The heart of the WHL champion Broncos will live forever

The Broncos celebrate a goal from captain Glenn Gawdin, centre.

    REGINA, Sask. – They might have been running on fumes, but the Swift Current Broncos kept finding the emotional energy to keep pushing forward at the Memorial Cup.

    During their appearance in the CHL championship tournament, the Broncos showed the heart that allowed them to win the WHL championship this season. It marked the first time they won the league title in 25 years.

    The Broncos are responsible for the last three WHL championship victories by a Saskatchewan based club capturing the league crown this year, in 1993 and 1989. At the Memorial Cup, the Broncos were ultimately done in by the number of games they have played in the 2017-18 campaign.

    On Wednesday before a sellout crowd of 6,484 spectators at the Brandt Centre, the Broncos fell 6-5 to the host Regina Pats and were eliminated from making the Memorial Cup’s playoff round finishing last in the round robin at 0-3. Each Broncos setback came by a one-goal margin.

    Wednesday marked the 101^st time the Broncos hit the ice for a hockey game in 2017-18 including action in the regular season, WHL playoffs and the Memorial Cup tournament. The Broncos played a record 26 games in the WHL post-season to capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros said fatigue was setting in for his club at Wednesday’s post-game press conference, but he loved the battle his player kept continuing to show.

Colby Sissons created late excitement for the Broncos on Wednesday.

    “Our mistakes were I thought throughout this tournament were tired mistakes,” said Viveiros. “Our group is tired.

    “I noticed that coming into this tournament especially going into the first game and especially in that second game. Our energy level was very, very low. Normally when you are tired, you are going to make mistakes.

    “I am so proud of that group. It is a real special group, and (they) work real hard.”

    Injuries were piling up too. The Broncos lost star right-winger Tyler Steenbergen due to a concussion in their first game at the Memorial Cup, which was a 4-3 overtime setback to the QMJHL champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan last Saturday. 

    Star captain Glenn Gawdin had been playing with a separated should since the third round of the WHL playoffs, and Russian import defenceman Artyom Minulin needs surgery to fix a shoulder injury that he has been playing with.

    While all those things were working against them, the Broncos heart showed on Wednesday, when they refused to go away trailing 5-2 in the third period. A comeback attempt was sparked, when star Finnish import left-winger Aleksi Heponiemi scored with 5:38 to play in the frame to cut the Pats lead to 5-3.

Captain Glenn Gawdin piled up points while playing hurt.

    After the Broncos pulled netminder Stuart Skinner for an extra attacker, overage star centre Giorgio Estephan lifted a shot over the shoulder of Pats netminder Max Paddock with 2:49 to play in the frame cutting the Pats lead to 5-4.

    Regina appeared to restore order, when Czech import defenceman Libor Hajek scored a power-play goal with 1:37 to play in the third giving the Pats a 6-4 edge.

    The Broncos still didn’t go away at that point. Gawdin collected the rebound from a point shot taken by offensive defenceman Colby Sissons and popped home a power-play goal with 49.5 seconds to play cutting the Pats edge to 6-5.

    Swift Current kept pushing right up to the final buzzer of the third. In the dying seconds of the frame, Pats centre Matthew Bradley poked the puck out to the centre ice zone, and the Regina side began celebrating victory including the players on the ice and the coaches and players on the bench.

Broncos fans were loud and proud cheering on their team.

    Sissons tracked the puck down and fired a Hail Mary shot towards the Pats net. The puck went past an oblivious Paddock and defenceman Josh Mahura into the goal with 0.1 seconds remaining on the clock. Four Broncos players were pinned deep in the Regina zone, so Sissons potential equalizer didn’t count as the play was ruled offside.

    It was physically impossible for those Broncos players to clear the zone to prevent any play from being offside in that situation.

    With that said, Sissons never say die effort symbolized the resolve of the Broncos for the entire 2017-18 campaign, and that resolve almost allowed them to continue playing.

    The team’s resolve was shared by the club’s fans, who traveled from Swift Current and area in droves for the squad’s three Memorial Cup games. A lot of the supporters were farmers who took a break from planting crops in the fields to go cheer on their hockey team. The Broncos fans were just happy to see their team competing in major junior hockey’s most prestigious tournament.

    The Broncos fans provided one of the warmest moments of the event on Monday, when they gave a rousing ovation to Skinner after he received a first star award for making 54 saves in a 2-1 loss to the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs.

Aleksi Heponiemi nearly sparked a rally on Wednesday.

    Swift Current’s story was so good that it would been nice to see it continue.

    Still, the Broncos gave Swift Current an area a season to remember. They finished second overall in the WHL with a 48-17-5-2.

    Steenbergen scored the gold medal game winning goal for Canada at the world juniors that wrapped up in January in Buffalo, New York. Of course, they had a memorable post-season run to capture the WHL title.

    The run included the “Miracle at the i-Plex,” where the Broncos overcame a 3-0 deficit to down the Everett Silvertips 4-3 in overtime in Game 2 of the WHL Championship series at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex. The Broncos won the league crown in Game 6 on home ice with a 3-0 win over the Silvertips.

    The heart of the 2017-18 Broncos will never be forgotten in Swift Current and area, and it will always be a warm memory in the city “where life makes sense.”

