After a 4-1 loss to Lake Superior State University Friday night, the Western Michigan Broncos rebounded for a 4-1 win of their own Saturday night at the Taffy Abel Arena.
The Broncos were winless on the road heading into Saturday’s contest against the Lakers, but took a 3-0 lead in the first period and didn’t back down.
WMU outshot LSSU 15-3 in the first period and scored two goals within the first three-and-a-half minutes.
“We did not have the emotional pitch that was necessary to let Western know we were out there to shock them. We went down 2-0 and made mistakes that, last night, we did not make in our own zone,” said Lake Superior State coach Frank Anzalone.
Mike Jarmuth put the Broncos on the board when he netted a pass from Jeff Campbell at 1:05. Mike Bishai scored just over two minutes later to give Western the 2-0 lead.
The Lakers pulled freshman goaltender Terry Denike after the first two goals and Matt Violin took over.
Then, with less than two minutes to play in the first, Shaun Rose scored a power-play goal to put the Broncos ahead by three.
Violin made 11 saves in the first, but Denike returned to his duties at the start of the second and finished the game with 25 saves.
Freshman Bo Cheesman scored for Lake Superior State just under two minutes into the second, while junior Aaron Davis added an assist on Cheesman’s first career goal.
LSSU was still down by a pair of goals with two minutes remaining in the game and decided to pull Denike in favor of the extra-attacker.
Bishai put an end to any chance the Lakers had of tying the game when he skated the puck out of his own end and up ice for an empty-net goal, his second tally of the game.
Final shots were 40-23 in favor of the Broncos, though shots were an even 13 in the third period.
Western Michigan improved to 10-5-3 overall and 5-5-2 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The loss put the Lakers at 3-11-0 in the CCHA.
