In-State Rivalries Take Center Stage in College Hockey: All Things NCHC

The Broncos and Bulldogs are set to face off against their in-state rivals with Western Michigan playing Michigan and UMD at Minnesota.

Apr 12, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, UNITED STATES; Western Michigan Broncos forward Owen Michaels (34) leaps in to his bench and celebrates with teammates after scoring an empty net goal against the Boston University Terriers during the third period of the Frozen Four college ice hockey national championship at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The series to watch in the NCHC this week is the home-and-home between Western Michigan Broncos vs. the Michigan Wolverines. The Broncos come into the series ranked second in the nation while the Wolverines are third, and both chansing No. 1 Michigan State.

Last season when the Broncos and Wolverines faced off, they split the series. There were nine players who scored goals but only two of those nine players are still with their team. Cole Crusberg-Roseen is the lone returning goal scorer for the Broncos and Michael Hage is the lone returner for the Wolverines. William Whitelaw had a goal for the Wolverines in the first game. But Whitelaw has since transferred to the Broncos and will now be facing off against his former team.

The Wolverines hold the series lead with a record of 45-17-14 (wins, losses, ties). But in the last ten games, the Wolverines are 6-4, winning two of the games in overtime.

Since last season, both teams have seen their fair share of roster changes. The Wolverines lost 13 players and gained 14 while the Broncos lost 13 and gained 11.

The most notable losses for the Broncos are forwards Alex Bump, Matteo Costantini, Tim Washe, defenseman Robby Drazner, and goaltender Cameron Rowe. The Broncos lost two of their top five scorers in Bump and Washe. But the Broncos also received Bobby Cowan (USHL), William Whitelaw (Wolverines), and Zaccharya Wisdom (Colorado College), who have already combined for 12 points (six goals and six assists) through four games this season. Goaltender Hampton Slukynsky got quite a bit of playing time last season and has already proved that he can fill in the role of starting goaltender.

The Wolverines lost defensemen Ethan Edwards, Jacob Truscott, and forward William Whitelaw. The three combined for 55 points last season. Edwards and Truscott were the top two left defensemen for the Wolverines. The Wolverines also received forwards Aidan Park (USHL), Jayden Perron (North Dakota), and defenseman Ben Robertson (Cornell). The three have combined for 19 points (five goals and 14 assists) in six games this season.

After winning the national championship last season, the Broncos are off to a 3-1 start after splitting with Ferris State and sweeping UMass Lowell. But the Wolverines come into the series undefeated at 6-0 after sweeping Mercyhurst, No. 7 Providence, and Robert Morris.

While there is not a huge rivalry between the two teams yet, one could start to heat up as the two teams continue to find success and possibly compete for tournament spots/an auto bid into the tournament. It's obviously a different story between the Wolverines and Spartans, who meet in college football on Saturady in East Lansing.

Another Ranked In-State Matchup

Last week the Duluth Bulldogs had a home-and-home series with their Northern Minnesota rival Bemidji. Bulldogs were able to pull off a sweep and will not take on their other in-state rivals with a series against the Golden Gophers.

The Gophers hold the series lead with a record of 134-85-18.  In more recent years, the Bulldogs have been able to find more success, going 4-4-2 in the last ten games. They're also 3-2 in their last five games in Minneapolis.

The two teams met last season where the Gophers swept the series in Duluth with wins of 7-5 and 5-1. But only four of the Gophers’ ten goal scorers are back this season and only one of the Bulldogs’ five has returned. So, both teams will need other players to also step up and score.

The Bulldogs continue to be a very physical team season after season and the Gophers also tend to be a pretty physical team which could create for a pretty intense series at Mariucci Arena.

SEE ALSO: This week's college hockey rankings

Former Team Faceoff

There are two NCHC players who will be facing off against their former teams for the first time this weekend, and both are notable:

Ellis Rickwood, who now plays for North Dakota will go against his former team, Clarkson. He spent three seasons with the Golden Knights and had 14 goals and 35 assists for 49 points in 96 games. He also had 44 penalty minutes and a +16. Rickwood is already off to a hot start with the Fighting Hawks after registering one goal and five assists with two penalty minutes and a +2 in four games played. The two-game series will be played in Potsdam, N.Y.

William Whitelaw will be facing off against Michigan for the first time, now suiting up with Western Michigan. Whitelaw is no stranger to being a new guy on the team as he started his collegiate career with Wisconsin. After one season, he transferred to Michigan and then transferred to Western Michigan for his junior season. Whitelaw played in 35 games with Michigan last season where he had 11 goals and seven assists with 30 penalty minutes and a +7. He is already finding offensive success with Western Michigan having registered four goals and one assist with six penalty minutes and a +2 through just four games played. The series is a home-and-home beginning in Ann Arbor on Friday.

Players of the week

The NCHC saw players from four different teams receive Player of the Week awards with Jayson Shaugabay (Duluth), Seth Constance (Colorado College), Hampton Slukynsky (Western Michigan), and Yan Shostak (St. Cloud State).

Shaugabay had a great season with the Bulldogs last year, registering 26 points in 36 games and entered last week with five points in four games. Against Bemidji last week, Shaugabay had seven points in two games with three goals and four assists, scoring on all three of his shots. Four of his points were on the powerplay and he ended the weekend with a +2.

Constance, a transfer from Northeastern entered the weekend with zero points and a -1. He had one assist and a -4 last season at Northeastern. But against Northern Michigan, Constance registered three points off his first collegiate goal and two assists. He had one blocked shot and a +2.

Slukynsky is currently in his sophomore season at Western Michigan after splitting the net with Cameron Rowe. Last weekend against UMass Lowell, Slukynsky stopped 17 of 18 shots faced, allowing just one powerplay goal on Friday night. He then stopped all 19 shots faced on Saturday night for his first shutout of the season and second of his collegiate career.

Shostak earned Goaltender of the Year in the USHL last season and has already jumped into the starting goaltender position for St. Cloud in just his freshman season. Last week against Vermont, Shostak made 19 saved on Friday night in St. Cloud’s 2-1 overtime loss. On Saturday, he stopped all 21 shots that he faced, earning his first collegiate shutout.

Beyond the Blue Line

Denver travels to Boston College after going 3-0 in their last three meetings. This is a rematch of he 2024 national championship, which had a 2-0 final score. In the process, Denver moved past Michigan (nine) for most titles all-time. Boston College is tied with Boston University (five) for fourth, behind Wisconsin (six). .... St. Cloud State is set for their homecoming matchup against Alaska-Anchorage, hosting Seawolves for the first time sine 2012-13... Miami looks to continue its early season success against Lindenwood after starting the season 4-0. The RedHawks have alrraedy topped last season's win total (3-28-3).