November 15, 2022
Polin, Broncos Maintain Momentum
by Avash Kalra/Senior Writer (@AvashKalra)
It’s hard to score double-digit goals and double-digit assists and still manage to fly under the radar as a returning upperclassman, but that’s what Western Michigan forward Jason Polin managed to do entering his senior campaign for the Broncos.
Well, he’s on the radar now — fresh off becoming the first player in NCHC history to score hat-tricks on successive nights. His six-goal outburst against Miami last week brings him to a total of nine for the season, already over halfway to his total (16) from a year ago.
Still, perhaps the most telling moment for Polin — and reflecting the Broncos as a whole — came in the final minute of that weekend, with the Broncos set to close out a sweep of the RedHawks. Ahead 4-2 and skating in on an empty net, Polin opted against scoring his seventh goal of the weekend, instead passing to Max Sasson for the exclamation point goal, securing a 5-2 win to follow the 7-1 drubbing of Miami the night before.
It was an unselfish moment that gave the sophomore Sasson his fifth goal of the year, capping a dominant 120 minutes for Western Michigan on the heels of a hard-fought pair of one-goal losses against Michigan the week before (one in OT).
“Jason’s a professional hockey player playing college hockey,” said WMU coach Pat Ferschweiler, who led the Broncos to a 26-win season and NCAA tournament appearance last year, his first season. “Doing it right every day. He’s an incredible leader. I think he’s the best defensive forward in the NCHC. … He returns not only as our leader but as a talented goal scorer. He is an offensive player with great defensive instincts as well.”
Ferschweiler pointed to recent offensive stars at Western Michigan — among them, Wade Allison, Ethen Frank, Hugh McGing — as reasons why Polin has flown under the radar for so long. Clearly, the Broncos needed someone to step up against Miami. Ferschweiler noted that he was happy with their effort against Michigan, despite the one-goal defeats, and in particular was pleased with his team’s ability to “counterpunch.”
But it was uncharacteristic to give up six goals, as they did the second night against the Wolverines — after not allowing six goals in a game a single time last season. That has been a notable shift for Western Michigan under Ferschweiler….
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