Titan top them all, capture 100th Memorial Cup

The Titan celebrate winning the Memorial Cup.

    REGINA, Sask. – The team from the Canadian Hockey League’s smallest market has laid claim to major junior hockey’s biggest prize.

    On Sunday at the Brandt Centre, the QMJHL champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan downed the Regina Pats 3-0 to win the Memorial Cup, which was being contested for the 100^th time. The win was a first for the Titan in franchise history, which dates back to 1969.

    The Titan have been playing out of Bathurst, New Brunswick, since 1998. According to the 2016 Canadian census, Bathurst has a population of just over 15,500, which makes it the smallest market in the CHL.

    “It is indescribable,” said Titan overage defenceman Adam Holwell. “Winning the President Cup (QMJHL champions) was unbelievable.

Defenceman Adam Holwell departs the CHL as a Memorial Cup winner.

    “(It is) the same feeling this time except we get to celebrate it without having to worry about a game the next week. It is going to be fun.”

    The Titan finished the Memorial Cup tournament with a 3-1 record, while the Pats, who were the host squad for the event, finished at 3-2. Acadie-Bathurst had been off since Tuesday after wrapping up the round robin portion of the tournament with a 3-2 setback to the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs. 

    The Titan, who downed the Pats 8-6 in a round robin clash on May 20, finished first in the round robin portion of the tournament.

    Regina entered Sunday’s contest fresh off a 4-2 tournament semifinal win on Friday against the Bulldogs.

    “We played a really good 60 minute,” said Titan head coach Mario Pouliot. “We did the good thing during the four days off, and our players were fresh mentally and physically too.

Adam Holwell (#13) celebrates scoring the winning goal for the Titan.

    “Tonight at the start of the game especially in the first two periods, we had a lot of energy, and we were playing our identity. We were fast. We counterattacked them.

    “We were using our speed. (I am) just proud too of all the players. It is a great accomplishment right now.”

    Acadie-Bathurst pinned the Pats inside their own zone for much of the first two periods.
    Titan overage defenceman Adam Holwell wired home a shot from on top of the right faceoff dot in the Pats zone to give his side a 1-0 lead with 3:50 to play in the first period.

    He never thought his tally would be the game winner.

    “That is going to sound cool, when I tell my kids that I shot it bar down,” said Holwell. “It is unbelievable.”

Netminder Max Paddock makes one of his 41 saves for the Pats.

    The Titan increased their pressure in the second period and held a 16-0 edge in shots on goal for the frame nine minutes in. Pats 17-year-old rookie netminder Max Paddock had a spectacular outing to keep his club in the game.

    Early in the second, Paddock stoned Titan right-winger Ethan Crossman on a dangerous rush and later robbed the Sackville, N.B., product with a huge glove save.

    Despite being outshot 24-6 in the second, the Pats had chances to get on the board as right-winger Jared Legien and star captain Sam Steel both hit the post on respective shots.

    Those efforts engaged the sellout crowd of 6,484, who started up chants of “go Pats go.”

    After being outshot 36-11 over the first 40 minutes, the Pats hit high gear in the third searching for the equalizer forcing Titan star netminder Evan Fitzpatrick to come up with a number of big stops.

Star captain Sam Steel had some big scoring chances for the Pats.

    Fitzpatrick stoned Pats left-winger Robbie Holmes in close and later turned away Czech import defenceman Libor Hajek on a slot shot.

    Steel had a golden opportunity to score on a rebound chance but was denied when Fitzpatrick flashed the leather for a big glove save.

    “I just try to really just track the puck,” said Fitzpatrick. “No matter if I am getting one shot or 10 shots or whatever, I just try to do my job knowing that my team is going to be there to help me out.”

    The Titan weren’t able to expand their edge until there was 6:58 remaining in the third period, when centre Samuel Asselin converted to beauty set-up pass from captain Jeffrey Truchon-Viel to give Acadie-Bathurst a 2-0 edge.

    Crossman sealed with the win with an empty-net goal with 30.3 seconds to play in the third.

Evan Fitzpatrick makes 28 saves to get the shutout for the Titan.

    Fitzpatrick made 28 saves to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Titan. Paddock turned away 41-of-43 shots to take the setback in goal for the Pats.

    “I am speechless right now,” said Fitzpatrick. “It is icing on the cake here. We won the (QMJHL) title, and now we are national champions.

    “It is amazing. We have a great support system here. We have a lot of parents and a lot of fans and a great support system back in Bathurst.”

    The Titan finished second overall in the QMJHL’s regular season standings with a 43-15-8-2 record and went 16-4 in the playoffs.
     The Titan took the QMJHL Championship series in six games with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

    The Pats, who have won the Memorial Cup three times, finished seventh overall in the WHL with a 40-25-6-1 regular season record playing out of the league’s ultra-competitive East Division.

The Titan react to winning the Memorial Cup.

    They were eliminated in the first round of the WHL playoffs in a tough seven game series against the Swift Current Broncos. 

    The Broncos won the WHL title and went 0-3 in the round robin portion of the Memorial Cup and didn’t qualify for the event’s playoff round.
    WHL teams have won only one of the last 10 Memorial Cup tournaments.

    Steel has a signed three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks, and it is unlikely the Sherwood Park, Alta., product will return to the Pats for an overage season.
    He played a key part in helping the Pats reach last year’s WHL Championship series, which they dropped in six games to the Seattle Thunderbirds. The Pats were outstanding that season finishing first overall in the WHL at 52-12-7-1.

