The Michigan hockey team’s road to Joe Louis Arena is clear.

Well, there’s a minor roadblock — this weekend’s series against Western Michigan, a team that finished seventh in the CCHA regular season.

But the Broncos finished the season on a tear, winning seven of their last 10 games, including a 4-3 double overtime victory last weekend in their series win over Lake Superior State. They have a dangerous scoring threat in senior forward Patrick Galivan, who led the CCHA in points. Not to mention that Western Michigan goalie Riley Gill has been hot of late, making 33 saves in a 2-1 upset win over Michigan on Nov. 14 at Yost Ice Arena.

OK, maybe the Broncos aren’t such a minor obstacle. And Wolverine coach Red Berenson is making sure his team realizes that.

“Coach was telling us (Wednesday), there’s no limo waiting to take us to the Joe,” sophomore center Louie Caporusso said. “We definitely can’t get ahead of ourselves. We got to make sure we take one step at a time and understand that we have a challenge ahead of us.”

And at least for the past week, Michigan has focused all its attention on its opponent. Last week’s practices seemed more relaxed, as the Wolverines coasted through their bye weekend and watched the Broncos beat the Lakers.

“You work hard all year to get a bye and to get home ice, and you have to take advantage of it,” Berenson said. “I knew last week that we would play a good team this week, a team with some confidence and some momentum. It didn’t matter if it was Nebraska-Omaha or in this case, Western. What’s important really is the focus.”

Because of that extra weekend off, Michigan must not show any rust. Teams generally don’t like to take breaks when they’re playing well, and the Wolverines are no exception. After closing the regular season on a 17-3 run, they admit they didn’t really need a breather.

The mini-break did help a few players, including senior defenseman Mark Mitera. Mitera, who sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the season opener on Oct. 10, returned to action on Feb. 27 in Michigan's final series of the regular season against Ferris State. He played in both games of that weekend’s series, and after another two weeks of full-contact practice, he expects to be more confident on the ice.

Confidence could be crucial in this weekend’s series with Western Michigan (9-13-6-2 CCHA, 14-18-7 overall). The Broncos come into the matchup with a pair of playoff wins under their belt as well as momentum, thanks to a come-from-behind series win.

Michigan (20-8-0-0, 26-10-0), on the other hand, hasn’t yet faced a do-or-die situation. And the Wolverines haven’t played in an overtime period that would decide the fate of their season.

“I think the changed part is now you’re in the second round of the playoffs,” Berenson said. “You’re playing against a team that’s already played three games, and they’ll have that momentum and that playoff mode in their game. We’ve got to get it in ours.”

And while the Wolverines cautiously say they are staying focused on the Broncos, Berenson can’t help but look ahead just a little.

“I think its part of our goals every year — to do as well as we can in the league, in the playoffs to get the bye, to get to Joe Louis, to get to the championship game, have a chance at winning the CCHA tournament, getting into the NCAA tournament and so on,” Berenson said.

“It’s an expectation. We’ve been fortunate. Every year that you get there, you have to earn it. You have to play well enough to end another team’s season. For quite a few years, we have. But every year’s a different year. Right now, we’re focused on this weekend, but it’s a big weekend.”