The Broncos are back in town – no, not the Peyton Manning-led behemoths who wear orange. We’re talking Western Michigan, which is coming to Magness Arena this weekend for two-game NCHC series (7:30 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Saturday).

Overview: This series kicks off a make-or-break stretch for Western Michigan’s season. After facing the No. 14 Pioneers, the Broncos (7-11-2) travel to No. 5 St. Cloud State, play host to No. 1 North Dakota and travel to No. 9 Nebraska-Omaha, which they swept in Kalamazoo in late October. The Broncos have played better of late, going 3-1-1 after an eight-game losing streak. Like DU, they swept UNO and Colorado College and lost twice to St. Cloud State. However, they have not fared as well as against other common opponents, losing twice at Minnesota-Duluth (which DU went 1-0-1 against on the road) and going 0-2-1 vs. Notre Dame (which DU tied twice). The Broncos’ wins come when they can take an early lead, but if they don’t they’re usually in big trouble, having won only once in 20 games when behind after the first or second periods. Their combination of a penchant for penalties and a poor penalty kill hasn’t helped. They’re a big team – 12 skaters are 6-foot-1 or taller and three more measure 6 feet. Fourteen skaters weigh in at 200 pounds or more.

Offense: Three of the Broncos’ top five scorers and four of their top seven are freshmen, including forwards Griffen Molino (16 points) and Colt Conrad (10) and defensemen Oliver Kaski (10) and Corey Schueneman (9). Other scoring threats include junior Sheldon Dries (11) and senior Nolan LaPorte (10), both forwards, and junior defenseman Chris Dienes (9). WMU scores 2.4 goals per game (second worst in the NCHC to Colorado College) on an average of 28 shots.

Defense: The presence of so many defensemen among their scoring leaders is a double-edged sword. WMU gets points from the back end but also allows nearly 3.7 goals per game overall (56th in D-I) and 4.20 in the NCHC. Their defense tends to lapse as games progress. After fairly even goals for and against in the first period, opponents have outscored the Broncos by nearly 2-to-1 margins in the second and third periods. They have two goaltenders that have appeared in nine or more games, but they turn to senior Lukas Hefner (5-6-2, 3.03 goals-against average, .911 save percentage) more often than junior Collin Olson (2-5, 4.15, .877).

Special teams: They Broncos’ power play clicks nearly 20 percent of the time is the 20th ranked one by percentage in Division I. Molino’s three goals lead the way there. The problem for the Broncos is they don’t draw a lot of penalties (3.3 per game). Conversely, their penalty kill (72.8 percent) is the worst among 60 D-I schools. That’s compounded by the fact they  take nearly 12 minutes of penalties per game (tied for 19th-most in the nation). This is an area DU’s surging top two lines and defensemen Will Butcher, Nolan Zajac and Adam Plant should be able to capitalize on.

Bottom line: This is a matchup that sets up well for DU, which has built plenty of momentum in the new year after a December to forget. The teams offer a bit of a contrast in styles, with WMU boasting several big players and DU countering with a smaller, more mobile lineup. The Pioneers’ power play should get plenty of chances, and if they display the intensity and fortitude they have the past two weekends, another sweep isn’t out of the question.

@MagnessMayhem