Coming off a Game 1 win against the Regina Pats, the Swift Current Broncos returned to home ice on Saturday to face their first-round rivals in Game 2. The electricity on the ice and in the building was the same, but the road team was able to escape with the 2-1 victory.
This morning, in an interview with Ryan Switzer, Manny Viveiros said about Friday’s game that “we expected our rink to be loud and it certainly was. I think it was the loudest I’ve heard it since the year and a half I’ve been here.” As well, Viveiros explained that he, “expects a real good pushback from Regina,” in Saturday’s game, but he believes that Swift Current can still win as long as they play “disciplined hockey.”
Stuart Skinner, who stole the show in Game 1, started in net again for the Broncos. On the opposite end of the rink, Ryan Kubic got the starting nod for Regina. Probably because of an injury sustained in Friday night’s game. Artyom Minulin was a scratch. In his place, Connor Horning took over on defence. Glenn Gawdin made an impact last game with his physical play and smart hockey sense and he did so again in game two. Kaden Elder blocked a shot in Friday’s game that sent him to the bench in pain, but he returned to that game and was in full form again in Saturday’s battle.
A penalty by Tanner Nagel opened the game for Regina to show their impressive power play unit. But the Broncos offensive players stepped up to the defensive challenge. Giorgio Estephan took away huge chances on net and the Pats couldn’t capitalize. A penalty to Josh Mahura gave the Broncos a man-advantage and another penalty to Cale Fleury gave Swift Current a five-on-three. Later, Cameron Hebig of the Pats stripped Colby Sissons of the puck in the Broncos end to put his team up 1-0. Tyler Steenbergen tried to answer on a a breakaway, but Ryan Kubic denied him to keep it 1-0 Pats after 20.
The Pats opened the second period with a penalty, but it wasn’t the best power play for Swift Current. The visiting team picked up a couple short-handed chances throughout the last half of the penalty. The rest of the period was a lot of back-and-forth play, but Regina would get the upper hand by generating chances. Kubic was on his game and the Broncos didn’t seem to have any puck luck. Their long passes missed the mark, their communication seemed off and the turnovers in their own end helped the Pats control the period. It was still 1-0 for the Regina Pats after 40 minutes and the home team looked as though they were losing steam.
The third period started out in favour of the home team, but Regina soon took control again. Another multi-penalty call on both teams would give the Pats a man advantage with penalties to Hyman, Gawdin, and Alexander. During that Swift Current penalty kill, Sissons took a bullet of a shot off his skate and he was visibly in pain. Hebig scored a power play goal for Regina on the rebound off Sissons, his second goal of the evening, to give them a 2-0 advantage. At that point, the Swift Current team looked gassed. But they persevered and eventually diverted Kubic’s attention to break the shutout. Max Patterson held possession of the puck behind the Regina net and flipped it out front to Elder. Elder then got his stick on it in the air and slapped it past Kubic. With a little more hope and a lot more effort, Swift Current made a final push in the last few minutes, but even a six-on-four advantage couldn’t save the game for them. Regina won with a score of 2-1.
Final Thoughts
Regina took ahold of the game from the beginning and barely gave Swift Current any breathing room. Viveiros was right when he said the visitors would pushback. When the Broncos had chances on net, Kubic denied every shot from slipping past him. That seemed to shift momentum in favour of the Pats. Matt Bradley showed that he can play a skilled offensive game without relying strictly on his physical plays. Regina intercepted the Broncos passes in front of Kubic and they cleared the zone effectively. They out-worked Swift Current by playing their man instead of the puck and focusing on the play itself.
Sissons, in spite of his turnover early in the game, was solid on defence. Together with Sahvan Khaira, they make a great pair and are an asset to the Swift Current defence. Khaira, himself, is a tough player. He blocked bullets from the opposition and landed hard hits on Regina players against the boards. Elder always brings his fast-paced feistiness to every shift and Saturday’s game was no exception. He plays on the edge, draws penalties , and consistently brings his best to the ice. Patterson is the sacrifice king; whether he’s in the play or deflecting attention away from his teammates who have the puck, he has potential to become a well-rounded, solid forward.
In the end, it was the abundace of turnovers in the Broncos end, the lack of calls by the refs, and the intelligent plays of the Pats that gave the visiting team the win. So far this series, there has been a lot of skill and natural talent on display instead of the ugly, dirty hockey that so many predicted. It’s been a good series so far.
The series is now tied 1-1. The teams get a day off and they will make their way to Regina for Game 3 Monday night (6 p.m. Central).
