KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan hockey team and head coach Pat Ferschweiler announced the winners of the team’s annual awards following a record-breaking 2023-24 season. The Broncos won 21 games and made the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season.
After leading the team in points, captain Luke Grainger was able to earn a pair of awards. He was named the Rob Hodge MVP and Vic Vanderberg Leading Scorer. In total, Grainger produced 48 points on 14 goals and 34 assists. His play earned him All-NCHC Second Team honors, and he was selected as the NCHC Senior Scholar Athlete Award winner.
The Broncos’ other MVP was Sam Colangelo, who led the team in goals this season. He finished the season with 43 points on 24 goals and 19 assists. Following the season, he was named All-NCHC Honorable Mention and signed an NHL contract with the Anaheim Ducks.
Alex Bump’s strong rookie season didn’t go unnoticed, as he earned the teams’ Susan Klop Rookie of the Year Award. He closed out the season with 36 points on 14 goals and 22 assists. His 14 goals were the most by a WMU freshman since the 2006-07 season.
Carter Berger’s tremendous 2023-24 season was awarded with the Neil Smith Most Valuable Defenseman award. He posted 20 points on four goals and 16 assists to go along with a +14 rating. For the second consecutive season, Dylan Wendt earned the Ed Edwards Most Improved award. He doubled his point total from last season, recording 44 points on 23 goals and 21 assists.
Some other defensemen received awards, as Cedric Fielder collected the Bill Saunders Plus/Minus Award and Jacob Bauer received the Peter Ellis Academic Award. Fiedler led the team with a +24 rating to go along with eight points. Bauer had four points and a 3.97 GPA.
The last three awards went to forwards Chad Hillebrand, Ethan Phillips and Trevor Bishop. Hillebrand earned the KOHA Grinder award after a career-best senior season. He finished the 2023-24 campaign with 26 points on seven goals and 19 assists. He was also a +21 in 38 games.
Phillips also had a career-best senior season, finishing his year with 23 points on nine goals and 14 assists in 29 games. He was selected as the winner of the Catherine Lawson Sportsmanship Award. Bishop earned the Ross/Dickie Brown and Gold Award, after proving to be a true sparkplug for the team throughout the…
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