3rd time's a charm: Winding road leads former RMU skater, Wexford native Brian Kramer to Frozen 4

When the Frozen Four gets underway next week in St. Louis, nine college hockey players with Western Pennsylvania ties will be on the ice. Seven of them will be on Penn State’s roster, as the Nittany Lions have qualified for the national semifinal for the first time in program history.

They’ll play Boston University at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

However, Western Michigan’s Brian Kramer may have had the most interesting path to college hockey’s big dance among the local skaters. The Wexford native started his college career as a promising freshman defenseman at Robert Morris in 2020-21, posting 12 points as the Colonials won the Western Division of Atlantic hockey.

Then, out of nowhere, the men’s and women’s hockey programs were shut down.

“It would have been a great opportunity to play in my backyard in front of friends and family every night,” Kramer said. “It would have been an awesome way to go through my college career. But that’s not what happened.”

Needing a place to play, Kramer transferred elsewhere within Atlantic Hockey, landing with American International College, one of the Colonials’ conference rivals.

“It was a little bit hectic. That day that we got the announcement, it was a scramble to get into the transfer portal and try to find a new home to play,” Kramer recalled. “I couldn’t have found a better spot in AIC with Coach (Eric) Lang and all the staff and players there.”

Kramer posted 56 points in three years with the Yellow Jackets, winning one conference title and playing in the NCAA tournament in 2022.

After the 2023-24 season ended, Kramer decided he’d use his fifth year to play in a bigger conference and spread his wings. He transferred again to Western Michigan in the NCHC.

In November of 2024, after Kramer had begun his season in Kalamazoo, it was revealed that AIC was going to drop down to Division II. So, even though the Colonials managed to relaunch on Neville Island two years ago, both of the programs that Kramer called his college home disappeared from the D-I ranks in one form or another.

“It’s been a crazy ride. This is my third school. So, (I’ve) definitely had some experiences along the way. Not how I envisioned getting to this point,” Kramer said.

Fortunately, Kramer was able to end his college career in style, helping the Broncos win this year’s Fargo NCAA Regional and make the Frozen Four for the first time in program history.

“I talked to a lot of teams (in the transfer portal). Western Michigan fit everything I was looking for with my fifth and final year. I’m happy to be in this position with this group. It’s been awesome,” Kramer said.

Not only did Kramer pitch in with 16 points over 40 games from the blueline this season, but he also set up the Broncos’ game-winning goal from the right point on a power play during Saturday’s regional final to beat UMass.

A TIM WASHE TIP! ???? Broncos take the lead! #NCAAHockey x ???? ESPNU / @WMUHockey pic.twitter.com/6jaFAjc19g

— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) March 30, 2025

“He defends extremely well. He’s got great gaps. He breaks us out on a regular basis cleanly,” WMU coach Pat Ferschweiler said. “Brian has been making big plays for us all year. He has led on and off the ice. He is a special young man.”

Kramer’s coach at RMU, Derek Schooley, has continued to lead the Colonials since the program’s reboot in 2023-24. Schooley stayed in touch with Kramer even after he had to leave the Island Sports Center. One thing he has noticed is how hard Kramer has developed his defensive game.

“Brian has always been a great skater. He needed to get stronger once he got into the college atmosphere. Over his time at AIC, he developed,” Schooley said. “He still has the offensive flair. Now he’s stronger and bigger. His defensive game has grown too. He was named a finalist for the (conference) all-defensive defenseman team. Yet he is an offensive guy who skates great.”

Schooley will be in attendance at the Frozen Four to see Kramer play in a Broncos jersey against Denver. The game will carry special meaning for him. Not only is Schooley a WMU alum, but he is also a native of St. Louis.

“I’m proud. I’m happy for him. I’m happy for the alumni. It’s in my hometown. You can’t ask for anything more than that personally. But I’m really happy for Brian to experience that. I’m happy for Pat, who was a three-year teammate of mine,” Schooley said.

For Kramer, knowing that his last college hockey stop will mean so much for the campus and alumni of the program will stick with him forever.

“There’s been countless names that have come through Western Michigan’s program. It’s a great honor to be on a team that made it all the way to the Frozen Four,” Kramer said. “It’s a great privilege to go for the national championship.”