There weren’t many who expected the Swift Current Broncos to have the seventh-best winning percentage at the mid-point of the Western Hockey League.
Even Emanuel Viveiros, the Broncos’ first year general manager and head coach, didn’t expect his team to be this well established in the playoff race.
“No, we’re pretty pleasantly surprised with where we’re at,” Viveiros said. “We’re happy with where we’re at, but we’re still looking for improvement. We think we can still be better.
“We want to continue to improve. That’s what we’ve done all year. We’ve gotten better and better.”
The Broncos (19-11-3-4) are two points out of second place in the East Division and have a 13-point cushion for a playoff spot.
The Broncos aren’t looking behind them, however. With a spate of divisional games on the horizon, the Broncos want to keep improving and try to move up the standings to secure home ice advantage in the playoffs.
“Everybody is going to be fighting for position and home ice advantage and everyone is going to be adding in the next little while here, so it’s going to be interesting,” Viveiros said.
While the Swift Current i-Plex has traditionally provided a strong home-ice advantage, the Broncos also boast the sixth-best road record this season.
“We can’t just win on home ice, you have to be able to come to Moose Jaw, Regina and Brandon and win those games,” Viveiros said. “If you’re going to do well in the playoffs, you have to win in those buildings. That’s something we’re going to have to work on.”
The Broncos returned from the Christmas break and beat Moose Jaw 6-1 at home. That win was their fourth straight. The Warriors beat the Broncos 4-1 Wednesday in Moose Jaw, but Viveiros is looking to string some wins together to try to keep pace in a competitive division. To do that, they need to be more consistent.
“Now that we’re healthy we did put a run together,” Viveiros said.
“This league is too good. If you’re not playing well one night, there’s a good chance you’re going to lose.”
Tyler Steenbergen scored three goals and added an assist in the 6-1 win.
It was a reversal of fortune one night later as the Warriors (21-9-4-1) skated away with the 4-1 win.
Brett Howden signed an entry-level NHL contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning Wednesday and celebrated it by extending his goal-scoring streak to three games. Brayden Burke had a goal and two assists.
Wheat Kings manage to cool potent Pats
Once again it was another round of home-and-homes in the East Division.
The Regina Pats (23-3-6-1) picked up where they left off with a 7-4 home ice win over Brandon, before the Wheat Kings (16-15-4-0) held them to a single goal and earned a 2-1 shootout win.
Logan Thompson made 39 saves in goal for the Wheat Kings to earn the win.
Adam Brooks had three goals and two assists in the Pats’ 7-4 win and Sam Steel chipped in with a goal and four assists. The dynamic duo share the WHL scoring lead with 59 points.
Great Scott
The Prince Albert Raiders (8-27-1-1) got off to a winning start to the second half as they beat the Saskatoon Blades (14-20-3-1) 5-3 Tuesday before falling 3-2 in Saskatoon in the return leg.
Ian Scott was busy and outstanding in goal for the Raiders. He made 38 saves in the win and 39 saves in the loss.
The Raiders had five different goal scorers and got some balanced scoring as they grabbed an early 3-0 lead in their win.
Braylon Shmyr scored twice for Saskatoon both Tuesday and Wednesday and has 18 goals on the season. Mark Rubinshik and Jesse Shynkaruk had two assists each for the Blades in the 3-2 win.
Carson Miller had both of the Raiders’ goals Wednesday which doubled his season tally to four.
More East Division dealings
This weekend features another round of home-and-homes as Regina and Prince Albert; Moose Jaw and Brandon; and Saskatoon and Swift Current square off.
The trade freeze was lifted this week and the teams wasted little time in making more moves.
The Raiders dealt 20-year-old centre Austin Glover to Red Deer for 99-born defenceman D-Jay Jerome and a third round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. Glover had 12 goals and 26 points in 35 games for the Raiders.
The day before the Regina Pats acquired 18-year-old defenceman Dawson Davidson from Kamloops for 18-year-old right winger Luc Smith.
