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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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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Silvertips slip past Broncos 2-1 in WHL title series opener

The Silvertips celebrate a game winning goal from Connor Dewar, centre.

    SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. - The slimmest of margins made the difference in the opening game of the WHL Championship series.

    With his Everett Silvertips locked in a 1-1 tie with the host Swift Current Broncos, Silvertips left-winger Connor Dewar tipped home a point shot from Czech import defenceman Ondrej Vala at the 1:49 mark of the third period to put the visitors up 2-1. 

    Everett proceeded to shut things down defensively for most of the remainder of the frame to take the opening game of the WHL title series by that one-goal margin before a sellout crowd of 2,890 spectators on Friday night at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex.

    The win marked the first time the Silvertips have earned a victory in the WHL Championship series. They made their only other appearance in the WHL title series during their inaugural campaign and were swept away in the best-of-seven set 4-0 by the Medicine Hat Tigers in May of 2004.

Connor Dewar scored the winning goal for the Silvertips on Friday.

    Following Friday’s tilt, no one on Everett’s side were thinking of any milestones. Dewar just wanted his third period tally could hold up to be the decisive marker.

    “I was just hoping it would hold up and be a winning goal by the end of the game,” said Dewar. “I think it helped us get going.

    “We had a couple of more good shots after that where it didn’t go in. We just tried to minimize their chances by maximizing ours.”

    The Broncos are making their first appearance in the WHL Final since they last won the league title back in 1993. The opening result was a heartbreaker for the host side.

    Veteran 19-year-old netminder Stuart Skinner had a strong outing making 23 saves in the Swift Current goal. He just couldn’t react to the change of direction of the puck on Dewar’s tipped home goal.

Goalie Stuart Skinner makes one of his 23 saves in goal for the Broncos.

    “It was kind of just a bad bounce I think,” said Skinner. “They just shot it, and it was going up pretty high.

    “It was a high tip. If he was closer to the net, it would have been a high stick. I saw it going up, so I tried to get my body in front of it.

    “He tipped it, and it went down. It was kind of a tough one for me.”

    The Broncos hit the ice for Friday’s encounter behind a raucous crowd that often drowned out the building’s public address announcer.
    The Silvertips quieted the host team’s supporters with a power-play goal at the 14:43 mark of the opening frame, when star overage right-winger Patrick Bajkov took the puck at the left side of the Broncos net, skated across the face of the goal and tucked home the puck behind Skinner.

Aleksi Heponiemi scored for the Broncos in the second period.

    The Swift Current faithful got re-energized at the 11:26 mark of the second, when Finnish import left-winger Aleksi Heponiemi tipped home a mid-range shot from centre Matteo Gennaro to tie things up at 1-1. The goal came on the Broncos’ 24^th shot on goal.

    After Everett went ahead 2-1, the Broncos didn’t really have a quality chance to net the equalizer until late in the third. Swift Current forced a turnover in the Silvertips zone, and Gennaro found himself alone in front of the Everett goal. He tried to roof a shot top corner only to be robbed by the glove hand of Silvertips star netminder Carter Hart.

    Hart made 34 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Silvertips, who are 8-0 on the road in this year’s post-season. Star right-winger Garrett Pilon had assists on both Everett goals.

    “I thought we did a really good job being in the first game here on the road in this building that is really tough to play in,” said Silvertips head coach Dennis Williams. “We got a great power-play goal to start us off.

The Broncos fans cheer a goal from Aleksi Heponiemi.

    “We came into the second, and I probably thought the ice tilted there in favour of Swift Current. What I was really proud of was our response in the third. We started playing the way we should play.”

    Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros said the tight encounter he expected materialized.

    “Everett did a real good job today here making it real difficult for us to get to their net front area,” said Viveiros. “They defended very well.

    “I thought both teams played very well tonight. I thought the goaltenders were very, very good for both teams. They (the Silvertips) were everything that comes as advertised tonight.

Patrick Bajkov scored the Silvertips first goal on Friday.