    While he was dejected after Sunday’s loss, Steel said he would reflect on his four seasons in Regina fondly.

Titan Defenceman Olivier Galipeau takes a lap with the Memorial Cup.

    “It’s been unbelievable since the day I was drafted,” said Steel. “It’s just been great to be a part of this city, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

    “They’ve given me everything throughout my junior career and just really proud to be a Pat.”

    As for the Titan, Sunday’s game will be something their players will always remember.
    Fitzpatrick, who had a 2.96 goals against average and a .906 save percentage for the Titan in the Memorial Cup, loved soaking in the celebrations on ice comparing it to when the Titan clinched the QMJHL title series at home on May 13.

    “I went through this once in Bathurst, and now this a bigger stage and a bigger title, it is amazing,” said Fitzpatrick. “To have my family come out and everyone else who is around, it is special.”

Steel named tournament MVP

Sam Steel, left, receives the Stafford Smythe Trophy from David Branch.

    Regina Pats star captain Sam Steel was named the MVP of the Memorial Cup tournament.

    He topped the tournament in scoring with two goals and 11 assists appearing in all of Regina’s five games to be awarded the Stafford Smythe Trophy as tournament MVP, and he was named to the event’s all-star team at forward. Due to the fact he has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks, Steel will likely not be back in Regina next season for his overage campaign.

    During the regular season, Steel appeared in 54 games with the Pats piling up 33 goals, 50 assists and plus-27 rating in the plus-minus department. He added one goal and 10 assists in the Pats seven games in the WHL playoffs.

    He helped Canada win gold at the last world juniors, which wrapped up in early January in Buffalo, N.Y.

    In his WHL career, Steel has appeared in 258 regular season games piling up 123 goals, 215 assists and a plus-78 rating. He ranked sixth all-time on the Pats list for career regular season assists and his 338 regular season points rates 10^th all-time.

    The Pats had two other representatives on the tournament all-star team including netminder Max Paddock and defenceman Josh Mahura.

    The Memorial Cup champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan placed three players on the tournament all-star team including defenceman Noah Dobson and forwards Jeffrey Truchon-Viel and Samuel Asselin.

Heponiemi wins CHL’s sportsmanship award

Broncos star left-winger Aleksi Heponiemi won a major CHL award.

    Swift Current Broncos star left-winger Aleksi Heponiemi won the CHL’s sportsman of the year award on Saturday.

    The product of Tampere, Finland, appeared in 57 regular season games for the Broncos piling up 28 goals, 90 assists and a plus-42 rating in the plus-minus department. He only had 28 minutes in penalties for the campaign. Heponiemi’s 90 assists were a Broncos record for one regular season.

    He played for Finland in the last world juniors that wrapped up in January in Buffalo, N.Y.

    Heponiemi was selected in the second round and 40^th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

All of the CHL’s major awards were handed out on Saturday in Regina.

    Players from the WHL claimed two other major awards. Carter Hart of the Everett Silvertips was named the goaltender of the year and centre Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors took the top scorer award piling up 70 goals and 59 assists playing in all of the Warriors 72 regular season games.

    QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada had two award winners with Alexandre Alain taking the scholastic player of the year award and Alex Barre-Boulet claiming the player of the year award.

    As for the other award winners, Andrei Svechnikov of the OHL’s Barrie Colts won the top prospect award, Garrett McFadden of the OHL’s Guelph Storm took the humanitarian of the year award, Alexis Lafreniere of the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic captured the rookie of the year award and Nicolas Hague of the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads took the defenceman of the year award.

    Drew Bannister, who is the head coach of the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, was named the winner of the Brian Kilrea coach of the year award.
    On Sunday, the CHL announced the 2004-05 London Knights were appointed the CHL’s team of the century following a fan vote in celebration of the 100th Memorial Cup. The Knights went 59-7-0-2 in the regular season, won the OHL title and the Memorial Cup.
    During the 2004-05 regular season, the Knights set a CHL record posting a 31 game undefeated streak.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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“Man of Steel” rises again for Pats in 6-5 win over Broncos

Regina eliminates Swift Current from Memorial Cup

Captain Sam Steel pushed the Pats into the Memorial Cup semifinal.

    REGINA, Sask. – The Regina Pats needed every bit of Sam Steel’s heroics as “the Man of Steel.”

    The Pats captain had five assists to help his team outlast a determined Swift Current Broncos side 6-5 in the final round robin game for both clubs at the Memorial Cup championship tournament on Wednesday night at the Brandt Centre.

    Steel’s effort almost wasn’t enough as Broncos captain Glenn Gawdin and Finnish import left-winger Aleksi Heponiemi pulled a Batman and Robin act to give the WHL champions every shot to pull out a victory before a sellout crowd of 6,484 spectators. 

    Gawdin had two goals and an assist, while Heponiemi had a goal and three assists.

Glenn Gawdin had two goals and an assist for the Broncos.

    With the win, the Pats conclude the round robin portion of the tournament with a 2-1 record and advance to play the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs (2-1) in a semifinal playoff game on Friday at 8 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.

    The QMJHL champion Acadie Bathurst Titan (2-1) qualified for the championship contest of the Memorial Cup thanks to the result of Wednesday’s round robin game. While the Pats, Bulldogs and Titan all had identical round robin records, the Titan finished first and the Bulldogs second thanks to a tiebreaking rule that used a mathematical formula involving the goals for and goals against between the three clubs in their head-to-head games.

