Alex Bump showcases his diverse offensive skill set as Western Michigan reaches NCAA title game
The Flyers prospect didn’t score but generated a game-high nine shots on goal and played a key role in two of WMU’s goals, including the 20T winner.
ST. LOUIS ― Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler recently told The Inquirer that the Flyers got an “absolute steal” in the 2022 draft when they snagged Alex Bump in the fifth round.
On Thursday, he showed why.
Skating in the first of two Frozen Four semifinals, the sophomore was everywhere in Western Michigan’s thrilling 3-2 double-overtime victory over Denver. The win advanced the Broncos to their first national championship game.
“I think we were all over them the whole game,” Bump said. “That was our game to take. If we were losing that, we were going to give it to them for sure. Yeah, we’re all stoked, but we’re here for one more.”
The Minnesota native, who leads Western Michigan with 23 goals, did not score but he was on the ice for two tallies by linemate Owen Michaels, including Thursday’s game-winner. And although he didn’t register an assist, he played a key role in each goal.
After Brian Kramer scored a power-play goal off a face-off win to make it 1-0, Bump played an integral part as Western Michigan doubled its lead. The Flyers draft pick created a turnover in Denver’s zone along the boards by knocking down the puck carrier. Michaels picked up the puck, skated into the right faceoff circle, and ripped one top shelf on Denver goalie Matt Davis.
Denver notched a pair in the third period to tie it up but 26 seconds into the second overtime, Michaels scored from the slot. On the play, Bump showed good puck support as he drew two Pioneers to him as Matteo Costantini’s pass was deflected by Zeev Buium to Michaels. The play by Bump gave his linemate the time and space to pick a corner.
“He opened so much for me and Matteo [Costantini] just by being out there, right?” Michaels said. “Teams that we play know that he’s a main area of focus for us and we try and get him his puck touches because he’s a shooter and a goal scorer. But at the same time, it opens us up too so you know we’re prepared to make those count.”
Ferschweiler noted the 21-year-old left winger’s work in areas like puck support, puck protection, and possession.
“Everybody looks for Alex with the puck, but we saw the same thing,” said the bench boss, who was a linemate of Flyers president Keith Jones with the Broncos in the early ‘90s. “His growth without the puck over the last two years has been his biggest growth. He’s always had deception, playmaking ability, ability to really make people miss. But what he’s added in the last two years I think which has made him an absolute elite player is his compete.”
It’s great to see Bump’s all-around growth but what will determine his success as an NHLer is what he does with the puck.
Called a “volume shooter” by Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong, Bump entered the game with 236 shots on goal, more than double the number of the next closest Bronco.
So it’s no surprise that he led the game with nine shots on goal — four in the first extra session alone. And every one of his shots seemed to be a Grade-A chance.
In the first period, Bump put on a hard shot through a screen on Davis that gave him a rebound chance. With under three minutes left in the period, he skated into open ice and fired a powerful one-timer that handcuffed the goalie.
Bump put two more shots on in the second period, a pull-and-shoot that knocked the mask off Davis in the first minute, and a dangerous opportunity in the last 90 seconds after the Broncos killed off a penalty.
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But known for his high compete level and propensity to rise up during big moments, Bump shone brightest j in the overtime session. The NCHC Forward of the Year had already elevated his game and his team once this season in a win-or-go home scenario: he scored the double-overtime winner for Western Michigan in the NCHC Championship Game — also over Denver.
“He’s a [heck] of a player,” Costantini, a Buffalo Sabres prospect, said of Bump. “I’m really fortunate to play with a guy like that. His hockey IQ is something that makes it so easy for me to kind of just know where he is and find him, because he’s always in good spots.”
In the first overtime session, Bump was everywhere doing “Bump things.”
In addition to four dangerous shots on goal, he attempted another four, including a golden chance to end things from the left post when he sent a bouncing puck high and wide off of a Davis rebound.
Less than five minutes into the extra period, Bump had a chance from the left circle when he cut around the defense but ultimately had his shot blocked by Buium. Just under 2 minutes later, he tried a slick drag-and-shoot move that was thwarted by Davis
But his best chance came on a two-on-one with 2:04 left in the frame. He tried another pull-and-shoot — his favorite shot, he said — but was robbed by Davis.
Overall, Bump’s shots were tricky, often handcuffing Davis, college hockey’s best big-game goalie. He used screens and, like his Prior Lake High School coach Joe Pankratz said earlier this week, he changed the angle on his shots consistently.
“At my high school rink, we have a little shooting room upstairs. I was up there every day before practice. I still go up just about every day when I’m home, so I just work on it a lot,” Bump said of his shot. “I think it’s necessary if you want to score goals at the highest level, you’re going to need a good shot and you’re gonna need different ways to score.”
There’s no question Bump will be with the Flyers in the not-too-distant future. He has moved past dropping down in the draft — although he will tell you he’s not a fifth-round player, and he certainly proved it on Thursday night in St. Louis.
As Bump said, “It’s in the past, and especially here we preach, we can’t live in the past, always live in the present.”
The present is a chance to make history for his university and create one more crowning collegiate moment for himself.