Western Michigan won their first-ever Frozen Four berth with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Massachusetts in the West Regional final at Scheels Arena on Saturday night. The Broncos, led by head coach Pat Ferschweiler, edged out the Minutemen to secure their school-record 32nd win of the season and first-ever Frozen Four appearance.
The game was a back-and-forth affair, with UMass breaking through first in the first period thanks to Dans Locmelis’ eighth goal of the season. However, Western Michigan responded late in the second period, thanks to two critical boarding penalties by Aydar Suniev, which led to Liam Valente tying the game and Tim Washe scoring the winning goal on a power play.
The Broncos held off Massachusetts’ push for the final minute, securing their first-ever Frozen Four spot. “Power play this year has got to be able to decide the game,” said Washe, “and it did that for us tonight.”
Western Michigan will face the winner of Sunday’s Denver-Boston College matchup in two weeks at St. Louis.
Source: https://www.uscho.com/2025/03/29/fargo-region-western-michigan-strikes-twice-on-the-power-play-kills-late-major-to-skate-past-umass-2-1-and-earn-the-programs-first-frozen-four-berth