    The Broncos finished 0-3 in the round robin portion of the Memorial Cup and were eliminated from making the playoff round of the CHL championship tournament.

Aleksi Heponiemi had a goal and three assists for the Broncos.

    Swift Current lost all three of its games at the Memorial Cup by a one-goal margin. The Broncos had finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 48-17-5-2 mark.

    “They (the Broncos) are just a really good team,” said Steel. “They have a lot of heart to fight back.

    “We saw that tonight. We played a good game, got up and we knew they were going to have a push. It was good.”

    Steel helped the Pats go ahead 1-0 at the 7:36 mark of the first period, while working on the power play. The Sherwood Park, Alta., product found linemate Nick Henry with a backdoor pass in the left slot, and Henry fired home his first of three goals on the night.

    The Pats extended their lead to 2-0 at the 10:29 mark of the third working on another power play.

Left-winger Nick Henry had a hat trick for the Pats.

    Steel passed the puck from the right boards to linemate Cameron Hebig at the left post of the Swift Current goal, and Hebig redirected the puck into the net to give Regina a two-goal edge.

    At that point, the goals came at a rapid pace. Gawdin netted his first of the night at the 11:46 mark of the second to cut the Pats lead to 2-1. Steel set up Henry for his second goal of the contest at the 16:09 mark of the second, while Regina was short-handed to make the score 3-1 in the Pats favour.
    Just 23 seconds after Henry’s short-handed marker, Beck Malenstyn scored a power-play goal for Swift Current to cut Regina’s edge to 3-2.

Broncos D Artyom Minulin turns the corner on Pats RW Cameron Hebig.

    The Pats extended their lead to 4-2, when Steel found Henry with a crazy pass across the face of the Broncos goal. Henry fired his third tally of the night into the open left side of the net.

    “I just had a couple of good passes and guys were putting it in,” said Steel. “They were finding the right spots.

    “It is good to chip in. We got the win, and that is the most important thing. I’m just focused on getting a championship here.”

    The Pats appeared to seal the game away, when left-winger Bryce Platt scored at the 10:43 mark of the third period to put Regina up 5-2.

Libor Hajek scored the winning goal for the Pats.

    The Broncos fought back again. Heponiemi scored at the 14:22 mark of third, and Giorgio Estephan flipped a close in shot over Pats netminder Max Paddock at the 17:11 mark of the third to cut the Regina lead to 5-4. Estephan scored his goal after the Broncos pulled netminder Stuart Skinner for an extra attacker.

    With 2:12 to play in the third, the Broncos were penalized for too many men during a mix up, when they tried to pull Skinner again for an extra attacker. The extra attacker jumped on to the ice, while Skinner froze on his way to the Swift Current bench.

    On the ensuing power play, Steel got the puck to Czech import defenceman Libor Hajek. Hajek skated low slot to the left side of the Swift Current goal and put a shot past Skinner to give the Pats a 6-4 lead with 1:37 to play.

    Just as the Pats faithful were heavy in their celebrations, Gawdin potted his second of the contest with 49.5 seconds to play in the third to cut the Pats edge to 6-5. Gawdin’s goal came with the Broncos working on the power play.
    At that point, the sizable contingent of Broncos fans in attendance roared louder than they had at any point in the game.

The Pats celebrate Libor Hajek’s winning goal.

    In the final seconds, the Pats had a couple of big shot blocks, which helped preserve victory.

Paddock made 26 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Pats. Skinner turned away 22 shots to take the setback in goal for the Broncos.

    Way back on April 2, the Broncos knocked the Pats out of the WHL playoffs taking Game 7 of a first round series 3-2 at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current. Steel said the Pats expected a big battle.

    “We knew what was on the line,” said Steel. “We knew these guys knocked us out.

    “We knew they were a really good team. We came out hungry.”

    Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock was pleased with Steel’s product on Wednesday, and the veteran bench boss said he was impressed with how Steel ensures he always ready to play.

    “He does everything he possibly can to prepare himself to play a game in practice,” said Paddock. “I think it relates a lot to his upbringing.

The fans at the Brandt Centre salute the Pats after their win.

    “He is extremely skilled. You just never have to worry about him. That is a really good compliment for a player when you don’t have to worry about him being ready to play.”

    Now the Pats look forward to playing the Bulldogs. Regina beat Hamilton 3-2 in the round robin clash between the two sides to open the Memorial Cup back on May 18. Henry scored the winning goal in that contest with 32.6 seconds to play in the third period.

    “We heard they weren’t too happy with their play,” said Steel, who leads all players in scoring at the Memorial Cup with one goal and 10 assists. “We expect a better performance out of them.

    “We have to be prepared for it and just come out and lay it all on the line.”

Stanley Cup pays a visit, other notes

Broncos supporters are picture with the Stanley Cup and Memorial Cup.

    Two of hockey’s biggest trophies were the centre of attention at Fanfest on Wednesday.

    The Stanley Cup made a visit to the Memorial Cup tournament, and fans could have their pictures taken with it and the Memorial Cup at the same time. It was a rare opportunity to see the biggest prize in professional hockey and major junior hockey at the same time.

    There was a pretty healthy lineup of fans willing to see both trophies in the 75 minutes leading up to Wednesday’s contest. With the final round robin clash featuring the two Saskatchewan entries at the Memorial Cup, fans wearing apparel of the WHL champion Swift Current Broncos and the host Regina Pats dominated the lineup of people waiting to have their pictures taken with the two iconic trophies.