    “They are a team that battles real hard for loose pucks, especially in their zone, along the walls and especially in front of their net. We have to do a better job tomorrow as far as getting to the net a lot more and making sure we get our shots through to the net. I was very happy with our effort.”

    Heponiemi thought his Broncos could do a better job of getting pucks to the net.

    “They were blocking shots, and that is part of playoffs,” said Heponiemi. “We just have to play like real quick and just get pucks through.”

    Hart was pleased with how his Silvertips teammates played in front of him.

    “I felt really good in the net,” said Hart. “We did a really good job of limiting their chances to the outside.

    “We did a really good job the whole game of our D-zone coverage. I got a lot of key (shot) blocks during the year. Guys were just laying their bodies on the line to get the blocks.”

Silvertips goalie Carter Hart (#70) holds off the Broncos traffic.

    The 19-year-old, who backstopped Canada to a gold medal victory at the last World Juniors, gave praise to the Broncos fans for the support they showed their team.

    “It is good to see the support that Swift Current is getting here,” said Hart. “It is one of the smaller markets in the CHL, so it is really cool to see all the people come out and support their team and how passionate they are.

    “I think it energizes both teams. It is fun to play in these environments and play in these kind of games. Seeing how many people were here during warmups and how important it is to this city, it is cool.”

The Silvertips celebrate their Game 1 victory over the Broncos.

    Game 2 of the best-of-seven WHL title series is slated for Saturday at 7 p.m. local time at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex.

    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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Warriors will a way to Game 7 with out of nowhere comeback

Halbgewachs nets winner in triple overtime

The Warriors celebrate Jayden Halbgewachs’ triple OT winner.

    SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. - You could have almost stuck of a fork in the Moose Jaw Warriors, because it looked like they were done.

    Trailing a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series 3-2 to the Swift Current Broncos, the Warriors showed little life through the first 46 minutes of Game 6 at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current on Saturday night.

    The host Broncos led 1-0 entering the third period and held a 28-9 edge in shots on goal in the opening 40 minutes. 

    At the 3:35 mark of the third period, Broncos captain Glenn Gawdin fed a backhand pass from the right corner boards in the offensive zone to star right-winger Tyler Steenbergen in front of the Moose Jaw goal. Steenbergen blew home his ninth goal of the post-season to give the Broncos a 2-0 lead.

Jayden Halbgewachs sets to fire home his overtime winner.

    It appeared the Broncos were on their way to the WHL Eastern Conference championship series for the first time since 2001.

    Out of nowhere, the complexion of the contest changed. At the 6:43 mark of the third period, 17-year-old Warriors defenceman Jett Woo fired home a point shot to cut Swift Current’s edge to 2-1. From that moment onwards, the Warriors, who last made the WHL Eastern Conference championship series in 2012, played a tonne more jump in their stride.

    With 8:42 to play in the third period, Warriors captain Brett Howden tipped home a point shot from star defenceman Kale Clague to tie things up at 2-2. At first, the officials didn’t signal goal, because the back end of the Broncos net was flipped into the air, when Howden deflected Clague’s shot down into the Swift Current cage.

    The officials checked out the video replay and concluded Howden did score as the net never did come off its pegs. That tally ultimately sent the contest to overtime.

Matteo Gennaro scored the first goal in Saturday night’s game.

    The contest remained tied until early in the third overtime period, when the Warriors caught a break after Broncos Russian import defenceman Artyom Minulin was called for hooking.

    On the ensuing power play, Warriors star winger Jayden Halbgewachs wired home the winner from the left side boards at the 1:14 mark to give the Warriors a 3-2 victory. The result sent the majority of the sellout crowd of 2,890 home disappointed outside of the healthy contingent of fans that came from Moose Jaw to support the Warriors.

    Halbgewachs’ goal allowed the Warriors to even the series up at 3-3 and force a series deciding Game 7 to be held Monday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw. The winner of that contest will face the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference Championship series.

Warriors goalie Brody Willms makes one of 58 saves.

