Miami defeated Western Michigan 4-0 in the third game of their NCHC playoff series to secure their second straight trip to Minneapolis for the Frozen Faceoff.
This game didn't have huge national implications with Miami locked into the tournament and Western Michigan a longshot to win the NCHC tournament even if they had won.
But Western Michigan losing is a small positive for teams hoping to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. With the Broncos eliminated, it's now guaranteed that the winner of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff will be inside the top 16 of the Pairwise--though St. Cloud State could still fall outside the bubble with a poor result next weekend. That eliminates a few extreme scenarios where an NCHC autobid winner takes away a potential at-large bid.
Miami will now face Denver in the semifinals of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff next weekend, while top seed North Dakota draws St. Cloud State.