• During the press conference following Swift Current’s elimination from the tournament on Wednesday, Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros said the club’s star right-winger Tyler Steenbergen suffered a concussion in the team’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan last Saturday. Steenbergen missed the Broncos last two round robin games. Viveiros said Broncos captain Glenn Gawdin has been playing with a separated shoulder since the third round of the WHL post-season and Russian import defenceman Artyom Minulin is going to have shoulder surgery in the off-season.
• Including play in the regular season, WHL playoffs and the Memorial Cup tournament, the Broncos took the ice for 101 games in 2017-18.
• The round robin portion of the Memorial Cup was extremely competitive as five of the six games were decided by a one-goal margin. The one contest that wasn’t decided by a one-goal margin came last Sunday, when the Acadie-Bathurst Titan downed the Pats 8-6 with the aid of an empty-net goal.
• Bulldogs 19-year-old netminder Kaden Fulcher tops all goalies at the Memorial Cup with the lowest goals against average at 2.01 and the highest save percentage at .931. Fulcher is the only starting puck stopper to have a goals against average that is under three goals allowed per game.
• The annual Memorial Cup tournament brings together people from all over the hockey world. On Monday, I got to visit veteran junior hockey broadcaster Peter Loubardias, Swift Current Broncos athletic trainer Jamie LeBlanc, Regina Pats athletic trainer Greg Mayer and Prince Albert Raiders athletic trainer Duane Bartley at the same time. All four are great people, and you felt like you were hanging out with the cool kids when you are around them.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Oh my Gawdin! – Captain is the heart and soul of the Broncos

Glenn Gawdin celebrates a playoff goal for the Broncos.

    You can’t put a dollar figure on the street cred Glenn Gawdin has earned in the WHL.

    The overage centre has been a career member of the Swift Current Broncos having been selected by the team in the first round and fifth overall in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft. The Richmond, B.C., product has played in five complete regular seasons with the Broncos piling up 126 goals, 187 assists and a plus-69 rating in the plus-minus department in 312 regular season games.

    As a 16-year-old rookie in 2013-14, Gawdin, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 186 pounds, experienced a good campaign with the Broncos helping them compile a 38-25-3-6 regular season record before falling to the Medicine Hat Tigers in six games in a best-of-seven first round series. 

    After helping the Broncos make the post-season again as a 17-year-old sophomore, Gawdin experienced more of a down time with the Broncos as an 18-year-old, when the team missed the playoffs with a 24-38-7-3 record in the 2015-16 campaign.

    Between those good and bad times, his effort level never lapsed.

    Those times made the past two seasons that much more sweet. Gawdin became the Broncos captain near the start of his 19-year-old season, and the team rose to heights that haven’t been seen in Swift Current for about 15 years.

    Centring a line with star right-winger Tyler Steenbergen and dynamic Finnish left-winger Aleksi Heponiemi, Gawdin was cemented in the heart of creating the Broncos new good times.

    The Broncos posted a 39-23-4-6 record in the 2016-17 regular season and beat the Moose Jaw Warriors in a tough seven game series in the first round of the playoffs. In the second round, the Broncos took a 3-1 series lead on the Regina Pats before the Pats rallied for three straight wins for a 4-3 series victory.

Glenn Gawdin was the WHL playoff MVP.

    Gawdin piled up 26 goals and 33 assists in 52 regular season games and six goals and five assists in 11 playoff games in that campaign.

    Fans in Swift Current treated the 2016-17 season as exciting, memorable and a high point for the team. Little did they know, Gawdin and his guys were about to take them on an even better ride.

    In 2017-18, the Broncos rose to the status of being one of the powerhouse clubs in the WHL. They finished second overall in the circuit’s regular season standings with a 48-17-5-2 record.

    Swift Current battled through a quartet of tough teams in the playoffs. The Broncos took down the Memorial Cup hosting Pats in seven games in the first round, the Moose Jaw Warriors in seven games in the second round, the Lethbridge Hurricanes in six games in the Eastern Conference Championship series and the Everett Silvertips in six games in the WHL Championship series.

    Gawdin finished second in WHL regular season scoring piling up 56 goals, 69 assists and a plus-61 rating in 67 games. In the 26 contests the Broncos played in the WHL playoffs, Gawdin netted 14 goals, 18 assists and a plus-10 rating being named the MVP of the circuit’s post-season.

    He came through in the clutch delivering eight game-winning goals in the regular season and four game-winning goals in the post-season. His signature moment came in Game 3 of the WHL Championship series netting a hat trick in a 3-2 overtime win for the Broncos over the Silvertips in Everett on May 8.

    Steenbergen and Heponiemi both had memorable campaigns playing alongside Gawdin. Steenbergen had 47 goals and 55 assists in 56 regular season games and 12 goals and 15 assists in the Broncos 26 post-season contests.

    Heponiemi finished third in WHL regular season scoring piling up 28 goals and 90 assists in 57 regular season games. In the Broncos 26 playoff games, Heponiemi had five goals and 25 assists.

Glenn Gawdin raises the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    The trio of Gawdin, Steenbergen and Heponiemi will go down as one of the greatest lines in the history of the Broncos and the WHL.
    Away from the game, Gawdin always represented the Broncos with class out in the community and in the media.

    Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros said Gawdin was a poster child for the WHL, a wonderful young man and an incredible ambassador for the league.

Truer words have never been spoken.

    Last November, Gawdin signed a three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames. While he has an exciting professional opportunity, Gawdin can depart from the Broncos on a dream high.

