Broncos take both at Nebraska-Omaha

By Karl Henkel/Western Michigan Beat Writer

Nothing beats a hot goaltender. Just ask Western Michigan.

Riley Gill stopped 87 of the 88 shots he faced, including back-to-back career-high save totals, as the Broncos swept Nebraska-Omaha in a road series this past weekend.

In the opener, Gill made a then career-best 41 stops as WMU edged the hometown Mavericks, 2-1 in a shootout.

Tyler Ludwig tallied an early goal for Western Michigan and Kyle O’Kane netted the winning marker.

Gill’s counterpart, Jeremie Dupont, had 19 saves in net for UNO.

The finale was decided by a much larger margin, with the Broncos scoring five times in a shutout victory.

Gill topped his previous night’s performance by stopping all 46 of the shots fired his direction — 20 alone in the final frame — and it was good enough for his sixth career shutout. Gill was later named CCHA Goalie of the Week on Monday.

Greg Squires, Kevin Connauton and Max Campbell all scored power-play goals for WMU (8-15-7, 5-11-6-2 CCHA), with the final two coming in a three-goal third period.

Patrick Galivan added a goal and two assists and Derek Roehl tallied the other goal for Western Michigan. Squires also chipped in two helpers.

Jerad Kaufmann had 18 saves for UNO.

The Broncos ride the two-game hot streak as they return home to take on Alaska this weekend. Puck drop is set for 7:35 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.