Rockets 0 @ Broncos 4

[Big Ern]

That was a great GREAT game!! You might call it "TEXTBOOK," or the most complete effort for the Broncos this season. Everyone chipped in...the young guys got a lot of ice time and played like veterans....our veterans brought a physical presence and some awesome penalty killing. In the end, the high-flying Rockets left the i-Plex bewildered, after a 4-0 blanking.

Some notes from the game:

-call it the best penalty killing you could possibly wish for. The Broncos were PHENOMINAL on the PK tonight. Bring on the Rockets' 2nd best PP in the league and their high-flying line of Leavold, Benn, and Long, and bring on all ELEVEN penalty kills. Again, that was phenominal...the guys just never gave up, and didn't let stats get into their head.

-how about Mark Guggenberger getting the big shut-out in his first start as a Bronco? Guggenberger seemed to have a few rebound issues to start the game, but settled right in and made all 30 saves for the Broncos. He helped on all the penalty kills, and was an abseloute wall in a final flurry by Kelowna to earn the shut-out. Good job! Great post-game interview as well! :)

-getting back to our young guys...how well did they play tonight??! WOW! Codey Eakin started the offense with the game's first goal, Jan Dalecky played a great game, and Justin Dowling planted one behind Torrie Jung to make the score 3-0 Broncos in the second. Both Eakin and Dowling also added assists in this one. And Joel Rogers is also worth mentioning. He is calm and composed when moving the puck in his own zone, and at times looks like a veteran out there!

-defense was awesome...to say the least. The story tonight was penalty killing, but our defensive core got it done from one guy to the next. Jesse Dudas collected two points, Eric Doyle was pretty solid, Mike Wilson was on his game,....I could go on and on after that effort.

-some veteran names that come to mind on our forward line-up after this one include, Zack Smith, Levi Nelson, Dale Weise, Spencer McAvoy, Matt Tassone, and Erik Felde. Smith worked his a** off tonight killing penalties and doing things right, Levi crashed the goal once or twice and was played smart hockey throughout, Weise was his usual self...a power forward, (he's so strong he gets called for charging when he goes shoulder to shoulder...guys just seem to bounce off of him) and Erik Felde did a great job setting the tempo with his amazing speed. Let's not forget Wudrick, who scored a goal as well, and is really bringing his game lately.

-now on to the Rockets....I don't think their coach is very happy. They had 11 PP's in this one, the highest-flying offense in the entire league, and they could not capitalize once. Some of their guys looked a bit sluggish...maybe they'll try to stay in Swift Current next time the night before a game, instead of hanging out in the 'Hat. Anyhow...safe to say their guys were not happy with their play or the final result after the game.

Yes...that game was SWEET!

NOTES:

-a HUGE thankyou to Jordan and Tracy once again, for making the Grey Cup appearance possible. WOW! What a night for Bronco fans, as the CFL's ultimate prize made an appearance with last year's champions...GO GREEN! This Friday night hype drew almost 2500 fans to the rink tonight!! (The record attendance this season.) Once again, what an effort by our marketing staff! Few fans realize how hard these people work behind the scenes to make game nights tempting for the paying customer.

-did anyone count the scouts in attendance tonight? WOW. The place was buzzing with NHL scouts. Did they come to watch Kelowna's top line, or were they focusing on the Broncos...Dale Weise...perhaps Matt Tassone or Geordie Wudrick? I'm sure a few positive notes were made tonight about this Bronco team. And it's always great to see the NHL gurus in attendance.

-a few Bronco parents made the trip to Swifty for the weekend also, and were looking on tonight. Among the ones I talked to were the Nelsons, and the Yonkmans. A big hello to all of the guys' families wherever they might be.

-I had a brief chat with former Bronco Brady Leavold. Personally, we've been good friends since I have known him. He's a feisty guy on the ice. He obviously didn't do well playing here in Swift, and has found a great home with the Rockets. Brady was among the Rockets' players not satisfied with the game they brought tonight. I wished him good luck tomorrow in Medicine Hat! I'm sure his dad Brian, a Bronco scout in BC, will be reading my game recap tonight, and also his mother Suzanne. I would like to say hello to both. Hey Leo SR., we got you this time! haha

-personally, I had a sour end to tonight's game. By accident, I parked in the handicapped zone and came outside to find a bill for $70 on my windshield. Sweet.