    On Saturday, the Broncos begin play at the Memorial Cup tournament in Regina taking on the QMJHL champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan (2 p.m., Brandt Centre). The Broncos won their only Memorial Cup as CHL champions back in 1989. 

    If Gawdin can have a few more special games to help the Broncos capture the Memorial Cup again, he will always be the toast of Swift Current.

Steenbergen notes bigger significance of Broncos name

Tyler Steenbergen breaks up ice for the Broncos.

    Tyler Steenbergen is proud to be a career member of the Swift Current Broncos, but he noted his club is being driven due to his club’s nickname.

    Of course, the Swift Current WHL franchise shares the same team nickname as the junior A Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

    On April 6, the bus that was carrying the Humboldt Broncos to play a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoff game in Nipawin was involved in a collision with a semi-truck just north of Tisdale. The unthinkable event resulted in the deaths of 16 players and team personnel.

    The Humboldt Broncos bus accident hits really close to home for the community of Swift Current. The Swift Current Broncos suffered through a single-vehicle team bus crash on December 30, 1986 resulting the deaths of four players. The Swift Current bus flew off the highway having hit a patch of black ice shortly after leaving town on route to a road game in Regina to play the Pats.

    Steenbergen, who is the star 19-year-old right-winger with the Swift Current Broncos, knows how many links many people in the hockey community have to those that were on the Humboldt Broncos bus that day. He realizes everyone is trying to do their part to help the Humboldt club.

    After Swift Current Broncos won the WHL Championship series on Sunday with a 3-0 win over the Everett Silvertips before a sellout crowd of 2,890 spectators at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current, Steenbergen was asked what the win meant to him being a career member of the Broncos and thoughts of Humboldt’s SJHL franchise inevitably came to mind.

    “It is pretty special,” said Steenbergen, who has played four complete seasons with the Swift Current Broncos. “To hold the name as the Broncos, it is a thing we have taken huge since the (Humboldt bus) crash and everything.

    “I think moving forward we’re doing it all for them. I think a lot of teams are going to be doing that. At the end of the day, we just have to play our game and the best will come.”

A Swift Current fan displays a sign supporting two Broncos teams.

    The Swift Current club has two big links to the Humboldt club. Swift Current Broncos sales and events manager Ryan Gobeil’s younger brother, Morgan, was a Humboldt Broncos defenceman that was badly injured in the Humboldt bus crash. Ryan had Morgan’s heartbeat tattooed on his arm.

    Swift Current Broncos star overage centre Matteo Gennaro lost best friend Stephen Wack, who died in the Humboldt bus crash and was one of the team’s defencemen.

    The two Broncos teams have other eerie similarities that Steenbergen was likely not aware of. The Humboldt Broncos were born in 1970 as the junior A affiliate of the Swift Current Broncos. From that link, the Humboldt franchise gained its name and the green and gold colour scheme that used to also be worn by the Swift Current franchise.

    In the 1986-87 hockey season when the Swift Current Broncos bus crashed occurred, the Humboldt Broncos won the SJHL title, captured the Anavet Cup and played in the junior A national championship tournament at home. Humboldt fell in the Centennial Cup tournament final 5-2 to the Richmond Sockeyes from British Columbia.

    The Humboldt Broncos were the defending SJHL champions from the 1985-86 campaign.

    After the crash of the Humboldt Broncos bus this season, the Swift Current Broncos moved on to capture their first WHL title in 25 years and earn the right to play for the Memorial Cup in the CHL’s championship tournament in Regina.

    Could fate be on the side of the Swift Current Broncos? We might find out when the Memorial Cup championship game rolls around on May 27.

Henry delivers Pats to victory in Memorial Cup opener

Nick Henry scored the game-winning goal for the Pats.

    The host Regina Pats rediscovered some of their post-season magic from a year ago in Friday’s opening game of the Memorial Cup tournament.

    Locked in a 2-2 tie with the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs, Pats left-winger Nick Henry popped home the rebound of a shot from Czech import defenceman Libor Hajek with 32.6 seconds to play in the third period to deliver the host side to a 3-2 victory before 5,678 spectators at the Brandt Centre, which seats 6,484 spectators.

    The Bulldogs held a 1-0 lead after the first period on a goal by star centre Robert Thomas. Pats star captain Sam Steel tied things up at 1-1 just 19 seconds into the second period.

    The Bulldogs went ahead 2-1 on a snipe from right-winger Marian Studenic at the 13:14 mark of the second. Pats offensive defenceman Josh Mahura drove home a long range drive at the 15:30 mark of the second to even things up at 2-2.

    That set the stage for Henry’s winner at the end of the frame.

    Max Paddock, who is a 17-year-old rookie, made 31 stops and many of those were big ones to pick up the win in goal for the Pats. Kaden Fulcher turned away 27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bulldogs.

    The Pats went a span of 45 days without playing a game before Friday’s contest. They last hit the ice on April 2, when they dropped a 3-2 decision in Game 7 of a best-of-seven first round WHL playoff series with the Broncos in Swift Current. The Broncos moved on to win the WHL title.

    In the 2016-17 campaign, the Pats made it to the WHL Championship series and fell 4-2 in the best-of-seven set to the Seattle Thunderbirds.

    The Memorial Cup continues on Saturday with the Broncos taking on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 2 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Broncos return to WHL mountaintop is inspiring

The Broncos veteran celebrate with the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. - At some point, fans of the Swift Current Broncos likely thought they would never see their team win a championship again.