Media arrive at Memorial Cup in large numbers

Media members converge around Broncos goalie Stuart Skinner.

    In an era where the mainstream media has been cut to less than skeleton crew levels in Canada, it was a great to see a large media presence at the Memorial Cup.

    The media riser at the west end of the Brandt Centre has been full for all games at the Memorial Cup so far. The media scrums around players have been some of the largest I have seen in 19 seasons covering major junior hockey.

    Of course, all the media outlets from Regina are represented, and a number of media staffers have made appearances from smaller Saskatchewan centres.

    There has been some representation from media outside the province including a reporter from Prince George, B.C.

    For the younger members of the media, you can tell it is a big thing for them to be at the Memorial Cup. It was refreshing to see that as the number of people that cover the major junior hockey ranks in Canada on a beat writing basis has shrunk greatly over the last seven years.

    The more seasoned media members have enjoyed meeting the younger media members, but they seem to really enjoy renewing old links with other veteran media members they haven’t seen for a while.

    Face to face contact among media members covering sports doesn’t happen as often as it once did. With the way life changes, there is always uncertainty if you will cross paths with old friends from the media world in a media setting.

The media riser has been filled at the Memorial Cup.

    One of the best sights came after Wednesday’s round robin game, where the host Regina Pats downed the WHL champion Swift Current Broncos 6-5. 

    Due to the game starting at 8 p.m. local time, many were fighting deadlines and were trying to get work completed at an hour that wasn’t totally insane. For 8 p.m. starts, it is common for media members to finally leave the rink at 2 a.m.

    To help each other out, media members were sharing quotes and facts to help complete work faster.

    The influx of media members has to be viewed as a good thing for those that oversee the Memorial Cup. At a lot of national championship sporting events in Canada, you are often lucky to get a maximum of 10 members of the sports media out at your event. Often you might see less than five media members.

    About 20 years ago, one of the ways a sporting event was trumpeted as being a big thing was from the fact a large number of media members covered the event. That practice has long been abandoned, because of the dwindling numbers of sports media staffers in Canada.

    For those that manage the CHL, they can take comfort in the fact sports media member still want to go to the Memorial Cup, and it has a lustre. A lot of other national championship sports events in Canada can’t make the same claim.

Steel equaled record with five assist game

Regina Pats captain Sam Steel, right, had a record Wednesday night.

    Regina Pats captain Sam Steel joined some elite company on Wednesday night in the Memorial Cup record book.

    The star centre from Sherwood Park, Alta., collected five assists in the Pats 6-5 round robin victory over the WHL champion Swift Current Broncos before a sellout crowd of 6,484 spectators at the Brandt Centre. Steel equaled the record for most assists in one game at the Memorial Cup dating back to when it started to be played in a tournament format back in 1972.

    Two others also recorded five assists in one game at the Memorial Cup since it has been contented in tournament format. Back on May 14, 1985, centre Dan Hodgson had five assists for the Prince Albert Raiders, when they slipped past the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 8-6 in a round robin game. The Raiders won that tournament held in Shawinigan and Drummondville, Que.

    On May 26, 2013, centre Jonathan Drouin of the Halifax Mooseheads recorded five assists in a 6-4 victory over the Portland Winterhawks in the Memorial Cup championship game, when the event was staged in Saskatoon, Sask.

    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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Skinner, Sissons give Broncos command of WHL final

Netminder Stuart Skinner made 32 saves in the shutout win for the Broncos.

    Stuart Skinner’s fifth shutout of the WHL playoffs has put the Swift Current Broncos one win away from capturing the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    On Wednesday night at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Wash., Skinner made 32 saves and offensive defenceman Colby Sissons wired home a second period power-play goal to give the Broncos a 1-0 victory over the Everett Silvertips in Game 4 of the WHL Championship series.

    With the win, the Broncos lead the best-of-seven set 3-1 and can close things out in Game 5 on Friday, which is set for a 7:30 p.m. local time start at the Angel of the Winds Arena. Swift Current last won the WHL title in 1993, which happens to be the last time a Saskatchewan-based team took the league championship.

    Skinner has posted a 15-9 record, a 2.21 goals against average, a .931 save percentage and five shutouts this post-season. The 19-year-old Edmonton product had six shutouts in the 2017-18 regular season in 56 appearances split between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Broncos.

    The third round 2017 NHL Entry Draft selection of the Edmonton Oilers was dealt by the Hurricanes to the Broncos in a blockbuster trade on Jan. 9.

    In the opening 20 minutes, the Silvertips outshot the Broncos 8-4, but Swift Current had a big early chance to go ahead when centre Giorgio Estephan deflected a point shot from Sisson off the post of the Everett goal.

    Early in the second period, Broncos left-winger Beck Malenstyn had a short-handed breakaway, but he was stoned by Silvertips star netminder Carter Hart.

Colby Sissons scored the lone goal of Game 4 of the WHL final.

    With 5:25 to play in the second and the Broncos working on the power play, Sissons streaked into the Silvertips zone on a rush and wired home a shot to the top left corner of the Everett net to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead to disappoint most of the 5,081 spectators in attendance.

    From that point, Skinner slammed the door in the Swift Current goal.