-tomorrow should be a great tilt between two teams who have played very well lately. The Regina Pats are coming in off a 3-2 OT victory in Medicine Hat tonight, and will be searching for their eighth straight victory. The Broncos are 3 and 2 versus Regina this season, and always seem to be ready when the Pats come calling. It should be a doozy!

LET'S GO SWIFTY!!!

[stick boy]

I think the scouts were here to see Luke Schenn, who had an average game considering the talent and physical presence the he brings.

Colton Tuebert is unquestionably a poor man's Luke Schenn.

The Broncos did a heck of a job of stealing the spotlight, good for them, especially Dowling, Eakin, Tassone and Wudrick.

[Broncs in RD]

I watched the game on the web tonight and was really impressed with the Broncos, Best all around game I have seen in a while. Great PK WOW!!!!

I really enjoyed the Dalecky, Steiler and McAvoy line those Euros were something with the puck tonight. Eakin looked great, along with Dowling. All the Broncs D were stellar. How about Jesse Dudas he was my pick for the top Dman on the ice tonight, was he ever physical.

With all the scouts in the barn tonight mainly to watch Schenn and Tyler Myers who I was really impressed with. This kid could be a top 10-15 pick this year. The funny thing I see is that people who say Schenn had an average game makes me shake my head, he stood guys up, rubbed them out and made a great 2-1 defensive play and great in his own end. I thought he played very well, and if that is average YIKES.
I think after the last couple of games Matt Tassone's draft stock has risen this kid is turning out to be one of my Favs. Physical, some Offense and Great on the PK and plays with grit. Wudricks play was pretty good as well, steady a plus 3 and a goal.

To end it off Congrates to Guggenberger for his first victory in a Bronco Uni and his 1st WHL shutout.

[Offsider]

I think the Broncos are finally starting to realize how good they are and can be. Seem to be playing with a lot more CONFEDENCE ,HEART AND GRIT .Great game for everyone last night . Keep it up and you’re going to make some noise . It was a total team effort that dominated over the Rockets . The consistent work ethic of the team as made a 180 over the last 10 games .

[Scout]

Last updated at 11:59 PM on 25/01/08

Broncos ground high-flying Rockets
The Southwest Booster

Swift Current Broncos rookie goaltender Mark Guggenberger posted a shutout in just his fifth WHL appearance in a 4-0 win to cool off the red-hot Kelowna Rockets at the Credit Union iplex on Friday night.

Guggenberger, acquired in a trade deadline deal with Portland, turned aside all 30 shots he faced during his first appearance in a Broncos jersey.

While most goaltenders won’t admit to thinking about the possibility of a shutout or looking at the scoreboard to see how much time is remaining in the game, Guggenberger confessed it was paramount in his mind.

“I was looking at it the whole game believe it or not. You are not supposed to, but I couldn’t get it out of my head.”

Rookie Cody Eakin paced the Broncos offense with a goal and an assist. The Broncos also had goals from Justin Dowling, Matt Tassone and Geordie Wudrick with a shorthanded marker.

Eakin opened the scoring with 6:06 remaining in the first period when he banged in a rebound off a Jesse Dudas shot for his fifth goal of the season.

Eakin also factored in the second goal when Wudrick jabbed in a lose puck while shorthanded 1:45 later.

The Broncos penalty killing unit was tested early and often but held Kelowna without a powerplay goal in 11 opportunities, while Swift Current failed to connect on four man-advantage situations. Kelowna entered the game with the WHL’s second ranked powerplay operating at 21.5 per cent after 50 games.

Rockets netminder Torrie Jung turned aside 30 of 34 shots in the loss.

Guggenberger was quick to point out the strong play of his teammates and his excitement for his first win with his new team.

“Oh, I’d say. The boys really picked it up for me. This is my first game in a couple of months here so they really helped me out tonight. Everyone was giving up their bodies tonight, blocking shots and taking away the passes. This team was top two in the league on the powerplay so I’d say we shut them down pretty good tonight.”

Eakin, 16, agreed that it felt good to cool the Rockets down.

“Oh yeah, coming in here we expected them to come out flying as they have had a little bit of a roll there. We wanted to take them out from the very start and end it.”