    When the Broncos claimed the WHL title on Sunday night before a sellout crowd of 2,890 spectators at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current, the sight on the ice had to have felt surreal among the euphoric joy. The Broncos skated to a 3-0 victory in Game 6 of the league title series with the Everett Silvertips to take the best-of-seven set 4-2.

    It was one of those nights you wish would never end, if you were associated with the Broncos.

    Back in 2004-05, the Broncos missed the WHL playoffs posting a 22-41-6-3 record to end a streak where the franchise had made the post-season in 31 consecutive campaigns. During many points on that run of making the playoffs in consecutive years, the Broncos were often seen as one of the powerhouse clubs in major junior hockey, while playing in the smallest market of the Canadian Hockey League.

The fans at the i-Plex cheer on the Broncos.

    Since missing the post-season in 2004-05, the Broncos have been good, but they have never really been viewed as being great.

    From the 2004-05 season to the 2015-16 campaign, the Broncos won only one playoff series taking out the Regina Pats in a best-of-seven series 4-2 in 2008. Besides missing the post-season in 2004-05, the Broncos failed to make the playoffs in the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2015-16 campaigns.

    During the time period from 2004 to 2016, it seemed like Broncos fans saw some of their best players go on to do brighter things with other clubs. In 2010-11, star forward Cody Eakin was dealt to the Kootenay Ice in a blockbuster trade.

Glenn Gawdin has been a great captain for the Broncos.

    With Eakin, the Ice won the WHL title and appeared in the Memorial Cup championship tournament to battle for the CHL title.

    In 2015-16, the Broncos dealt star forward Jake DeBrusk to the Red Deer Rebels, who were hosting that season’s Memorial Cup. DeBrusk helped the Rebels advance to the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship series for the first time in 12 years and make an appearance in the semifinal of the Memorial Cup tourney.

    It felt like Swift Current had been given the unwelcome title of “outpost” status. From 2004 to 2016, you would often hear rumours that players didn’t want to go there because it was too much of a fishbowl.

    When players did get there, they realized the fishbowl effect did not mean the fans were hyper critical of the team and players. Like any major junior centre, criticisms do come up. What you did find was a group of fans that longed to love their team.

    If the people in Swift Current saw a Broncos player as a genuine good person, they would have your back in a serious way.

    Still, the fact that results weren’t coming on the ice was discouraging, and it was common to see crowds of around 1,800 at the i-Plex during many regular season games from 2004 to 2016.

Broncos head coach Manny Viveiros lifts the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    In July of 2009, the Broncos hired former NHL player Mark Lamb to be the team’s head coach and general manager, and he remained with the club until June of 2016 departing for a head coach position in the American Hockey League. 

    During his years in Swift Current, Lamb made it an emphasis and did a huge amount of leg work building up the respect of the Broncos to encourage players to come to the team and encourage fans to come out to games.

    When the Broncos were on the road, Lamb and Swift Current team members developed a reputation for being one the best groups to deal with among media in other centres. That was all part of the gritty leg work that was put in towards building a good reputation for the Broncos.

    Under Lamb, the Broncos brought in current stars in captain Glenn Gawdin and right-winger Tyler Steenbergen through the WHL Bantam Draft, Russian defenceman Artyom Minulin from the CHL Import Draft and offensive defenceman Colby Sissons as a list player. Lamb also acquired gritty left-winger Kaden Elder and sound defensive defenceman Sahvan Khaira via separate trades with the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Tyler Steenbergen (#17) has been a shining star for the Broncos.

    In July of 2016, the Broncos brought Manny Viveiros on board as the team’s head coach and director of player personnel. Viveiros was remembered in WHL circles for being an extremely talented offensive-defenceman with the Prince Albert Raiders from 1982 to 1986, and he played a key part in helping the Raiders win the Memorial Cup in 1985.

    He had a lengthy career playing professionally in Europe and transitioned into being an elite level coach once his playing days concluded. The Broncos made a great out of the box move in hiring Viveiros for his first head coaching position in North America. Often in the hockey world, coaches working overseas get overlooked when positions open in North America.

Aleksi Heponiemi has come through in big moments for the Broncos.

    Viveiros took over a good foundation that was in place and brought the Broncos to another level with their play on the ice. They added left-winger Aleksi Heponiemi from Finland before the start of the 2016-17 campaign and placed him on a line with Gawdin and Steenbergen.

    Together, that trio has become one of the best lines in the history of the Broncos and one of the most memorable forward units in the history of the WHL.

    The Broncos posted a 39-23-4-6 record in 2016-17, took out the Moose Jaw Warriors in a tough seven game first round playoff series before falling to the Regina Pats in a tough second round seven game series, which Swift Current had led 3-1.

    In Game 6 of the series with the Pats, the Broncos held a 3-1 lead in the second period and Gawdin had a breakaway on Pats netminder Tyler Brown. Brown made a robbery of a save to allow the Pats to rally back and take that contest 5-3.

Mascot Charlie Horse meets the Broncos’ fans.

    Had Gawdin scored on that breakaway, it was more than likely the Broncos would have taken that contest and advanced to the WHL Eastern Conference Championship series.

    During the process of the 2016-17 campaign, the loud and raucous sellout crowds of 2,890 returned to the i-Plex on a regular basis. With a solid core of veterans set to return for the team’s training camp in August of 2017, there was optimism around the Broncos that the team could hit greater heights.