    With just under six minutes to play in the third, he stopped Silvertips right-winger Garrett Pilon on a hard mid-range drive and stoned Everett left-winger Connor Dewar, who tried to backhand home the rebound.

    After the Silvertips pulled Hart for an extra attacker, Pilon found himself alone in front of the Swift Current goal with the puck, but his shot was turned back by a left pad stop from Skinner.

Hart turned away 18 shots to take the setback in goal for the Silvertips.

    The Broncos went 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Silvertips failed to score on five chances with the man advantage.

    Overage Silvertips star right-winger Patrick Bajkov played in Game 4 after leaving to the dressing room on a couple of occasions in his club’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Broncos in Game 3 on Tuesday.

    The Silvertips, who finished third overall in the WHL regular season with a 47-20-2-3 record, are 8-1 on the road in the playoffs and 5-6 at home. The Broncos, who finished second overall in the WHL regular season with a 48-17-5-2 mark, are 7-5 on the road in the post-season and 8-4 at home.

    If Everett wins Game 5 on Friday, the series will shift back to Swift Current for Games 6 and 7 if necessary, which will be held on Sunday and Monday respectively with a 7 p.m. local start times on both nights at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex.

Back in the Express with Valkyries’ Peters

Devyn Peters (#31) is a breakout running back for the Valkyries.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with a feature on Saskatoon Valkyries running back Devyn Peters.

    Last season, Peters played linebacker on defence for most of her rookie campaign with the Western Women’s Canadian Football League team. In the league’s consolation final clash between the Valkyries and Edmonton Storm, Peters was inserted at running back on offence, and she carried the ball 15 times for 218 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 44-20 Saskatoon victory.

    The 19-year-old sophomore heads into this season as a full-time running back with the Valkyries.

    On Saturday, the Valkyries will host the defending WWCFL champion Regina Riot at 8 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium. The game was originally slated to be held at Saskatoon Minor Football Field but construction at that facility forced the contest to be moved.

    Both teams head into this contest with identical 1-0 regular season records. Last Saturday, the Riot traveled to Winnipeg, Man., and thumped the Manitoba Fearless 56-14. The Valkyries were in Winnipeg last Sunday and blanked the Wolfpack 48-0.

    The Express story on Peters can be found right here.

    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 Captain! My Captain! – Gawdin’s hatty delivers Broncos to 3-2 overtime comeback win

Glenn Gawdin’s hat trick delivered the Broncos to victory.

    Glenn Gawdin was “captain clutch” once again for the Swift Current Broncos.

    On Tuesday night at the Angel of the Winds Arena, Gawdin had all three of the Broncos goals including the late third period equalizer and the overtime winner to deliver Swift Current to a 3-2 victory over the host Everett Silvertips in Game 3 of the WHL Championship series. With the overtime win, the Broncos take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

    Game 4 is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. local time at the Angel of the Winds Arena. The Silvertips also host Game 5 of the series slated for Friday.

    The Silvertips built a 2-1 lead in the first period before 4,872 spectators and that edge help up until late in the third. With the Broncos killing a penalty, Swift Current right-winger Beck Malenstyn and Gawdin, who is the Broncos captain, broke into the Everett zone on a two-on-two rush.

    Malenstyn dropped a pass to Gawdin, who fired a long drive on goal. Silvertips star netminder Carter Hart stopped the long shot, but gave up a big rebound. Gawdin drove to the Everett goal after his first shot and banged home the rebound to force a 2-2 tie with 3:17 to play in the frame.

    Just 2:40 into overtime, Broncos offensive defenceman Colby Sissons fed a pass from the left corner boards in the Everett zone to Gawdin in the high slot. The Richmond, B.C., product fired home the winning goal to the top left corner of the Silvertips goal to give the Broncos their second straight overtime victory of the series.

    On Saturday in Swift Current, the Broncos rallied back from a 3-0 deficit in the first period to post a 4-3 victory in overtime in Game 2 of the WHL title series.

    In Tuesday’s clash, Gawdin gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead at the 14:44 mark of the first period taking a drop pass from linemate Aleksi Heponiemi and firing a shot from the right slot to the top left corner of the Silvertips goal.

    The Silvertips pulled even at 1-1 just 60 seconds later, when centre Riley Sutter tipped home a point shot from defenceman Jake Christiansen. The goal stood up after a video review.

Patrick Bajkov left for the Silvertips dressing room twice on Tuesday.

    With 1:25 remaining in the first, Silvertips captain Matt Fonteyne threw a bad angle shot on the Swift Current goal, and the puck found its way into the net past Broncos goalie Stuart Skinner.

    The scored remained 2-1 in Everett’s favour after 40 minutes thanks to a great diving save by Skinner on a one-timer from Fonteyne in the second period. Fonteyne received a pass from linemate Garrett Pilon from across the front of the Swift Current goal but was unable to drive the puck home.

    That set the stage for Gawdin to complete his hat trick dramatics with a goal late in the third and in overtime. During his WHL career, Gawdin has come through in many critical moments for the Broncos.

    Skinner turned away 37 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Broncos. Hart stopped 29 shots to take the setback in the Silvertips net.

    Sissons finished with two assists for the Broncos, while Christiansen had two helpers for the Silvertips.