    On Saturday night, The Broncos came out and peppered Warriors netminder Brody Willms with 12 shots in the opening 20 minutes. The 19-year-old was the key reason the Warriors were able to escape the frame locked in a 0-0 tie.

    Actually, the Warriors almost exited the first with the lead. Broncos netminder Stuart Skinner only faced four shots in the first, but with the Warriors working on the power play late in the frame, he turned away Halbgewachs on a backdoor chance.

    The hosts continued their onslaught of shots in the second, and the Broncos finally took a 1-0 lead with 6:17 to play in the frame.

Tyler Steenbergen put the Broncos up 2-0 early in the third.

    Working on a power play, overage centre Matteo Gennaro tipped home a point shot from Minulin to give the Broncos the edge.

    After Steenbergen scored early in the third to give the Broncos a 2-0 lead, the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex was jumping. All that did was set the stage for what seemed like an improbably Warriors comeback.

    The Broncos had a power play in the first overtime period, but were unable to net the goal that would have won the series.

    Willms made 58 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Warriors. Skinner turned away 35 shots to take the setback in goal for the Broncos.

    In the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s clash, the Broncos will see the overtime loss as one of those games that got away. The Warriors can say the same thing about Game 4 of the series last Wednesday in Swift Current, where the Broncos pulled out a 3-2 victory in double overtime.

Jett Woo’s goal sparked a rally by the Warriors.

    In all reality, the fact that this series is going to a Game 7 likely does justice to the work both sides have put in over the first six games.

    It was expected the Warriors and Broncos would engage in a heavyweight tilt, and that tilt has materialized. The Warriors finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 52-15-2-3 record, and the Broncos finished second overall with a 48-17-5-2 mark.

    Now, we will see who has enough gas in the tank to take the final chapter of this encounter.

    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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Warriors versus Broncos lives up to hype in playoffs

Brayden Burke has had a big post-season for the Warriors.

    As far as the WHL concerned, it has been the current day equivalent of Mohammad Ali versus Joe Frazer in boxing.

    Finishing first and second respectively in the WHL’s regular season standings, the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Swift Current Broncos are staging a classic heavyweight tilt in their best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series. After the four games, the series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw.

    Game 6 follows on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current. If necessary, Game 7 is slated for Monday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw.

    The Warriors finished first overall in the WHL posting a 52-15-2-3 record in the regular season, while the Broncos are second overall with a 48-17-5-2 mark. Due to the fact the two club’s play out of the WHL’s East Division, the latest they could meet under the circuit’s current playoff format was in the second round.

    While it easy to lament this series isn’t determining a conference or league champion, the stellar efforts of both sides shouldn’t be forgotten in the here and now.

Matteo Gennaro is starting to heat up for the Broncos.

    For the Warriors, the 2018 WHL playoffs is turning into the post-season of Brayden Burke. The overage left-winger has been playing arguably some of the best hockey of his WHL career.

    In the Warriors first round series win over the Prince Albert Raiders that went a marathon seven games, Burke was the difference maker on many nights. The Edmonton, Alta., product was the difference maker again on Tuesday netting two goals, two assists and posting a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department as the Warriors prevailed 4-3 in overtime at the Innovation Credit Union i-plex.

    Burke came to the Warriors in an early season trade in the 2016-17 campaign in a deal with the Lethbridge Hurricanes with some baggage surrounding questions about his character and maturity.

    He has been outstanding for the Warriors on and off the ice this season posting 31 goals, 82 assists and a plus-44 rating in 61 regular season games. His goal, point and plus-minus totals were all career highs and his assist total matched a career high.

    Burke, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 165 pounds, has been a standup person for the Warriors answering questions in a mature and thoughtful fashion win or lose. For those that have dealt with him over his four complete seasons in the league, he has visibly grown from a boy into a man, and he is every bit deserving of the three-year NHL entry-level contract he signed with the Arizona Coyotes on March 1.

Brett Howden scored the OT winner on Tuesday.

    The Coyotes signed Burke as an undrafted free agent.

