NCAA Tournament: Three takeaways from Western Michigan’s win against Northeastern

By Owen Gund

Luke Grainger scored 1:33 into overtime, and the No. 4/5 Western Michigan University Broncos won 2-1 against the No. 12 Northeastern University Huskies in the Northeast Regional semifinal at the DCU Center on Friday.

The sophomore forward scored on a wraparound, and the puck barely crossed the goal line. It was initially thought Northeastern sophomore goaltender Devon Levi made the save, but video review confirmed the goal.

Senior forward Cole Gallant also scored, and senior assistant captain Drew Worrad and fifth-year assistant captain Ethen Frank added assists for WMU (26-11-1). Junior goaltender Brandon Bussi made 30 saves. It is the Bronco’s first win in the national tournament in program history.

Junior assistant captain Aidan McDonough scored, and Levi made 34 saves for the Huskies (25-13-1), whose season comes to a close. They are yet to win a game in the national tournament.

Here are my three takeaways from the game. All opinions are my own.

Western Michigan is for real

Heading into the Worcester regional, there has been a lot of talk about UMass and Minnesota, and rightfully so. Both teams have had very strong seasons, and both schools have recently appeared in the Frozen Four. But the Broncos showed today why they are the top seed in this regional, and why their Frozen Four odds are as good as anybody’s.

They played the kind of smart, tight-checking game that is needed for playoff success, and they came at the Huskies in waves throughout the afternoon. They peppered Levi with shots and spent most of the game possessing the puck.

Defensively, they played the right way, and whenever Northeastern pushed, Bussi calmly kicked their shots aside. Their defensemen also did a great job clearing out rebounds quickly.

Finally, the Broncos’ depth was on display in this game as all four lines gave their team good minutes, and third-line center Luke Grainger was the hero getting the overtime winner less than two minutes into the extra session.

The Broncos earned their first-ever NCAA tournament victory, and they are one win away from their first Frozen Four appearance.

Western Michigan’s top line is a force every time they step on the ice

The depth of Western Michigan is a key strength of their team, but the top line of Ethen Frank, Drew Worrad, and Cole Gallant is the engine that fuels their offense. Gallant opened the scoring with a top-shelf snipe, and it was set up by a great takeaway by Frank and then a great feed by Worrad. 

After this game, it is clear why Frank leads the NCAA in scoring and why Worrad has a team-leading 45 assists on the year. This top line has a lot of skill, and they know how to put up points.

Northeastern still has work to do

Northeastern captured their first Hockey East title, and after today’s game, both head coach Jerry Keefe and McDonough said that this season was a significant step forward for the hockey program.

The next step this team needs to take is to win their first NCAA tournament game. They were one goal away in this one, and they certainly had their opportunities, but they came up short. They have a young core, though, and they will undoubtedly be in the mix for years to come.