    Silvertips star overage right-winger Patrick Bajkov left for his team’s dressing room a couple of times during the contest.

    With the win, the Broncos insured that their season will make it back to Saskatchewan. They could return to Swift Current for either Games 6 or 7 of the WHL Championship series, which are set for this coming Sunday and Monday respectively. The Silvertips have to win one of the next two games of the WHL title series for that to happen.

    If the Broncos manage to win the WHL title series in Everett, they will advance to play in the Memorial Cup championship tournament to play for the CHL title, and that event runs May 18 to 27 in Regina.

Back in the Express with Rush’s Thompson

Rush transition player Jeremy Thompson is a fan favourite.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express with a story on Jeremy Thompson, who is a transition player for the Saskatchewan Rush of the National Lacrosse League.

    Thompson has been a fan favourite since the Rush franchise relocated from Edmonton to Saskatoon before the start of the 2016 season.

    He grew up in the Onondaga Nation located near Syracuse in upstate New York, and he said lacrosse is very important to his people. The sport came from the Iroquois Confederacy, which the Onondaga Nation is part of.

    Children of the Onondaga Nation are given a homemade traditional wooden lacrosse stick in their cradle when they are born. In death, they carry a traditional wooden lacrosse stick in their casket.

    The cultural link to lacrosse is part of Thompson’s fascinating story.

    This season, he played in all of the Rush’s 18 regular season games collecting six goals and nine assists. Thompson finished fourth in the NLL with 234 faceoff wins and second with 164 loose ball pick ups.

    The Rush finished first overall in the entire NLL this season with a 14-4 record. On Sunday, the Rush host their archrivals the Calgary Roughnecks in the Western Division final on Sunday at 5 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    The Roughnecks finished third in the Western Division with an 8-10 mark and upset the Colorado Mammoth 15-12 in a Western Division semifinal contest last Saturday. The Mammoth were second in the Western Division with an 11-7 record.

    The Rush claimed all three regular season encounters with the Roughnecks this season. The Rush prevailed 13-12 on Jan. 27 in Calgary, 10-6 on Feb. 24 in Saskatoon and 11-10 on April 28 in Saskatoon.

    Saskatchewan had the top two scorers in the league during the regular season. Veteran forward Mark Matthews topped the NLL in scoring with 32 goals and 84 assists, and forward Robert Church finished second in the league scoring race with 47 goals and 60 assists.

    Curtis Dickson topped the Roughnecks in regular season scoring and placed seventh overall in the league with 47 goals and 45 assists.

    The Rush are trying to advance to the NLL Championship series for the fourth straight year having claimed a league title in 2015, when the franchise was still in Edmonton, and another league championship in 2016, which was the team’s first campaign in Saskatchewan.

    The story on Thompson can be found right here.

    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’ comeback was epic, but WHL championship with Silvertips still a toss up

The Broncos and their fans celebrate last Saturday’s OT win.

    Will a magical Saturday night in Swift Current for the WHL’s Broncos lead to that franchise’s third league title?

    A sellout crowd of 2,890 spectators bore witness to the “Miracle at the i-Plex.”

    The host Broncos trailed the Everett Silvertips 3-0 after the first period expired in Game 2 of the WHL Championship series last Saturday. Everett captured the first contest of the best-of-seven set 2-1 the previous night.

    It appeared the Broncos were going to be down 2-0 in the series, when it switched to Everett, Wash., for Games 3, 4 and 5. The Silvertips, who finished third overall in the WHL regular season with a 47-20-2-3 mark, were the league’s top defensive team giving up the fewest goal in the regular season at 167.

    Everett’s net was being protected by Carter Hart, who backstopped Canada to a gold medal win at the World Juniors that wrapped up in January. Before the start of the series, Hart was named the WHL’s goalie of the year for a third straight campaign.

Riley Sutter and the Silvertips will respond at home.

    The Silvertips were 8-0 on the road up to that point in this year’s playoffs.

    Swift Current finished second overall in the WHL regular season with a 48-17-5-2 mark, but the task of making a comeback was daunting.

    After the Broncos finally hit the scoreboard in the second period to cut the Silvertips lead to 3-1, Everett had at least four prime chances to pull away again had it not been for the efforts of Broncos netminder Stuart Skinner.

    The Broncos faithful became more quite, but they didn’t pack it in. When the Broncos came out for the start of the third period down two goals, they were given a rousing and warm standing ovation from their fans. It was a site you normally don’t see at most hockey rinks.

    The hosts withstood early pressure from the visitors. Offensive defenceman Colby Sissons scored to pull the Broncos to within 3-2 and his billet brother in star right-winger Tyler Steenbergen netted the equalizer to force a 3-3 tie with 1:37 to play with Skinner pulled for an extra attacker.

    A pandemonium type celebration broke out when Steenbergen scored.

    It was repeated when centre Giorgio Estephan netted the winner at the 9:27 mark of overtime to give the Broncos a 4-3 victory and conclude one of the most memorable games ever played in the history of the WHL Championship series.

Broncos D Colby Sissons, left, eludes Silvertips LW Sean Richards.

    The series is tied 1-1 going into Game 3 on Tuesday at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett at 7 p.m. local time. Games 4 and 5 will be held on Wednesday and Friday respectively at the same venue.

