BC Bulletin

Michigan Shows Hot Start Not A Fluke, Tops Western Michigan 4-0: Puck Drop

Your daily briefing on what's going on in college hockey, everything from the assists on the ice to the Zamboni.
Christopher Walsh|
No. 3 Michigan celebrates with goaltender Jack Ivankovic after shutting out No. 2 Western Michigan at Yost Arena on Oct. 23, 2025
No. 3 Michigan celebrates with goaltender Jack Ivankovic after shutting out No. 2 Western Michigan at Yost Arena on Oct. 23, 2025 | University of Michigan

Game 1 went to the Maize and Blue, and in a big way.

No. 3 Michigan took the series opener against reigning national champion Western Michigan in dominating fashion, at least on the scoreboard, as the Wolverines set the tone in the home-and-home with a 4-0 victory Thursday night at Yost Arena,

Michigan came into the series lead the nation in scoring offense, averaging 6.67 goals per game, with the next closest team trailing by nearly two goals per game (1.92). It took just one minute and 50 seconds to show why as junior forward Jayden Perron opened the scoring with a shortside goal over Hampton Slukynsky's shoulder, his fourth of the season.

Shots on goal were almost even, with the No. 2 Broncos (3-2) ending up with a 32-30 edge despite a disastrous second period when the Wolverines had a 15-3 advantage and scored power-play goals by Michael Hage and Adam Valentini. The other eye-popping stat was Michigan dominating in faceoffs, 41-17.

Garreyy Schifsky was credited with empty-net unassisted shorthanded goal in the final seconds after the puck deflected off a player heading off the ice. Freshman Jack Ivankovic notched his second shutout to improve to 7-0 as he's started every game thus far. It's the best start to a season for the Wolverines since 1979.

The two teams will meet again in the series finale Friday evening at Lawson Arena.

Puck Drop: Friday, October 24, 2025

Games between ranked opponents are bolded. All times ET.

Thursday's Scores

MEN
Non-Conference
No. 3 Michigan 4, No. 2 Western Michigan 0

Friday' Schedule

MEN
Atlantic Hockey
Holy Cross at Army, 7 p.m. 
Canisius at Bentley, 7 p.m.
Air Force at RIT, 7 p.m. 

CCHA
Bowling Green at Lake Superior, 7 p.m.  
Ferris State at Michigan Tech, 7 p.m.
Augustana at Bemidji State, 8 p.m.  

Hockey East
No. 11 Connecticut at No. 4 Boston University, 7 p.m.

Non-Conference
Sacred Heart at No. 14 Ohio State. 6:30 p.m.   
No. 8 North Dakota at Clarkson, 7:00 p.m.   
Colgate at NO. 10 Maine, 7 p.m.   
Mass.-Lowell at Mercyhurst, 7:00 p.m.  
No. 6 Quinnipiac at Merrimack, 7:00 p.m.   
Stonehill at No. 5 Penn State, 7 p.m.   
No. 7 Denver at No. 9 Boston College, 7 p.m. 
No. 1 Michigan State at Northern Michigan, 7 p.m.   
No. 15 Providence at St. Thomas, 7 p.m.   
Miami at Lindenwood, 7 p.m.   
RPI at No. 20 Minnesota State, 8 p.m. 
No. 18 Minnesota-Duluth at No. 12 Minnesota, 8:00 p.m.  
No. 13 Massachusetts at Omaha, 8 p.m.
Long Island at New Hampshire, 8 p.m.  
Robert Morris at Notre Dame, 8 p.m. 
Alaska-Anchorage at St. Cloud State, 8 p.m.  
No. 3 Michigan at No. 2 Western Michigan, 8 p.m.
Alaska at No. 17 Wisconsin, 8 p.m.

Exhibition
US Under-18 at Niagara, 6 p.m.        

WOMEN
No. 11 St. Cloud State at No. 2 Ohio State, 6 p.m.
No. 3 Minnesota at No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth, 7 p.m.
No. 3 Cornell at Harvard, 5 p.m.
Lindenwood at Penn State, 2 p.m.
Quinnipiac at Yale 6 p.m.
Colgate at Dartmouth, 3 p.m.
Clarkson at Union, 6 p.m.
UConn at Mercyhurst, 3 p.m.
New Hampshire at Boston University 6 p.m.
St. Lawrence at RPI, 6 p.m.
Providence at St. Thomas, 3 p.m.
Syracuse at RIT, 3 p.m.
Saint Michael’s at Sacred Heart, 5 p.m.
Robert Morris at Delaware, 6 p.m.
Princeton at Brown, 6 p.m.
Franklin Pierce at Vermont, 6 p.m.
Post at Holy Cross, 7 p.m.
Saint Anselm at Stonehill, 7 p.m.

SEE ALSO: Is the Davis Curse Over: New Era Dawns for BC vs Denver Men's Hockey Showdown

Did You Notice?

• Former Boston University forward Macklin Celebrini had three goals and five points, and former Boston College center Will Smith had two goals and two assists as San Jose notched its first win of the season with a 6-5 victory over the New York Rangers at Maidson Square Garden. It was Celebrini's second career NHL hat trick.

• In St. Louis, former Minnesota center Logan Cooley scored a natural hat trick in the first period and former Boston University forward Clayton Keller notched two goals and an assist, including career NHL goal No. 200, the Utah Mammoth won their fifth straight, 7-4 against the Blues.

• Former UMD captain Dominic James made his NHL debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, former Harvard forward Ryan Donato scored two goals to lead the Chicago Blackhawks to a 3-2 win.

• Brothers Seth and Celeb Jones, both from the United States National Team Development Program, squared off for just the second time in their NHL careers. Said younger brotehr Caleb beforehand: "It'd be funny to see our mom’s reaction if we got in a fight or something. He always found a way to get me in trouble with Mom. It was always my fault. That was Seth’s specialty. Always on Mom's good side." Caleb got the win, as the Pittsburgh Penguins won their fourth straight with a 5-3 victory against Florida, but the defenseman also left the game early after going hard into the boards.

• We're still enjoying the look from the Hurricanes/Avalanche retro game, eventually won by Carolina in a shootout. ...

On This Date in Hockey History:

October 24, 1920: The U.S. Amateur Hockey League formed and helped the sport get a stronger foothold in the nation.

October 24, 1954: Minnesota defenseman Joe Micheletti was born in International Falls, Minn.

October 24, 1982: Notre Dame center Rob Globke was born in Farmington, Mich.

October 24, 1964: Ray LeBlanc, who played for Team USA at the 1992 Winter Olympics and in the 1992 World Championships, was born in Fitchburg, Mass.

October 24, 1974: Western Michigan right wing Jamal Mayers was born in Toronto, Ontario.

October 24, 1986: The New York Rangers traded former UMD and Miracle on Ice center Mark Pavelich to the Minnesota North Stars.

October 24, 1992: Minnesota center Kyle Rau was born in Eden Prairie, Minn.

October 24, 2002: The Boston Bruins retired Terry O’Reilly’s No. 24 jersey. He took part-time classes at Boston University during his 14-year career with the Bruins. 

October 24, 2009: Bill “Big Whistle” Chadwick, the NHL’s first American official, died in Cutchogue, N.Y. He was 94.

October 24, 2014: Minnesota Duluth retired Bill Watson's No. 14 jersey. He won the Hobey Baker Award in 1985.

Hockey Quote of the Day

[Princeton goalie on 1-22 season in 1970-71:] “We were very much like the old Mets.”
Sports Illustrated’s E.M. Swift

We'll Leave You With This ...

This was from last weekend, but we think it's worth the late mention ...

Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites . He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 27 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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