Swift Current Broncos swipe two points from Brandon Wheat Kings in playoff race

It was another packed barn in Swift Current as the Broncos hosted the Brandon Wheat Kings. Stuart Skinner started in net while Colby Sissons and Artyom Minulin defended the blue line. The powerful offensive group starting up front, consisted of Glenn Gawdin, Tyler Steenbergen, and Aleksi Heponiemi.

Shawn Mullin, radio broadcast play by play voice of the Broncos for the Eagle 94.1 in Swift Current, interviewed Giorgio Estephan after the 5-4 loss against the Prince Albert Raiders. As he explained, it is “uncommon for this group to give up leads, even one-goal leads,” to opponents this season. Estephan agreed, explaining that “every game down the stretch is important.”

It was Don Cherry jersey/bobblehead night at the Innovation Credit Union iPlex and the player wore special jerseys to support organ donation. And Jamie LeBlanc, head athletic trainer and equipment manager for the Broncos shared pictures of the jerseys online.

Swift Current set the pace early and pushed relentlessly throughout the first 20 minutes. One small mistake on the Brandon blue line would be costly, but it was early in the game. The Wheat Kings Linden McCorrister, would steal the puck from the Broncos defence and take it up ice to open the scoring. When MacKenzie Wight and the Wheat Kings, Marcus Sekundiak, both took roughing penalties, no goals were scored but the shots on net favoured the home team. Matteo Gennaro (40th goal this season) would even the score 1-1 with an assist to Colby Sissons and Andrew Fyten. Swift Current dominated the period, but a lucky strike by Brandon would give them motivation to hold off their opponents in spite of the 16-8 shots on net in favour of the Broncos after the first period.

Again, in the second period, the Broncos were clearly the dominant team. Their plays were substantial, their hits were harder, and their pressure was extensive. Giorgio Estephan tipped the puck out front of the Wheat Kings net after a puck battle and it almost deflected past Thompson and into the net. However, goalie Logan Thompson noticed it at just the right time before it crossed the line at the side of the net. Kole Gable and MacKenzie Wight made big hits in the Wheat Kings zone, winning possession of the puck. Sissons took a hit near the blue line, but it barely phased him. With the shots on net in favour of the home team, 27-10, Tyler Steenbergen took a shot but missed. Gawdin picked up the rebound, side-passed it to Heponiemi, and the Broncos were up 2-1. With Brandon putting more pressure on the Swift Current defence, Skinner was spared from shots as the Broncos defensive pairings held off the opposition. Even the Broncos forwards found themselves on the receiving end of a few shots. Beck Malenstyn was a little too close for comfort when he blocked a shot in front of Skinner. He took a piece of the sticks follow-through on a Brandon attempt on net, which left him in a pile on the ice. Shots on goal were 31-12 after 40 minutes and a score of 2-1.

The urgency of the first two periods wasn’t as obvious in the beginning of the last period. The Wheat Kings began to fight back with power and pressure. During those tough moments, communication was the key to the Swift Current defence remaining as strong as it had been all game long. For most of the third period, the Broncos were just trying to keep the puck out of their own zone. They did an excellent job of keeping their assignment or playing the puck, depending on the situation. But Brandon kept peppering Skinner with shots on net. In the end, the Wheat Kings evened out the shots on goal and Skinner ended up saving 35 of 36 shots on net. But the Broncos defence is what ultimately saved the day. An empty net goal for Beck Malenstyn finalized the score 3-1 for the Swift Current Broncos.

Traci’s 1 Star – Colby Sissons
Not only does he have immense skating skills, he can also beat almost any player down the ice to retrieve the puck in his own zone. He wins board battles and comes out of them with possession of the puck and he rarely misses a pass from a teammate. He’s got a confidence on defence as well as playing offence that makes him a great two-way player. In those rare moments when he’s unsure, he plays it safe rather than with his typical defensive edge. All in all, Sissons usually gets the job done. The Swift Current Broncos are back on home ice on Wednesday when they host the Calgary Hitmen.