ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

Thursdays are “College Thursdays� at The Old Goat Tavern in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where you can get a Labatt on draft for $2 and something called Goat Punch for $3 ... as if the students needed any more reason this Thursday to go.

College hockey’s No. 1-seeded Western Michigan is in its first national semifinal — the Frozen Four — and the game is Thursday against Denver at ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½â€™ Enterprise Center. On Wednesday, Western Michigan player Tim Washe called The Old Goat Tavern the “go-toâ€� place in town — his coach concurred — so one can only imagine the insanity when the Broncos take the ice on national television.

“There’s just a big following,� Washe said. “We drove around when we were back this week, and they’ve got Frozen Four Broncos signs all over. It’s cool to see the support we have.�

Really, the longtime fans of Western Michigan hockey have a shared experience with the hockey fans of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½. For decades, the Blues had talented teams but never won a championship. It had been a little over 50 years when, of course, the 2019 Blues finally did. Well, Western Michigan’s first season was 1973 and, finally, they’re among the final four of teams.

“The program has been good — it’s been top 15 for a long time — and I think this could be the tipping point, to be honest,â€� said former Blues forward Jamal Mayers, who played for Western Michigan and lives in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½. “This could really mean a lot for Western. And the fact that they’re building a new rink, a $300 million rink that will be ready in 2028, I think the timing couldn’t be better. ...

“They’ve had a fantastic season. They are a big team that can skate. They play a real high-tempo, forechecking-type of style. And they’ve got a great freshman goaltender. So, you know, the stars have to align to get this far, and things have to go extremely well to be able to beat a great team in Denver — that’s the reigning champs.�

Yes, that’s the one minor detail heading into this game — to reach the national championship, they have to defeat last year’s national champions.

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ is lucky to have the Frozen Four — and even more lucky to have this particular matchup with the nation’s top two scoring teams. Denver (31-11-1) has a fellow on defense named Zeev Buium who is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award (hockey’s Heisman). WMU (32-7-1) features the veteran Washe, who set the school record this season with seven game-winning goals, as well as forward Alex Bump, who led the team with 47 points (23 goals and 24 assists).

“It’s just impressive how no one can take the puck from Al,� Washe said. “He’s big, strong, he can skate, great shot. He wants that puck on his stick — and he makes great plays with it — so I admire that about him.�

Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler has the shaved-head look of Blues coach Jim Montgomery (and they’re both 55 years old). Ferschweiler was actually the senior captain at WMU when Mayers was a freshman for the Broncos. Fershie (I assume they call him Fershie) took over at his alma mater for the 2021-22 season. He’s building a team culture that’s a lot like the fan culture up in Kalamazoo.

“We love to recruit kids with inner drive, that love to come to the rink and love hockey,� Ferschweiler told the media on Wednesday after practice at Enterprise Center. “You guys might be thinking everybody loves hockey. That’s not true. Some play because they’re good at it. Some play because they like it. Our players love hockey, love to come to the rink and they love to work hard. That’s our basic culture. ...

“What we have done in the program is start off with great people. That’s how you’re allowed to overachieve your talent. ... We keep it simple. We come to the rink and we like doing it every day. They like each other. It’s a very tight-knit group.�

So here we go — Denver vs. the Broncos. These teams actually faced off three times this season — WMU won two games with two of their matchups going to overtime. And Denver, for all its hockey pedigree, isn’t a No. 1 seed like the Broncos are.

But when Fershie was asked about being the favorites, he paused.

“To feel like a favorite against Denver, the defending national champions, a team with a known quantity coming into the year, returning with much of their lineup, I don’t want to go to favorite or not,� he said. “But what we are is confident in ourselves. We’re confident in each other and we’re confident in what we do every single day and what we’re trying to accomplish, so in that way, we do have confidence in ourselves.�

Mayers, who played for the Blues from 1996-2008, attended Wednesday’s Western Michigan practice. Originally, he wasn’t going to be able to attend the games — his son has a big time hockey camp this weekend in Phoenix. The flight was scheduled right around Thursday’s game. But Mayers changed their flight to Friday.

Alas, he won’t be able to attend the title game.

Fifty-plus years of Western Michigan hockey and the team could make its first national final ... in the city Mayers lives in ... and he won’t be able to attend.

But if it indeed happens, surely he’ll be watching with the nerves and fervor of those in the stands at Enterprise Center or on the stools at The Old Goat Tavern.