    It still seemed those types of thoughts still belonged in a dream. Getting to Game 7 of the second round was treated like a major accomplishment to be celebrated.

    Going into 2017-18, the Broncos weren’t listed in the CHL’s Top 10 rankings in the pre-season poll. They would be a staple in those ratings for the rest of the campaign.

Netminder Stuart Skinner (#74) tracks the puck during a net scramble.

    The Broncos finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 48-17-5-2 record. As the WHL’s trade deadline neared, they actually loaded up to help the team make a long playoff run.

    On Nov. 25, 2017, a blockbuster trade with Calgary Hitmen brought the Broncos skilled overage centre Matteo Gennaro and gritty left-winger Beck Malenstyn. On Jan. 9 a day before the WHL’s trade deadline, the Broncos acquired skilled overage centre Giorgio Estephan, star netminder Stuart Skinner and gritty right-winger Tanner Nagel from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in another blockbuster trade.

    In Swift Current, locals would have a hard time remembering the last time the Broncos made these “all in” types of moves on the trade front.

Centre Matteo Gennaro was a big addition from Calgary for the Broncos.

    Viveiros was named the WHL’s coach of the year and Heponiemi was voted the league’s most sportsmanlike player due to the regular season the Broncos had.

    The Broncos proceeded to advance through the first two rounds of the WHL playoffs downing the Pats in a tough seven-game series in the first round and the Moose Jaw Warriors, who finished first overall in the WHL in the regular season, in a seven-game battle in the second round.

    Having made the Eastern Conference Championship series for the first time since 2001, fans in Swift Current could have likely said it was a great run, if it ended there.

Colby Sissons has been a rock on the Broncos blue-line.

    After dispatching the Hurricanes in six games in an extremely competitive conference championship tilt, the Broncos were back in the WHL Championship series since last winning it in 1993. They would face the Everett Silvertips, who finished third overall in the league at 47-20-2-3 and had a superstar in net in Carter Hart.

    At one point, it looked like the dream would end there. Everett took Game 1 in Swift Current 2-1 and held a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes in Game 2 at the i-Plex. Little anyone know, the “Miracle at the i-Plex” was about to take place.

    The Broncos scored once in the second to pull to within 3-1. They entered the ice for the start of the third period behind a rousing ovation from their home crowd.

    With Steenbergen scoring with 1:37 to play in the third, the hosts pulled even at 3-3. Estephan competed the comeback scoring at the 9:27 mark of overtime to give the Broncos a 4-3 win.

    In Game 3 in Everett, the Broncos trailed 2-1 in the third period, and Gawdin came to the rescue. He had the equalizer with 3:17 to play in the third and scored the winner at 2:40 of overtime to complete a hat trick performance in a 3-2 Broncos victory.

Artyom Minulin has helped anchor the back end for the Broncos.

    The Broncos returned to Swift Current for Game 6 holding a 3-2 lead in the series. On Sunday at the i-Plex in Game 6, the Broncos and their fans lived out a dream night that culminated in a 3-0 championship clinching victory. 

    They persevered taking the title playing a record 26 games in one WHL post-season surpassing the 25 games played by the Portland Winter Hawks in 1979 and the Medicine Hat Tigers in 1986.
    The Broncos WHL title wins this year, in 1993 and 1989 mark the last three times a Saskatchewan team has captured the league crown.

    For the Broncos fans, they had to be beside themselves watching their team skate around the i-Plex ice surface and celebrate with the Ed Chynoweth Cup. Even the most optimistic Broncos fan might have thought that sight was impossible.

    Swift Current reclaimed its place as the “title town” of the WHL. In the city “where life makes sense,” the Broncos had proven that anything is possible.

The fans of the Broncos got to see their team win a WHL title at home.

    Now the Broncos will try to win their second Memorial Cup in team history. Their only CHL title win to date came on May 13, 1989.

    On that day, the residents of Swift Current descended on Saskatoon to watch their Broncos pull out a 4-3 overtime victory over the host Blades at Saskatchewan Place in the tournament’s championship game on Tim Tisdale’s winner.

    The Broncos qualified for this year’s Memorial Cup winning the WHL crown 29 years to the day of winning major junior hockey’s biggest prize.

    This year’s Memorial Cup is about a two-and-a-half hour drive east on the Trans-Canada Highway in Regina beginning on Friday when the host Pats face the Ontario Hockey League champion Hamilton Bulldogs (8 p.m., Brandt Centre).

Athletic trainer Jamie LeBlanc, left, and his daughter enjoy the WHL title win.

    The Broncos hit the ice for their first game at that event on Saturday against the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan (2 p.m., Brandt Centre).

    Broncos fans might to get see one more surreal sight, if their team lifts the Memorial Cup as CHL champions after the tournament’s title game on May 27.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Broncos are the West’s best

Swift Current wins third WHL title in city’s history

The Broncos celebrate with the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. – For the first time in 25 years, Swift Current is the “title town” of the WHL.

    On Sunday before a sellout crowd of 2,890 spectators at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex, the host Swift Current Broncos blanked the Everett Silvertips 3-0 in Game 6 of the WHL Championship series. With the win, the Broncos claimed the best-of-seven series 4-2 to capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    For the Broncos, it marked the third time they’ve won the league title in the team’s history in Swift Current.
    Their other victories came back in 1989 and 1993. Those three title win by the Broncos mark the last three times a Saskatchewan based team has captured the WHL crown.

    The Broncos also won the WHL title in 1983, when the franchise was located in Lethbridge.