    Warriors captain Brett Howden scored the overtime winner on Tuesday night netting a pair of goals, an assist and a plus-two rating in the win. He has two goals and four assists in the first four games of the series and is trying to do his best to leave the WHL on a high note.

    The Oakbank, Man., product is eligible to return for an overage season, but having signed a three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Howden’s return to the major junior ranks is not expected next season.

    On Swift Current’s side, overage centre Matteo Gennaro, who was acquired in a trade with the Calgary Hitmen earlier this season, is starting to catch fire. The St. Albert, Alta., product had a goal in Tuesday’s overtime time loss to the Warriors. On Wednesday, he scored all three of Swift Current’s goals in a 3-2 double overtime win at the Innovation Credit Union i-plex.

    Gennaro’s winner was a laser beam from the right slot.

    His performance became that much more important when the Broncos star right-winger Tyler Steenbergen went down due to injury early in the first period after being hit with a point shot from teammate Sahvan Khaira in the offensive zone.

    Netminder Stuart Skinner, who was acquired by the Broncos in a trade with the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Jan. 9, made 51 saves to secure the win for Swift Current on Wednesday. Skinner backed the Hurricanes to an appearance in the WHL Eastern Conference championship series.

Stuart Skinner made 51 saves in a win on Wednesday.

    The Warriors and Broncos have played hard in the shadow of an accident involving the team bus of the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with a semi-truck just north of Tisdale last Friday. The crash resulted in the deaths of 16 players and team staffers of the storied junior A franchise.

    Before Game 2 on Saturday in Moose Jaw, a moment of silence was observed at Mosaic Place, where the players from the Warriors and Swift Current Broncos rounded the centre ice circle in a show of support for the SJHL club. The equipment staff on both the Moose Jaw and Swift Current sides worked tirelessly and together to insert the Humboldt Broncos team logo on to the helmets of their players.

    Gennaro has been playing with a heavy heart having lost close friend Stephen Wack in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, and he mentioned his feelings on his Twitter account and post-game media interviews. Wack, who was also from St. Albert, was a defenceman with the Humboldt squad.

    Going forward, the series between Moose Jaw and Swift Current is a tossup. For those going to the final contests to close out this series, they will likely see some stellar games no matter who wins.

Wouters up for scholastic player of the year

Blades centre Chase Wouters is up for a major WHL award.

    On Wednesday’s Saskatoon Blades sophomore centre Chase Wouters was named the scholastic player of the year for the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

    The 18-year-old finished up his second complete season in the WHL netting 18 goals, 33 assists and a plus-seven rating in the plus-minus department appearing in all of the Blades 72 regular season games. The assistant captain has posted an 89 per-cent average so far in his Grade 12 year in high school.

    Wouters, who stands 6-feet and weighs 177 pounds, was ranked 103^rd among North American skaters in the midterm rankings for NHL Central Scouting. He is currently in Russia taking part in the Hockey Canada’s training camp for under-18 world championships along with Blades teammates centre Kirby Dach and netminder Nolan Maier. The under-18 world championships run April 19 to 29 in Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk, Russia.

    On a league level for overall scholastic player of the year, Wouters will up against Spokane Chiefs defenceman Ty Smith, who was named the scholastic player of the year for the WHL’s Western Conference.

    The Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Memorial Trophy for the WHL’s scholastic player of the year will be handed along with all the other league’s major awards on May 2 in Red Deer, Alta.

    The last member of the Blades to be named the WHL’s scholastic player of the year was defenceman Nelson Nogier back in the 2013-14 campaign.

Back in the Express with a story on Jockims

Kaitlin Jockims helped the Star win a SFMAAAHL title.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with ultra-talented double sport athlete Kaitlin Jockims.

    The 16-year-old Grade 10 student at Centennial High School is a star guard for the Chargers senior girls’ basketball team and a standout winger on the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA hockey team. Jockims has played in the provincial team program for both basketball and hockey.

    This season, Jockims helped the Chargers earn a berth in Hoopla, which is the Saskatchewan provincial high school basketball championship tournament, held in late March in Prince Albert. She aided the Stars in winning their third Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League title in the last four years and earn a berth at the Esso Cup national female midget AAA hockey championship tournament for the third time in the last four years.

