During the beginning minutes of the NCAA DI Men's ice hockey national championship game on Saturday night, the TV crew thought ahead with a "what if" regarding the Western Michigan Broncos. ESPN play-by-play broadcaster John Buccigross said to his analyst Colby Cohen, "This would be the biggest athletic moment for Western Michigan University if they were to win it." Western Michigan at this point in the game only had one goal; which was scored less than two minutes into the contest.
No one knew at that point that the Broncos were going to be relentless in their forecheck the entire game. We didn't know that the Boston University Terriers wouldn't be able to keep up in scoring; although the Broncos have one of the top scoring offenses in the nation with almost four goals per game (but BU is right there too, their offense is ranked fourth). Many games in the tournament saw extra time, a couple games needing more than one bonus period. We didn't know that this game would end in regulation in a 6-2 blowout with the Broncos capping off their historic season with a national title. A first-time trip to the Frozen Four ends with the guys hoisting the NCAA championship trophy. Magical.
The Broncos won; so what does that mean if we think of the foreshadowing form Buccigross on the broadcast? Is this the biggest athletic moment for WMU?
Western Michigan made history with National Championship
If we take a look at the history of national titles for the Broncos, in any sport, there's only two; and it has been 60 years. The men's cross country team won the title in 1964 and again in 1965. That's it. So I say, yes. This is the biggest athletic moment for Western Michigan.
Champions for the rest of their lives 🏆🥹#MFrozenFour x @WMUHockey pic.twitter.com/A9vw1WSA1N
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) April 13, 2025
Head coach of the Broncos Pat Ferschweiler was crowned as the AHCA National Coach of the Year (the Spencer Penrose Award) as he led his team to a now 34 wins, a program record. They won their first NCHC regular season and tournament titles prior to the NCAA tournament, then proceeded to win the natty. The team did not lose a game dating back to their fall to North Dakota on March 1. Ferschweiler previously had been "disgruntled" with the WMU hockey program and once he became head coach in 2021, he got to work.
Another first? Western Michigan ranked first on the last USA Hockey college hockey poll of the season.
Western Michigan fans packed out Enterprise Center and overpowered the Boston University faithfuls, just like the Broncos grittiness and momentum overpowered the Terriers. This a major stepping stone for the hockey program of Western Michigan to becoming an attractive place to play, refine skills, and be a stepping stone to a higher level of hockey. Up next - a new $300 million dollar rink in Kalamazoo, MI. Can this program now be regarded at top-notch?
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