    No matter how the series plays out, it won’t wipe out the special night the Broncos had. The “Miracle at the i-Plex” can reach a more lofty status, if the Broncos can win the series and advance to the Canadian Hockey League’s championship tournament – the Memorial Cup. The 100^th edition of the Memorial Cup runs May 18 to 27 in Regina, Sask.

    As the WHL Championship series progresses, it is likely each game will have its own individual story.

    Both the Broncos and Silvertips present a feeling that they are both mentally tough.

    The Broncos didn’t appear rattled after losing Game 1 at home.

    The Silvertips didn’t emotionally hit the gutter after blowing their 3-0 lead to fall in Game 2.

Captain Matt Fonteyne (#17) and his Silvertips will regroup at home.

    During the Silvertips post-game press conference involving head coach Dennis Williams, captain Matt Fonteyne and defenceman Ondrej Vala, a question was thrown out to any member of the trio asking about not capitalizing on the missed chances when the team held a 3-1 lead in Game 2.

    Showing his leadership skills, Fonteyne answered the query and calm credited Skinner for his play and said the Silvertips can’t get too hung up on a good player making good plays.

    The Broncos had a special night in their Game 2 win, but it far from guarantees they will win the series. Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros will have his players set for their next task going forward.
    The fact the series is tied 1-1 is likely where it should be.

    At the moment, the battle for the Ed Chynoweth Cup is a toss-up, and this could end up being another classic WHL Championship series.

Best of luck to the Cougars wrestlers and men’s v-ballers

News conference @ReginaCougars standing room only #volleyball #wrestling pic.twitter.com/h4Fxt2CTn1

— Brian Webb (@Exigenomicon) May 7, 2018

    The athletes of the University of Regina Cougars men’s and women’s wrestling teams and men’s volleyball team are making their stand.

    On April 30, the University of Regina cut the three varsity programs that compete U Sports without warning. On Monday at Level 10 Fitness in Regina, the athletes from these programs held a press conference and 200 members from the wrestling and volleyball communities were on hand for the gathering along with members of the Regina media.

    Paul Tokarz and Jordan Tholl of the men’s wrestling team, Amber Wiebe of the women’s wrestling team and Michael Corrigan of the men’s volleyball team all presented an outstanding case that financial numbers don’t add up to the point where these programs need to be cut. They made a clear point on how cutting these teams will seriously damage these sports at the grassroots and high school levels in Regina and southern Saskatchewan.

    Alums and current members from the Cougars men’s and women’s wrestling teams and the Cougars men’s volleyball team fill numerous spots coaching and officiating their sports at all levels.

    The athletes went into details that they can’t transfer into athletic programs at other institutions due to the fact most teams have wrapped up their recruiting cycles and have allocated their scholarship funds.

    They stressed that if their teams could be cut without warning the same fate could be in store for the 13 remaining teams in the U of R’s athletics program.

    The athletes want their programs to be reinstated.

    Tokarz, Tholl, Wiebe and Corrigan gave an admirable performance that likely topped any performance they have given in competition.

    I like the fact they presented their case in a facility where many of the athletes from the U of R programs train out of, and invited U of R president Vianne Timmons, dean of kinesiology Harold Riemer and director of sport and community engagement and athlete development Lisa Robertson to be part of the media conference.

    That would require that trio to leave their comfortable confines of the U of R campus and actually step into the community. They elected to not attend.

    It would be really cool if the leadership of these athletes would be the thing that triggered the U of R to reinstated these three programs. These amazing young adults are handling themselves in a way more outstanding way than the older adults.

    The athletes from the wrestling teams and the men’s volleyball team will be meeting with university officials this week. I wish the athletes the best of luck in their efforts, and as an alum from the University of Regina, I am very proud of them.

    I hope the community of Regina and the alums of their programs keep supporting them in their efforts.

    These athletes should have never been forced into a situation where they have to lead the charge to get their teams back.

    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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Miracle at the i-Plex – Estephan’s OT winner caps crazy Broncos comeback over Silvertips

Giorgio Estephan, centre, celebrates his overtime winner for the Broncos.

    SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. – It might not be enough to pound a stake through their heart or shoot them with a silver bullet to do in the Swift Current Broncos.

    On Saturday night in Game 2 of the WHL Championship series, the host Broncos fell behind 3-0 in the first period to the visiting Everett Silvertips.
    The Broncos scored once in the second to pull within 3-1 and dodged bullets at the end of that frame and early in the third to remain two goals back on the scoreboard.

    The Broncos scored twice in the third with star right-winger Tyler Steenbergen potting the equalizer to force a 3-3 tie with 1:37 to play in the frame and netminder Stuart Skinner pulled for an extra attacker.

Netminder Carter Hart got over anxious with the puck resulting in a loss.

    At the 9:27 mark of overtime, the Broncos charged into the Everett zone on a rush. Silvertips netminder Carter Hart stopped a shot from Broncos centre Matteo Gennaro, and during the frantic action, Hart quickly cleared the puck up ice only to put it on the stick of Broncos forward Giorgio Estephan.