    The Esso Cup runs April 22 to 28 in Bridgewater, N.S.

    She recently attended a tryout camp for Canada’s under-17 girls’ basketball team in Toronto, Ont.

Jockims father is Greg Jockims, who guided the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s basketball team to a U Sports national title in 2010 as head coach.

    The story on Kaitlin Jockims can be found right here.

Drinnan’s Humboldt Broncos piece to appear in the Express

    In the aftermath of the tragedy involving the Humboldt Broncos bus accident, Gregg Drinnan, who is “the Dean” when it comes to covering the WHL, penned an upbeat fictitious piece about the storied junior A franchise.

    Last Friday, the Broncos bus was involved in an accident with a semi-truck just north of Tisdale. The crash resulted in the deaths of 16 players and team staffers from the club.

    In a tribute for the team, people across Canada and I dare say the world have been placing hockey sticks outside of their homes at night for the deceased Broncos players to use in the afterlife.

Drinnan wrote a piece about the members of the team who have passed on playing a game in the afterlife. It was an outstanding read and has receive much praise.

    It will appear in the hard copy of the Saskatoon Express next week. Drinnan’s piece online can be found right here.

Everyone heals differently, I’m ready to travel

Just taking a quick selfie out on the WHL circuit.

    With the bus accident involving the Humboldt Broncos hitting so close to home, everyone has been dealing with this tragedy in their own way.

    Everyone has to be allowed to heal up and move on with their own time.

    On Wednesday, the board of governors of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, which the Broncos are part of, voted unanimously to continue with the league’s playoffs. The best-of-seven Canalta Cup league championship series will be played between the Nipawin Hawks and the Estevan Bruins beginning on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Nipawin.

    The Broncos at the time of their crash were playing the Hawks in a best-of-seven league semifinal series on the junior A circuit, which the Hawks were leading 3-1. The Humboldt squad was on the way to Nipawin for Game 5 of that series when the bus accident occurred.

    I am all in favour of this move by the SJHL. I believe playing the games will help the overall healing process.

    On Tuesday, I wrote about my experiences riding on the team bus with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. I know a lot of people might have fear getting back on a team bus after what happened, and that is understandable.

    For myself, I would be and am ready to get back on a team bus again. That atmosphere and experiences for me have always been positive on team busses, and I will take advantage of that experience every chance I get.

    The only downfall for me is that fact I have never been the best when it comes to sleeping on the bus. I always battle trying to fall asleep, but that is only a small nuisance.

    On a solo front, I am actually itching to get on the road to cover a sporting event. I have always enjoyed heading out to different communities especially in the WHL circuit. I hope I get to make my next trip soon.

    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 poised to be a major force in WHL

Broncos RW Tyler Steenbergen (#17) circles past Pats C Matthew Bradley.

    REGINA, Sask. – The small Swift Current Broncos contingent could be heard loud and proud among the sellout crowd of 6,484 spectators on Sunday afternoon at the Brandt Centre.

    Come May, it is highly possible that small contingent could multiply into a massive amount of supporters, if the Broncos are able to win their first WHL championship since 1993 and earn a berth in the Memorial Cup. Regina hosts major junior hockey’s national championship tournament from May 18 to 27.

    On Sunday, the Broncos downed the Memorial Cup hosting Regina Pats 4-1 in what was viewed as an expected heavyweight WHL tilt. Both teams made a number of moves in the weeks leading up to the WHL’s trade deadline on January 10 to stock up for a lengthy playoff run.

    The Broncos have hovered near the top of the WHL standings all season and currently sit second overall with a 35-12-3-1 mark.

Netminder Stuart Skinner was a major addition to the Broncos.

    They are coming off an exciting playoff run last season, where they fell in a series deciding Game 7 to the Pats in the second round by a 5-1 score. Regina moved on to the WHL Championship series falling to the Seattle Thunderbirds.

