Complete 2009-10 Hockey Information Guide (Small File) - Western ...

“He brings a calming influence to the guys. He did a good job mentoring Connautonlast year and certainly helped his development. He is one of our hardest workers andit sets a great example for our young guys.”Elias comes to the Broncos after playing three seasons in the British Columbia HockeyLeague. The Calgary, Alberta native racked up 55 goals and 100 assists in 157games.Captain Tyler Ludwig was one of the top offensive blue-liners in the CCHA last season.The other defenseman to play in all 41 games was senior Jordan Collins. Collins, whois a solid stay-at-home defenseman, is the biggest body the Broncos can throw outon a given night, coming in at 6-foot-1 and 222 pounds. Until last season, Collins hadonly played in 24 games in his two years with at WMU.Another defenseman that saw a big increase in playing time was Mike Levendusky.The junior played in 29 games last year contributing with three assists. As the seasonwent on Levendusky saw his role increase, playing in the final 21 games. TheGreensburg, Pa., native also had the highest plus/minus ratio, plus-six, than anyother defenseman on the team.THE NETMINDERSRiley Gill enters his senior season with his name cemented in the WMU record books.Last season Gill picked up his sixth and then seventh career shutouts to move aheadof former Bronco Mark Magliarditi for the most in school history. The Northfield,Minn., native also did two things no other Brown & Gold goaltender ever has, postback-to-back shutouts and win his second career game at Michigan’s Yost Arena.Gill’s record-setting shutouts were a 5-0 thrashing of Nebraska-Omaha and a 3-0win over Alaska.Gill was on his “A” game and made 33 saves, while only allowing one goal to the thenNo. 8 team in the nation for his second career win at Yost Arena. Gill finished theseason with a 13-13-3 record along with a 2.91 goals against average and a .920save percentage.“Trevor is a speedy, play-making forward,” said Robson. “He does a nice job at findingguys and moving the puck very well. He can create lots of offensive opportunitieswith his speed.”Henry played three years with the Lincoln Stars and was a captain during his finalseason. While the young defeseman was not counted on to produce offensively, hedid see time on the power play during his final season.“He is a solid, steady defenseman,” added Fakler. “He plays a real physical gamewith a lot of intensity and jam. Ross is a smart hockey player that can move the puckvery well. He may not always be noticed, but he is really effective at what he does.”Miller played with current Bronco Kyle O’Kane when the two played with the St.Louis Bandits of the NAHL two years ago. Miller put up great numbers that year andmatched them last year in his first season in the USHL. The skilled forward netted 22goals and tallied 26 assists in 55 games last season.“Ben does a great job at putting himself in good position,” said Fakler. “He has aquick release and can really shoot the puck. He has a good hockey sense and visionand has a chance to be a real asset on the power play.”Tennyson is the largest of the eight newcomers at 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds. Despitehis big frame, the defenseman has the ability to move the puck around and is lighton his feet. The Pleasanton, Calif., native played in 57 games with the Rough Ridersin Cedar Rapids, contributing with 10 points and only registering 51 penalty minutes.Walters is another youngster that brings leadership experience to the Broncos, havingcaptained the Stampede for two years. He had his best offensive year last season,scoring nine goals and tallying 17 assists in 54 games and also scored threegoals in four playoff games.“Dane is a smart, well rounded hockey play,” comments Fakler. “He competes reallyhard and plays fearless. He’ll block shots and do a lot of those little things thatcoaches really like out of players. He has the ability to play in all situations and addssome real depth for us.”Witkowski comes to the Broncos with the most accolades out of any of the newcomers. The 6-foot-2, 201 pound defenseman was drafted in the sixth round by theTampa Bay Lightning in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Growing up just north of Kalamazooin Holland, Mich., Witkowski played two seasons in the USHL. His first seasonwas with the Columbus Junior Blue Jackets and then with the Fargo Force once theBlue Jackets relocated. Witkowski tallied six goals and 16 assists last season andalso boasted a plus-30 plus/minus rating.2009-10 SEASON PREVIEWJunior Jerry Kuhn saw significant action last season, staring in 12 games and postinga 1-7-4 record. Kuhn was also the winning netminder in WMU’s first ever shootout inCCHA play against Ferris State.THE NEW GUYSEight student-athletes will get the chance to make their collegiate debut with theBroncos this season. Brett Beebe (Chicago Steel/USHL), David Chaney (MahoningValley Phantoms/NAHL), Trevor Elias (Langley Chiefs/BCHL), Ross Henry (LincolnStars/USHL), Ben Miller (Waterloo Black Hawks/USHL), Matt Tennyson (Cedar RapidsRough Riders/USHL), Dane Walters (Sioux Falls Stampede/USHL) and Luke Witkowski(Fargo Force/USHL) will have an opportunity to play this season.Beebe, a right-winger from Redondo Beach, Calif., combines good vision and a goodskill set to add depth to the forwards. Chaney, a defenseman from Shelby Township,Mich., comes to WMU after a successful season in Mahoning Valley and will be oneof four young defenders competing for playing time.COACHESHead coach Jim Culhane returns for his 11th full season at the helm with the Broncos.He is 150-202-40 in his 10 seasons with the Broncos and earned his 100th careerCCHA victory last season. Culhane returns his full staff with fourth-year assistantMark Fakler and second-year assistant coach Scott Robson.17www.wmubroncos.com • 9 ALL-AMERICANS • www.wmubroncos.com • 3 HOBEY BAKER FINALISTS