Big Ern
02-02-2008, 12:52 AM
In a game dictated by hard work and TERRIBLE ice conditions, the Broncos prevailed to beat the Warriors 4-3 in a shootout for their sixth straight victory. The guys did it for the parents in attendance on this, the annual parents' weekend, for the biggest crowd in Broncos' history as an amazing number showed up...2769, and for the grand opening of the newly renovated i-Plex. And the win felt good...it really did.
The Broncos worked hard all game long. Due to terrible ice conditions, they never managed more than a one-goal lead. We are not used to seeing that ice surface be problematic. Tonight, such was not the case. Guys were falling down, pucks were jumping all over the ice, and players skated awkwardly. There were some cute passes by our team all game long, and some pretty plays. I thought the bad ice kept a few out of the net. The main thing is, the guys brought it every shift...they are buying in and know what's on the line. Defensively, our group played pretty good...they finished checks, battled in the corners, and intercepted passes. Too bad Mike Wilson got injured in tonight's tilt. Doyle was good, as was Molle. There was one guy out there again who mades ome plays he would probably want back, but that's ok. I'm sure he'll bring it next game. Our team played pretty well defensively except for the stretch where the Warriors scored twice in a small period of time. Yonks looked sharp all game and in the shootout. How about up front? The forward line of Eakin/Dowling/Wudrick was once again PHENOMINAL. These three guys, especially Eakin, have been sensational lately. They bring energy, tremendous work ethic, and so on. Our older forwards brought it too...I thought the guys were very good...Weise was flying all night and came up with a goal, Levi Nelson played well again, and Erik Felde had a good game. So did Zack Smith. Again, the guys just kept pushing despite the Warriors taking the lead at one point....a "no-quit" attitude will get you results. Special teams were good again. The Broncos went 2 for 4 on the manpower advantage, and killed off 3 of 4 Warriors' powerplays. It's the first PP goal that Swift Current has allowed in a while...the PK has been exceptional. Overall, I thought our team put in a great effort...they had to in order to beat an owly MJ team tonight.
Moose Jaw played very well too. I thought the Warriors never went away....they just stuck with it and rode Perricone when they had to. Despite the shootout loss, they worked hard. They might have let up a bit after scoring the go-ahead goal which cost them. But otherwise, they played their game well. They lost one of their most valuable guys, McLaren, with a game misconduct on a dirty check from behind to open the game. The hit caused defenseman Mike Wilson to suffer a concussion. Joey Perricone made some game-saving plays to keep the game close. Moose Jaw is strong, but the Broncos are still a lot faster of a team and came up with the victory in the end.
Looking at tomorrow's game, it might seem easy. The Saskatoon Blades were involved in one or two multi-fight situations in Regina tonight...at times in this game, all hell broke loose. The league might come down hard on the Pats and Blades, which means Saskatoon will have a short bench tomorrow...potentially. However, this is not the attitude the Broncos have approached the last six games with, and you have to expect they will still not take the Blades lightly. Saskatoon DID win tonight's game in Regina 6-2....they can be dangerous despite their position in the standings. So our guys still have to bring their A-game to win.
LET'S GO SWIFTY!!!
NOTES:
-the ice WAS TERRIBLE tonight...quite noticeably. That's kind of embarrassing...everyone in this league knows that this ice is the fastest of all the ice surfaces in this league. However, with the on-going construction, I guess it's something the guys will have to deal with. The dust came down when the ice was made at the beginning of the season, and seems to still be effecting it. And don't blame zamboni man, Terry Lovestone. He's a great guy....haha Hey Terry?
-official attendance....2769!!! Biggest crowd in franchise history? I would think so. Pretty decent atmosphere in the building, but more importantly, 2769 in attendance. WOW!
-how about the kind and assuring words from WHL Commissioner, Ron Robison, who came to break in the i-Plex? He's a respected figure in Canadian Junior hockey, and an incredible speaker. It's great of him to attend on this night...a history-making night with the Broncos and Swift Current. I gathered from his words that with the support, they want to keep the Broncos here for a LONG time to come....and he seems to be VERY pleased with the renovations. Good news!