Eakin thought that the Broncos matched the Rockets top line of Colin Long, Jamie Benn, and Brady Leavold who had combined for 29 points in their previous two games.

“They have been doing phenomenal that top line. I don’t know if we were going to match that line, but we came out and skated just as fast as them if not faster and we outworked them and that is the bottom line.”

Eakin also expressed his gratitude to the huge crowd of 2,487 that cheered on the Broncos.

“The crowd tonight was phenomenal, they really helped us out a lot there when we were in a tight game. The intensity of them and the amount they scream is a big bonus having the biggest crowd of the season.”

Eakin also addressed the Broncos penalty killing unit.

“Well we weren’t intending on having so much penalty kill but the bottom line was that I think that we out-skated them on their powerplay.”

When asked if he did anything different in his pre-game routine, Eakin admitted that he did.

“Well I am staying at (Zack) Smith’s house and Melinda Baum makes quite the pre-game (meal), so that had something to do with it. We came out with a full 60 minutes and outworked and out-skated them.”

The win improves the Broncos record to 25-20-0-5 and maintains their eighth place standing in the Eastern Conference. For the Rockets it was just their second loss in their last 12 games, as they remain fourth in the Western Conference at 30-15-2-4.

[Scout]

Regan's Rant
The opinions of a Western Hockey League radio broadcaster

Saturday, January 26, 2008
Getting Bucked By The Broncos

It’s amazing what good old fashioned hard work will do. The Swift Current Broncos clearly outworked the Rockets in a 4-0 home ice win Friday night. The Broncos won battles for pucks, blocked shots and killed off 11 power play chances in the win. The Broncos got better as the game went on, the Rockets couldn’t find second gear.
Was the result predictable? You had to think a stinker was in the cards for the Rockets sooner rather than later. The Broncos were very good, but the Rockets clearly were not sharp, and likely acquired some bad habits in lopsided wins over Prince George and Portland.
The Rockets number one line of Long, Benn and Leavold struggled but can’t be entirely blamed for the loss. While they are the key in the teams overall success, the second or third lines followed the lead of the top unit. Conversely two players that now have 11 goals combined scored two the Broncos four goals.
Broncos forward Cody Eakin was a good example of doing whatever it takes to win. Eakin had a goal and an assist and was named the games first star, but it was Eakin’s play without a stick in the neutral zone and his ability to shuffle the puck in his skates before kicking it inside the Rockets zone that really impressed me. Extra effort goes a long way!
The Rockets missed a handful of chances early in the game, which may have turned the complexion of the game in their favor. Less than 3 minutes into the first period, Brady Leavold feeds Jamie Benn with a beautiful pass just inside the Broncos blueline allowing Benn to go one-on-one with goaltender Mark Gruggenberger. Benn attempted to snap it high blocker side, only to see his shot go high and wide. It was a sign of things to come.
The Rockets were 0/6 on the power play in the first period alone, including a 5 on 3 which generated few scoring chances. On top of getting off to a rough start with the power play in the first period, the Rockets also allowed a shorthanded goal.
Mark Guggenberger was the surprise started in goal for the Broncos. Guggenberger was solid in his Bronco debut, recording his first career shutout against the highest scoring team in the WHL. Guggenberger wasn’t overly tested, but when called upon made some good saves.
Goaltender Torrie Jung must be battered and bruised after this one. Jung was hit in the mask in a 3rd period blast from Broncos d-man Jesse Dudas and then got labeled in the shoulder from an Eric Doyle point shot on the same sequence.
The Broncos are a team that has underachieved this season. With 25 wins this season, the Broncos proved last night that if they work as hard as they did Friday night against the Rockets, they have as good a chance as any team to win the Conference.
I had a chance to chat with Broncos GM/Coach Dean Chynoweth and Assistant GM Eldon Moberg before the game. I’ve mentioned before on this blog my thoughts on Chynoweth. I find him extremely personable and a pleasure to chat with, let alone interview. He is slowly moving up my list as my favorite coach out East. I first got to know Chynoweth when he was as head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds. Moberg is a long time friend and colleague.
The Broncos enjoyed the largest crowd of the season as over 24 hundred fans packed the Credit Union I-Plex. The crowd also enjoyed a pre-game ceremonial face-off as four members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders were in attendance - Grey Cup in tow – for a autograph session before the game.
Former Rockets head coach Marc Habscheid was in attendance at last night’s game. I didn’t see him myself, but his brother told me he took in the game.
Former NHL/Broncos star Tyler Wright was at last night’s game. Wright was a member of the Broncos team that won a WHL title in 1993. Wright has been scouting with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Posted by Regan Bartel at 12:02 AM