    Veteran 19-year-old netminder Stuart Skinner made 31 saves to pick up his sixth shutout win of the post-season for the Broncos, and when the dust settled, the Edmonton product tried to find a way to express the joy of the moment.

Giorgio Estephan had the first goal on Sunday for the Broncos.

    “You can’t really put it into words,” said Skinner, who had a 2.20 goals against average and a .932 save percentage in the playoffs. “These group of guys are my family.

    “I will always remember this. No one will ever forget this. You can’t put into words how incredible it is and how good it feels to lift that cup over your head.”

    The Broncos had a big start jumping out to a 1-0 lead at the 6:41 mark of the first period. While working on the power play, star left-winger Aleksi Heponiemi found centre Giorgio Estephan with a backdoor pass, and Estephan buried his 13^th goal of the post-season into an empty cage.

    As the opening 20 minutes neared a close, it appeared the Silvertips were going to withstand the Broncos initial push outside of Estephan’s goal. That changed in the dying seconds of the frame.

    Broncos defenceman Sahvan Khaira fired a shot from the point, and the puck squeaked between the legs of Silvertips star netminder Carter Hart and slid loose behind him in the crease.

The Broncos celebrate Giorgio Estephan’s power-play goal.

    Heponiemi, who is from Tampere, Finland, tucked home a loose puck to give the Broncos a 2-0 lead with 0.6 seconds remaining on the clock.

    Broncos star right-winger Tyler Steenbergen said that second goal put his team in a really good spot for the night.

    “It turned out to be huge,” said Steenbergen, who had an assist on the Broncos first goal. “We had the momentum going into the second.

    “They pushed back a little bit. At the end of the day, we got it done.”

    The Silvertips outshot the Broncos 14-8 in the second period, and Skinner’s play was key to the hosts holding on to their two-goal edge. While working on the power play early in the second, the Broncos gave the puck away in front of their own net to Silvertips left-winger Sean Richards.

Stuart Skinner makes one of his 31 saves for the Broncos on Sunday.

    Richards broke in alone on Skinner and was stoned by the Swift Current puck stopper. Later on in the second, Skinner proceeded to turn away a Silvertips chance during a frantic net scramble, and he stopped a couple of dangerous screen shots.

    “He (Skinner) is outstanding,” said Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros. “He is a big reason why we are here right now.

    “Without goaltending like that, we don’t have a chance. He has been the difference all the way through.”

    In the third, the Broncos sealed things up defensively not allowing the Silvertips really any real quality chances. Russian import defenceman Artyom Minulin and centre Matteo Gennaro came up with solid shot blocks on Silvertips captain Matt Fonteyne and left-winger Connor Dewar respectively.

Broncos LW Aleksi Heponiemi (#20) gets by Silvertips RW Patrick Bajkov.

    With 6.4 seconds remaining in the third period, Broncos left-winger Beck Malenstyn rounded out the scoring with an empty-net goal to put the hosts up 3-0, and that caused the spectators in attendance to explode in euphoria.

    “It is probably the most fun I have had in a playoff series especially here right now,” said Broncos captain Glenn Gawdin, who has been with the club for five full seasons. “It is nuts in here.

    “That’s what you want. To win like this makes it even more sweeter. Words can’t describe how I am feeling right now, so I am just going to enjoy it.”

    Having played with the Broncos for four seasons, Steenbergen just wanted to soak in the celebration as well.

    “It is unbelievable,” said Steenbergen. “It is one of the best feelings in the world winning, especially doing it with this group of guys.

The Broncos fans celebrate their team’s WHL title victory.

    “It is the best feeling anyone can ask for.”

    Hart turned away 22-of-24 shots to take the setback in goal for the Silvertips, who finished third overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 47-20-2-3 record.

    Gawdin, who is in his overage season and has a three-year NHL entry-level contract signed with the Calgary Flames, was named the MVP of the WHL playoffs recording 14 goals, 18 assists and a plus-10 rating in the plus-minus department in 24 post-season appearances. The Richmond, B.C., product had an assist on the Broncos second goal.

Glenn Gawdin takes a lap with the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    “He (Gawdin) is everything,” said Viveiros. “He is a poster child for this league coming back as a 20-year-old and going to turn pro.

    “He wanted to get back with his teammates and finish this off right, a wonderful young man (and) an incredible ambassador for the league.”

    With the win, the Broncos, who finished second overall in the WHL regular season with a 48-17-5-2 mark, advance to the Memorial Cup CHL championship tournament, which begins Friday in Regina. The Broncos claimed their only Memorial Cup title back in 1989, when the event was held in Saskatoon.

    Steenbergen is looking forward with excitement with what is next for his team.

    “It is going to be pretty crazy,” said Steenbergen. “It will be my first time there, and I can’t wait.”

    Last year, Skinner backstopped the Lethbridge Hurricanes to the WHL Eastern Conference Championship series, where they fell 4-2 to the Regina Pats.
    He came to the Broncos in a blockbuster trade on Jan. 9 and is pumped to get the chance to play in major junior hockey’s most prestigious event.

Giorgio Estephan (#29) and Stuart Skinner enjoy the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    “Every single year, it has gotten closer and closer,” said Skinner. “Now, we are going to the Memorial Cup.

    “You can’t really put this into words. Being able to say that we are going to the Memorial Cup, it is unbelievable. This city has been waiting for it for a few years now. Being able to be the goalie to do it with them, it is the best feeling ever.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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