The Swift Current Broncos returned to home ice to host the Saskatoon Blades in front of another sold out crowd at the iPlex.
After an ugly battle in Moose Jaw on Saturday, March 10th, the Broncos lost 4-2 and a couple of players in a critical game. Tanner Nagel and the Warriors Barrett Sheen received supplemental discipline suspensions, which shows how tough of a game it really was. Nagel will miss the rest of the regular season games with the Broncos, but he will be eligible to return during the first round of playoffs. To read more about the slug-fest in Moose Jaw on March 10, you can read the game review by Matthew Gourlie.
Before this game against Saskatoon, Moose Jaw led the Eastern Division standings with 107 points. Swift Current sat in second place with 100 points.
Glenn Gawdin remained out of the lineup due to illness. Tyler Steenbergen sat this one out because of injury most likely due to the scuffle he endured during the game against Moose Jaw. Tanner Nagel was also out because of his suspension.
With three of the top Broncos players out, the big question was if Swift Current had enough depth up front to get the job done. And they quickly proved that they were the dominant team in the first period. The visiting goalie, Tyler Brown, may have looked shaky in net to start the game, but he soon found his comfort zone and slipped right in. The period turned into the Swift Current Broncos vs Tyler Brown. Midway through the opening frame, with the shots on net 11-0 for the home team. Brown kept his team in the mix even though the Swift Current offensive lines kept pushing him. Because of Brown’s stellar saves in the first period and because hockey is unpredictable, the Blades, Kirby Dach, scored on a defensive mistake by the Broncos with a mere 14.2 second left on the clock. The score was 1-0 for Saskatoon heading into the middle period.
Early in the second period, Stuart Skinner had a hard time tracking the puck with the traffic out front and let one slide into the net to give the Blades a 2-0 lead. But Kaden Elder answered back and blasted one behind Brown to close the gap, 2-1. Assists on Elder’s goal were Ethan Regnier and Andrew Fyten. Saskatoon clearly controlled the play of the second period while the Swift Current team looked a little gassed. With a play in the Broncos end, Braylon Shmyr ended up in the penalty box for goalie interference and Swift Current tied the score, 2-2. Matteo Gennaro notched his 41st goal of the season with assists to Aleksi Heponiemi and Giorgio Estephan. A late period penalty to Matteo Gennaro for roughing would give Saskatoon the one-goal lead back, 3-2, with eight seconds left on the clock.
Skinner was tested again in the final 20 minutes as the Blades peppered the Broncos net with shots. Not even two minutes into the period, that effort paid off as Saskatoon’s Kirby Dach buried another to make the score 4-2. During a Broncos power play, Kaden Elder was absolutely robbed by Tyler Brown on a sure goal, killing any momentum for Swift Current that remained. When Quinton Waitzner took a penalty for slew-footing, the Blades put the final nail in the coffin and won 5-2. Shots on net were 44-27 in favour of Swift Current.
Swift Current dealt with bobbled pucks, offensive mishaps, and the force that was Tyler Brown in net for Saskatoon. Among all the plays that didn’t happen, unexpected turnovers, and the missed chances, I can’t help but wonder if the flu has hit more than just one or two of the Broncos players.
Traci’s 1 Star – Kaden Elder
Like every other game, he brought his energy and offensive abilities and played a full 60 minutes of hockey. His speed was unmatched. His strength was put on display in front of the opposition’s net as he took hit after hit. And his ambition to get the job done was shown by his goal and three bullets at the Blades net. Add a +3 rating in there for good measure and you have my one star of the game.
The Swift Current Broncos are heading to Regina on Friday for the first of a home and home weekend. Then they return home to host the Pats on Saturday for their last game of the regular season.
