NCAA Frozen Four: Western Michigan On Upset Alert

In the opening round of the NCAA Frozen Four tournament, top seed Western Michigan is on upset alert.

St. Cloud State's Mika Ilvonen tries to get control of the puck in front of the Western Michigan University goal during the Saturday, Jan. 19, game at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud. Scsu Hock 1 / Dave Schwarz, dschwarz@stcloudtimes.com

The Western Michigan Men's Hockey Team is riding high as the 2025 Frozen Four tournament begins. The university just defeated the defending national champions, the University of Denver, to secure their first ever NHCH championship.

The win was Western Michigan's 30th of the season and helped earn them one of the top seeds at the Frozen Four. As a reward, WMU might be the likeliest top seed to be upset in the opening round of the tournament.

Taking on Western Michigan is Minnesota State University. The Mavericks have had an excellent season that's advanced their hockey program. They enter this matchup as the 14th ranked team in the latest PairWise rankings.

On paper, Western Michigan has the better overall roster. They have a few more skill players and have seven players drafted by or already signed with an NHL organization.

Top among them is goalie prospect Hampton Slukynsky, who is a member of the Los Angeles Kings. The 19-year-old net minder is rangy and athletic, and he's gone 15-5-1 as a freshman. But there are also players like Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Joona Vaisanen. The slick skating, puck mover has posted 23 points in 38 games in his first NCAA season. Philadelphia Flyers forward Alex Bump leads the Broncos in scoring with 23 goals and 23 assists in 38 games. In comparison, Minnesota State has just one player affiliated with an NHL organization.

What Minnesota State does have is one of the best goalies in the nation. Alex Tracy is a nominee for both the Mike Richter Award as the top goalie in the NCAA and a Hobey Baker top-10 finalist as the NCAA's top overall player. He's been fantastic for the Mavericks and is garnering significant attention from NHL organizations as an undrafted free agent.

Each game in the Frozen Four can go either way. Western Michigan enters the contest as the higher seed and expected to win, but all it takes is one lucky bounce or bad play for everything to change. Minnesota State has been an excellent team all season long, and they have the WMU Broncos on high alert for a potential upset.

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