[Speedy Broncs]

Double agree on the boys' efforts last night - great job by all and good results. I am hoping that Tassonne and Weise got some looks last night - these guys have definitely been playing well over the past while, and it would be great if their draft/camp invite stock is going up. Liking what Geordie is bringing to the table over the last 4-5 games .... where was this hustle over the first 35 games??

Thought Eakin and Dowling had another great game - liking what these young guys are bringing to the table!! Great play from the d-men ... although the Rockets did not bring their A game, our guys played them very well.

HATS OFF TO JORDAN AND TRACY for tonight's promotions - Grey Cup, TimBits game, different intermission game (although there was a bit of confusion among the participants in the LazyBoy game, great to see something different), etc. All of these bring in some extra people into the stands and that is great. I will be sure to tell Jordan in person but hoping that he also is looking in on our posters' comments regarding good job, other options to look at. More people in the rink ... more energy ... better atmosphere for the players and fans alike!!

Let's bust Regina's bubble tonight .... they (players and fans alike ... oh ya, and Rodney) are ready for a reality check!@!

[Flathead]

That was a game of hockey! If you were to tell me at the begining of the game that we were going to shut out the Rockets with a back up goalie and give them eleven pp chances, I would have laughed you right out of the rink.
I imagine all the a lot of the scouts were there to watch guys like Schenn, Wudrick and Tassone. I'm thinking that they might have added a couple notes about a few others, like Eakin, Dowling, Dalecky and the rapidly improving Rodgers, among others.
It was a total team effort last night, so much that not really one or two players stood out everyone was awesome and played the roles that they were given. I loved the relentless puck pressure and aggresive forcheck, even on the pk, we didn't just sit back and play the box, it makes for exciting hockey. Good job guys.
Congrats to Guggenberger on his first win as a Bronco and his first shut out. You could tell in the first that he was maybe a little nervous or rusty from not playing for so long, but by mid game he looked to be calmed down and was controlling the rebounds and swallowing the puck. Good job buddy.
And yes thanks to the Marketing staff for getting the Grey Cup and four Riders to the game it was a huge success and brought out a lot of first time fans that were entertained to a great game and will probally come back to some more.

[minirep]

Lets all not forget about Stamler played a very solid game defensively. Levi was also good tonight nice to see him not take a stupid penalty that leads to a goal. Come out tonight and play hard and physical tonight against Regina and we win to slow for the Broncos. Go Broncos Go!!!!

[Flathead]

Lets all not forget about Stamler played a very solid game defensively. Levi was also good tonight nice to see him not take a stupid penalty that leads to a goal. Come out tonight and play hard and physical tonight against Regina and we win to slow for the Broncos. Go Broncos Go!!!!
Yes that's true he did. the whole defensive group as a whole played very good. They took care of the defensive end very well and didn't make near as many rushes as games previous.

[ointhecreek]

.... where was this hustle over the first 35 games??
You know, I think alot of the new found hustle started when we acquired Stamler and Dudas at the dead line, IMO anyway. The guys seemed to have picked it up about 3 notches and play with a lot more heart and energy. I'm not saying Smith hasn't tried as the captain, maybe he just needed a couple other guys to help push the others. I haven't heard any Dudas interviews, but Stamler sounds like such an intelligent hockey player. Great additions to the team.

[Speedy Broncs]

Like your thoughts on the reason for the extra jump with some of the guys ... the addition of Stamler and Dudas may have helped to provide some extra leadership in the room and on the ice. Can't say enough about Zack's leadership on the ice - he has done everything out there. Stamler is a very thoughtful speaker and I'm hoping the guys are listening to his words ... bang on from my view. I would like to see Stamler wearing an "A" on a regular basis - although a letter doesn't automatically give you the right to be a leader, his play and interviews have proven him to be one.