    Before Hart could react to what he did, Estephan fired home his 12th goal of the post-season to give the Broncos an improbable 4-3 victory and send a sellout crowd of 2,890 spectators at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex into a raucous frenzy.

    “I was just kind of lucky the puck rolled to me, and I got to put it home,” said Estephan. “It is definitely one that I would say we were pretty fortunate to be able to get that goal and this win.

Tyler Steenbergen (#17) celebrates his third period equalizer.

    “Skins (Skinner) kept us in the game, and that is all from him. I think we are just more of a team that is resilient. We definitely battled for that tough one tonight.

    “Everyone played a great part in that game.”

    Estephan’s goal helped the Broncos tie the best-of-seven series 1-1. Game 3 is set for 7 p.m. local time on Tuesday at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Wash.

    The win by the Broncos marked the first time the Silvertips had lost on the road in the 2018 post-season having won their previous eight road games.

    The Silvertips built their 3-0 lead in the first period with singles coming from the sticks of Matt Fonteyne, Martin Fasko-Rudas and Riley Sutter. Fasko-Rudas’s goal was a tough one for the Broncos side to take, because the Skinner got a piece of the puck with his glove only for it to go into his net.

    Everett had a 17-10 edge in shots on goal after the opening 20 minutes.

Matteo Gennaro had the first goal in the Broncos comeback.

    With the Silvertips hosting Games 3, 4 and 5 of the series, Steenbergen said his side did not want to go to Everett dropping the first two games of the best of seven set.

    “Going into the second and third, we just thought that there was no way that we were going to let this one slip,” said Steenbergen. “I think our mindset in the room we were all positive.

    “We weren’t getting on each other. Moving forward from the first period, I think that we just had the mindset that we weren’t going to lose this game, and we couldn’t lose this game.

    “It was one of those must-win feelings for us. It felt like a Game 7.”

    Matteo Gennaro scored for the Broncos at the 8:17 mark of the second period to cut the Silvertips lead to 3-1.

Captain Matt Fonteyne had the Silvertips first goal of the night.

    Inside of the final minute of the second, Skinner stoned Fonteyne on a tough screen shot, and after the Broncos went on a power play, Skinner turned away Silvertips left-winger Connor Dewar on a short-handed breakaway.

    Early in the third after the Broncos power play expired, the Silvertips had two big chances to score on a rush. Everett centre Riley Sutter was stop on drive to the Broncos goal and the rebound of his shot went to Dewar as a net scramble ensued.
    The product of The Pas, Man., was denied on a paddle stop by a diving Skinner.

    “Skinner is playing very well,” said Fonteyne. “He was the WHL goalie of the month (in April) for a reason.

    “He is going to make big saves. I think we just need to keep throwing the puck on net and keep going. We can’t get too hung up on a good player making good plays.”

Colby Sissons scored for the Broncos in the third period.

    At the 6:22 mark of the third, Broncos offensive defenceman Colby Sissons fired home a shot from the point to cut the Silvertips edge to 3-2.

    That set the stage for the dramatics with Steenbergen’s equalizer and Estephan’s winner.

    Before Estephan could score his winner, Skinner turned away Silvertips Centre Riley Sutter on a powerful rush to the net and stoned right-winger Garrett Pilon on a slot drive.

    When the dust settled, Skinner turned away 40 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Broncos. Hart stopped 34 shots to take the setback in net for the Silvertips.

    “We put ourselves in an opportunity to obviously win it in regulation,” said Silvertips head coach Dennis Williams, who club finished third overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 47-20-2-3 record. “Credit to Swift Current for playing the way they have all season, and they kept coming at us.

Connor Dewar (#43) was snakebitten around the net for the Silvertips.

    “When we went into overtime, it was as simple as it will take one shot. We’re in a good spot I told them. Obviously, we are trying to continue to stay positive throughout it.

    “It was a bit of a stinger there for our group, but again, it is something that we can definitely look at and learn from and comeback with a better effort on Tuesday.”

    Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros was pleased to see the resilience of his club.

    “I thought Everett played very well again tonight,” said Viveiros, whose club finished second overall in the WHL regular season with a 48-17-5-2 mark. “They could have easily won that game.

    “There was no question we were fortunate, but we were also very happy with the way we responded and came back and battled. That is something we have been doing all season long and all playoff long.

Broncos fans cheer their team’s OT winning goal.

    “You have to be able to believe, and I am very proud of the kids.”

    Estephan’s goal on Saturday was his second overtime winner scored at home in the playoffs, and the overager from Edmonton, Alta., admits it feels special to be part of his team’s long post-season run.

    “I’m just thrilled to be a part of it and be in the city,” said Estephan. “Their energy the last few games towards our team and towards us winning, it has been great.

    “I think it makes any player love to come to the rink every day and any player love to play in front of their fans. That is kind of more where it comes from for me for sure.”

    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 romp past Warriors 6-0 in Game 7

Swift Current advances to WHL Eastern Conference title series

The Broncos celebrate captain Glenn Gawdin’s second goal on Monday.

    MOOSE JAW, Sask. – The heart and soul members of the Swift Current Broncos bucked the Moose Jaw Warriors into the off-season.

    The Broncos big line of captain Glenn Gawdin, Tyler Steenbergen and Aleksi Heponiemi along with veteran defenceman Colby Sissons combined for four goals and seven assists to help their side dump the Warriors 6-0 in Game 7 of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series before 4,765 spectators at Mosaic Place. 

