Broncos take both from Bowling Green

By Karl Henkel/Western Michigan Beat Writer

Heading into its final regular-season series, Western Michigan had everything to play for.

Afterwards, the team still has everything to play for, but it will be easier now that it locked up home-ice advantage following a sweep of Bowling Green.

After trailing Bowling Green 2-0 early in the opening game, WMU scored five consecutive goals, including two from Max Campbell. Though it was the offense that provided the 5-2 victory, it wouldn’t have been possible without netminder Riley Gill, who made 40 saves — 13 in the first and second periods and 14 in the third.

Jimmy Spratt had 18 stops for BGSU - the final WMU goal came with an empty net.

Then, with a chance to earn a home-ice edge in the first round of the CCHA playoffs, the Broncos dropped another five-spot on Bowling Green in a 5-3 victory, the third-straight for WMU.

Patrick Galivan had a goal and an assist for Western Michigan (12-17-7, 9-13-6-2 CCHA), extending his scoring streak to 11 games and giving him the CCHA scoring championship with 42 points on the year.

Gill had another stellar night, stopping 31 shots, while Nick Eno made 17 saves for Bowling Green.

Western Michigan, which finished seventh in the CCHA, will now host Lake Superior State (which finished 10th) beginning on March 6. All three games (if necessary) start at 7:35 p.m. Earlier in February, the two teams split a series in Sault Ste. Marie, trading 4-1 outcomes.