    The Pats stocked up due to the fact they are hosting the Memorial Cup, and they hold the first wildcard spot in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 25-22-5 record. They sit two points up on the Saskatoon Blades (25-23-2-1) and six points up on the Prince Albert Raiders (20-20-7-2). The Blades and Raiders had one game and three games in hand respectively on the Pats.

    While the Broncos are deep on forward and defence, one of their key aces is netminder Stuart Skinner. The Broncos acquired Skinner in a blockbuster multiplayer trade on Jan. 9 with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, and the addition of the Edmonton product gave Swift Current a battle hardened playoff netminder.

Aleksi Heponiemi had a goal and two assists on Sunday.

    The 19-year-old Skinner helped power the Hurricanes into the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship series last season, where they bowed out to the Pats in six games.

    Skinner was outstanding on Sunday turning away 41 shots to back the Broncos victory. Arguably, one of his best saves came in the second period with the Broncos holding a 1-0 edge.

    Pats star captain Sam Steel made a perfect backdoor feed across the front of the Swift Current goal to linemate Cameron Hebig, who let the shot go as soon as the puck hit his stick. Skinner got across to deny the scoring chance.

    Skinner held the Broncos in during a sluggish start in the first period, when the Pats stormed out of the game to an early 8-1 edge in the shots on goal department. With Skinner keeping the Pats off the scoreboard, the Broncos had time to find their legs.

    With 1:15 to play in the opening frame, Broncos left-winger Beck Malenstyn, who was with the Calgary Hitmen last season, found a loose puck in front of the Regina goal and popped home the first goal of the contest to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead. Malenstyn’s tally during a spurt of four-on-four action changed the completion of the contest.

Glenn Gawdin scored his 40th goal of the season.

    The Broncos edge grew to 2-0 when centre Matteo Gennaro, who was also with the Hitmen last season, roofed home a turnaround shot past Pats netminder Ryan Kubic.

    Swift Current also showed the damage it could do on the power play. At the 5:31 mark of the third, Finnish import left-winger Aleksi Heponiemi converted a perfect backdoor feed from Gennaro to give the Broncos a 3-0 lead.

    After the Pats cut the Broncos lead to 3-1 on a point shot through a screen by defenceman Cale Fleury, the Broncos rounded out the game’s scoring with a beauty power-play tally from their top line of Heponiemi, captain Glenn Gawdin and star right-winger Tyler Steenbergen.

    On a tick-tack-toe passing play, Heponiemi and Steenbergen set up Gawdin on a perfect backdoor play, and the Richmond, B.C., product buried his 40^th of the season with 3:58 to play in the third. Heponiemi picked up his second assist of the night on Gawdin’s goal.
    The Broncos went 2-for-4 with the man advantage and killed off all three of the Pats power-play chances.

    Kubic made 31 stops to take the setback in goal for the Pats. The St. Andrews, Man., product didn’t have a bad game.

The Broncos fan contingent was loud and proud on Sunday.

    He was bested by a goalie in Skinner who can make the impossible looking save to take away a sure goal.

    The Pats fans in attendance on Sunday were vocal in their support of their team. While the support is there, they have to wonder if their club will turn into a squad that can best a side like the Broncos or the WHL leading Moose Jaw Warriors (39-8-1-2).

    The Broncos are built to gun for the Warriors. Due to the way the WHL’s playoffs are structured, it is unfortunate one of those two clubs will be eliminated at least in the second round of the post-season due to the fact they are part of an ultra-competitive East Division.

    Both the Broncos and Warriors would love to only make a short trip east down the Trans-Canada Highway in May to the Memorial Cup as league champs.

The Broncos expect to celebrate a lot of wins like they did on Sunday.

    With the fans that would be sure to follow from their respective centres, the Broncos or the Warriors would easily be considered a second home team, if either make it that far.

    The Broncos won their only Memorial Cup championship in 1989, when the event was held in Saskatoon, Sask. Their fans have to be giddy about the prospect of winning major junior hockey’s biggest crown in a Saskatchewan centre once again.

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.