doubled the lead late in the period when Charlie Stramel scored at 18:04 for a 2–0 cushion heading to intermission. Michigan Tech pushed play for stretches, but Augustine was sharp as the Spartans protected the middle of the ice and limited rebounds.
Stramel struck again early in the third at 3:19 to make it 3–0, and the Huskies answered at 8:48 on a Carson Latimer goal to cut the deficit to two. That was as close as it got. Tommi Männistö finished it off with an empty-netter at 18:55 as Michigan State controlled the faceoff circle (65 percent) and skated off with another GLI trophy.
https://twitter.com/MSU_Hockey/status/2005820993076420626
In the Great Lakes Invitational third-place game, Miami earned a 4–2 win over Ferris State, getting two goals from David Deputy and 30 saves from Mathis Langevin. Deputy opened the scoring with an unassisted strike at 7:07 of the first, but Ferris answered late in the period on Jacob Badal’s goal at 17:14. Miami seized control early in the second as Maximilion Helgeson scored at 2:01 and Ryder Thompson added the eventual game-winner at 6:20 to make it 3–1. Ferris pulled within one with the extra attacker on Max Itagaki’s goal at 15:59 of the third, but Deputy sealed it with a power-play empty-netter at 19:43.
Merrimack 5, Vermont 4
Merrimack survived a furious push and held on for a 5–4 road win at Vermont, building a three-goal lead in the second period before hanging on down the stretch. Mark Hillier’s goal midway through the second stood up as the game-winner, and Max Lundgren made 33 saves as the Warriors weathered a 37-shot night from the Catamounts.
Vermont struck just 1:13 in on Jonah Aegerter’s opener, but Merrimack answered with two in the first, getting a power-play goal from Michael Emerson at 8:37 and a Caelan Fitzpatrick finish at 17:07 to take a 2–1 lead. The Warriors poured it on early in the second as Daniel Astapovich scored at 2:43 and Ryan O’Connell followed at 6:09 to make it 4–1. Vermont pushed back with Massimo Lombardi at 7:05, but Merrimack answered again at 13:44 when Hillier converted off feeds from Nick Pierre and Trevor Hoskin for a 5–2 edge before Matteo Michels struck late in the period to pull the Catamounts within 5–3.
https://twitter.com/Merrimack_MIH/status/2005795471533433115
Vermont made it a one-goal game on the power play at 5:58 of the third as Michels netted his second of the night from Blake Steenerson and Jack Malinski. The Catamounts kept coming, but Lundgren and Merrimack’s penalty kill finished the job, with the Warriors going 1-for-3 on the power play and Vermont 1-for-2. Merrimack also won 56 percent of the faceoffs, helping it manage the final minutes and secure the road win.
Clarkson 3, RIT 2
Clarkson fended off a late push from RIT to earn a 3–2 home win, getting two goals from Ryan Bottrill and the game-winner from Talon Sigurdson early in the third. Shane Soderwall made 19 saves as the Golden Knights overcame an opening-period deficit earn the win.
RIT struck first late in the opening period when Evan Konyen scored at 17:30 off assists from Austin Brimmer and Zach Wigle. Clarkson answered quickly in the second, as Bottrill tied it at 1:33 on a feed from Luka Sukovic and Erik Bargholtz, then put the Knights ahead at 8:21 with his second of the game, set up by Bargholtz and William Bishop.
https://twitter.com/ClarksonMHockey/status/2005792769596612701
Sigurdson provided the difference just 47 seconds into the third, finishing a play from Owen Van Steensel and Jared Mangan for the eventual game-winner. RIT pulled within one late with the extra attacker as Konyen scored again at 17:46, but Clarkson saw out the final minutes to secure the one-goal win. Clarkson outshot RIT 28–21, while the Tigers went 0-for-4 on the power play and Clarkson finished 0-for-2. Jakub Krbecek stopped 25 shots for RIT in the loss.