    The victory on Monday night allowed the Broncos to take the best-of-seven series between the two powerhouse clubs 4-3.

    Moose Jaw finished first overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 52-15-2-3 record, while Swift Current was second overall with a 48-17-5-2 mark. Both clubs enter this series having won their respective first round series in seven games.

Warriors D Josh Brook (#2) check Broncos LW Aleksi Heponiemi (#20).

    The Broncos had a chance to win the series with Moose Jaw in Swift Current in Game 6 on Saturday night, but they saw a 2-0 third period lead evaporate into a 3-2 setback in triple overtime to create the need for a series-deciding Game 7.

    Swift Current advances to the WHL Eastern Conference championship series for the first time since 2001, and Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros was pleased with what his team was able to accomplish.

    “We’re ecstatic, (and) we feel like we are fortunate also too,” said Viveiros. “I am very proud of our kids.

    “Game 6, I thought we played really well, and obviously, we played a real good game tonight too. I have to give credit to Moose Jaw to come back and win Game 6. Tonight is one of those things that we scored at the right time.

Colby Sissons scored the Broncos first goal.

    “We had the momentum, and we continued with the momentum. We scored at opportune times.”

    Backed by a rink packed mainly with their home fans, the Warriors had chances early to take the lead. Overage right-winger Brayden Burke was denied on a shot from in front of the Broncos goal and Moose Jaw rearguard Josh Brook was turned away on a close in chance.

    Following those opportunities by the Warriors, the Broncos took a 1-0 lead, when Sissons slipped home a point shot through a screen at the 12:45 mark of the opening frame. With 35.4 seconds to play in the first, Heponiemi fed a perfect pass to Gawdin in front of the Moose Jaw goal, and he wired home a shot to give the visitors a 2-0 edge.

    Early in the second, the Broncos ensured the final outcome wouldn’t be in doubt. Just 3:22 into the frame, Steenbergen entered the Moose Jaw zone on a rush down the right wing and wired a wrist shot past Warriors goaltender Brody Willms to give the visitors a 3-0 edge.

    Just 78 seconds later, Sissons sprung Gawdin on a breakaway into the Warriors zone with a pass through centre ice, and the overage centre tucked home his second goal of the contest on a backhand shot to give Swift Current a 4-0 lead.

Brayden Burke had an early chance to score for the Warriors.

    At that point, the Warriors faithful was silent, and the cheers from a sizable contingent of Broncos supporters could be heard through the building.

    “They might have been louder than the Moose Jaw fans at times,” said Gawdin, who had two assists to go with his two goals. “That is just what our fans are all about.

    “At home, it has been nuts. They are our backbone throughout the whole year.”

    In the third, Heponiemi and Gawdin set up overage winger Giorgio Estephan for a power play goal, and Max Patterson added an even-strength marker a short time later to round out the scoring in the contest.

    “We played a great game,” said Estephan. “Overall, I think it kind of proves to our team that even though adversity and losing a big game like we did in Game 6 to come back and put up a game like we did today is pretty good.”

    Stuart Skinner turned away 25 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Broncos. Swift Current won three out of the four games of the series played in Moose Jaw and Skinner had shutouts in each of those wins.

Tyler Steenbergen had a goal for the Broncos on Monday.

    “It seems like we play really well in the Moose Jaw rink,” said Skinner. “Three wins playing away is huge. That is reason why we won this series.

    “I’m so thankful that I have this group of guys. We’re a family out there. I love it.”

    Willms turned away 32 shots to take the loss in goal for the Warriors. Veteran Warriors defenceman Brandon Schuldhaus, who will enter his overage year next season, was kicked out of the game after the Broncos scored their sixth goal having received a match penalty for attempting to injure after slashing Broncos centre Andrew Fyten in the head. 

    The slash occurred when Fyten drove to the Moose Jaw net and fired a shot on goal, and his rebounded was potted home by Patterson.

    The WHL office will review the penalty involving Schuldhaus for a possible suspension to start off the 2018-19 regular season.

A group of Broncos fans cheer on their team.

    Having downed the Prince Albert Raiders is a physical seven-game series in the first round, the Warriors had another physical battle on their hands against the Broncos. Moose Jaw head coach Tim Hunter said the injuries started to pile up for his squad.

    “It takes everything to fall into place,” said Hunter. “Everything has to go right to win in the playoffs, and it didn’t for us.

    “We had a lot of guys injured. A lot of guys played injured. We weren’t 100 per cent, and that was the tough part of it.”

    Viveiros marvel at the work of his club’s top forward line of Gawdin, Steenbergen and Heponiemi.

Giorgio Estephan had a third period goal for the Broncos.

    “They have been doing it all year for us,” said Viveiros. “We called them in that one line today before the game.

    “I said listen you guys have been doing it all year for us, and you have to lead the way for us not just offensively but defensively and all areas of the ice. I said you will play a lot.

    “They welcomed that challenge, and that is why they are a pretty dynamic group not just from their offensive side of it. As far as their leadership and their will to win, those kids really want to win. It rubs off on everybody.”

    The Broncos will face the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Championship series, and Game 1 set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current.

The Broncos celebrate their Game 7 series win.

    The Hurricanes, who were 33-33-6 in the regular season, are appearing in the Eastern Conference Championship series for the second straight year having bowed out in six games to the Regina Pats last year.

    Lethbridge eliminated the Red Deer Rebels in five games in the first round and took out the Brandon Wheat Kings in five games in the other Eastern Conference semifinal series. Viveiros believes his team is in for another tough set of games.

    “They’re going to say we are the favourites because of the regular season,” said Viveiros. “It is what it is, and we are OK with that. We can live with that.

The Broncos and Warriors shake hands after Monday’s game.

    “They are a good hockey team. You don’t win two series in playoffs with luck. They are well-coached and a great organization. (Hurricanes general manager) Peter Anholt is a real good friend of mine. I know those guys are going to be ready to go here.

    “Every series has its own individual story. We’ll see how that plays out starting on Friday night.”

    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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WHL playoffs at its best – Pats stay alive in electric affair

Robbie Holmes (#32) shows his excitement after a goal from Connor Hobbs.

    REGINA – If you live in Regina and weren’t at the Brandt Centre on Friday night, you missed out.

    In one of the best playoff major junior playoff battles you might see anywhere, the host Regina Pats outlasted the visiting Swift Current Broncos 3-2 before a sellout crowd of 6,484 energetic spectators.     

    The win allowed the Pats to stay alive in the best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series between the two clubs cutting the Broncos edge in that department 3-2.

    The Broncos will try to close things out again on Saturday when the series switches back to Swift Current for a 7 p.m. start at the Credit Union i-Plex. The way things played out on Friday in Regina, the Broncos could have been heading home with a series win, if they were able to make just a couple of more plays.

Connor Hobbs controls the puck on the point for the Pats.

    Friday’s battle at the Brandt Centre was a raucous one. While the large majority of the rink were cheering for the host Pats, the Broncos arrived in the Saskatchewan capital with a healthy contingent of supporters that made a lot of noise.

    The action before the Pats 19^th sellout crowd of the 2016-17 campaign on the ice was a seesaw battle that was filled with a number of story lines. The Pats, who were rated first in the final Canadian Hockey League rankings that were released on March 22, stormed out of the gate getting the first eight shots on goal.

    The Broncos didn’t get their first shot on net until the 7:10 mark of the opening frame, when Pats netminder Tyler Brown turned away Broncos winger Lane Pederson from the slot.

Broncos captain Glenn Gawdin scored a power-play goal in the third period.

    Momentum turned in the second half of the opening 20 minutes when the Pats paraded to the penalty box on a trio of minor infractions. On the third of those chances, Broncos defenceman Colby Sissons blasted home a shot from the point to give the visitors a 1-0 edge with 2:44 to play in the first. You could feel a hush fall over the Regina faithful, when that tally went in.

    The hosts came back to life on a power-play opportunity late in the frame, and Pats star centre Sam Steel snipped the equalizer through a screen with 13.5 seconds remaining in the opening 20 minutes.

    Early in the second, the Pats jumped ahead 3-1 scoring a pair of goals 38 seconds apart from each other. First, Pats star defenceman Connor Hobbs scored to give the hosts a 2-1 edge putting a puck home during a net scramble in front of the Swift Current goal.

Tyler Brown makes one of his 30 saves for the Pats.

    After that marker, the Pats went up 3-1 scoring a more finesse goal as Steel found linemate Nick Henry on a backdoor feed on a rush, and Henry made no mistake scoring into an empty cage.

    The Broncos had a big chance to cut the gap at the 8:52 mark of the third, when Pats winger Austin Wagner was given a major penalty for a knee-on-knee hit to Broncos overage centre Ryley Lindgren.     The infraction will trigger an automatic review by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

    Pats fans loudly showed their displeasure at the call during the ensuing Broncos power play. A few booed Lindgren, who remained in the game, every time he touched the puck.

    Near the end of that power-play chance, Swift Current pulled to within 3-2, when Broncos captain Glenn Gawdin tipped home a shot from the wall by star winger Tyler Steenbergen.

    In the final 90 seconds, the Broncos pulled netminder Jordan Papirny for the extra attacker, had pressure in the Regina zone, but couldn’t generate a solid scoring chance.

    Brown made 30 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Pats. Papirny turned away 33 shots including a third period penalty shot by Pats centre Braydon Buziak to take the loss in the Broncos net.

    The injury front also provided some dramatics also on Friday night. On the Swift Current side, Pederson left the contest in the first period with an injury and did not return.

Pats captain Adam Brooks dressed but didn’t play Friday.

    Pats import winger Filip Ahl returned to the lineup after missing three games undergoing tests for the mumps. 

    Pats captain Adam Brooks dressed for the first time after taking a knee-on-knee hit in his team’s Game 2 win over the Broncos. 

    He was pretty much pinned to the Regina bench and opened the gate occasionally for his teammates.

    Whether Brooks or Pederson plays in Game 6 on Saturday remains to be seen.

    With that said, Game 5 in Regina was a barnburner. Both sides look like they are far from finished in this set.

    Now see what the next chapter will look like in less than 24 hours, because it appears anything can happen.

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