-I am making the trip to Saskatoon for tomorrow's game. It should be a good one! Hopefully the roads are up to par with my driving...or vice versa. :)
-BTW Deano is now 4 and 0 versus Hunch. WOOOO!!! :)
-I LOVE nights like this when the Broncos win. But what makes it a LOT better of a night, is Dallas once again doing the predictable thing, and pulling a 4-1 win out of Edmonton. GO STARS GO!! :) That includes tomorrow night in Calgary on HNIC! My VCR will be hot recording the game while I'm gone in Saskatoon! haha
LET'S GO SWIFTY!!!
The Broncos worked hard all game long. Due to terrible ice conditions, they never managed more than a one-goal lead. We are not used to seeing that ice surface be problematic. Tonight, such was not the case. Guys were falling down, pucks were jumping all over the ice, and players skated awkwardly. There were some cute passes by our team all game long, and some pretty plays. I thought the bad ice kept a few out of the net. The main thing is, the guys brought it every shift...they are buying in and know what's on the line. Defensively, our group played pretty good...they finished checks, battled in the corners, and intercepted passes. Too bad Mike Wilson got injured in tonight's tilt. Doyle was good, as was Molle. There was one guy out there again who mades ome plays he would probably want back, but that's ok. I'm sure he'll bring it next game. Our team played pretty well defensively except for the stretch where the Warriors scored twice in a small period of time. Yonks looked sharp all game and in the shootout. How about up front? The forward line of Eakin/Dowling/Wudrick was once again PHENOMINAL. These three guys, especially Eakin, have been sensational lately. They bring energy, tremendous work ethic, and so on. Our older forwards brought it too...I thought the guys were very good...Weise was flying all night and came up with a goal, Levi Nelson played well again, and Erik Felde had a good game. So did Zack Smith. Again, the guys just kept pushing despite the Warriors taking the lead at one point....a "no-quit" attitude will get you results. Special teams were good again. The Broncos went 2 for 4 on the manpower advantage, and killed off 3 of 4 Warriors' powerplays. It's the first PP goal that Swift Current has allowed in a while...the PK has been exceptional. Overall, I thought our team put in a great effort...they had to in order to beat an owly MJ team tonight.
Moose Jaw played very well too. I thought the Warriors never went away....they just stuck with it and rode Perricone when they had to. Despite the shootout loss, they worked hard. They might have let up a bit after scoring the go-ahead goal which cost them. But otherwise, they played their game well. They lost one of their most valuable guys, McLaren, with a game misconduct on a dirty check from behind to open the game. The hit caused defenseman Mike Wilson to suffer a concussion. Joey Perricone made some game-saving plays to keep the game close. Moose Jaw is strong, but the Broncos are still a lot faster of a team and came up with the victory in the end.
Looking at tomorrow's game, it might seem easy. The Saskatoon Blades were involved in one or two multi-fight situations in Regina tonight...at times in this game, all hell broke loose. The league might come down hard on the Pats and Blades, which means Saskatoon will have a short bench tomorrow...potentially. However, this is not the attitude the Broncos have approached the last six games with, and you have to expect they will still not take the Blades lightly. Saskatoon DID win tonight's game in Regina 6-2....they can be dangerous despite their position in the standings. So our guys still have to bring their A-game to win.
LET'S GO SWIFTY!!!
NOTES:
-the ice WAS TERRIBLE tonight...quite noticeably. That's kind of embarrassing...everyone in this league knows that this ice is the fastest of all the ice surfaces in this league. However, with the on-going construction, I guess it's something the guys will have to deal with. The dust came down when the ice was made at the beginning of the season, and seems to still be effecting it. And don't blame zamboni man, Terry Lovestone. He's a great guy....haha Hey Terry?
-official attendance....2769!!! Biggest crowd in franchise history? I would think so. Pretty decent atmosphere in the building, but more importantly, 2769 in attendance. WOW!
-how about the kind and assuring words from WHL Commissioner, Ron Robison, who came to break in the i-Plex? He's a respected figure in Canadian Junior hockey, and an incredible speaker. It's great of him to attend on this night...a history-making night with the Broncos and Swift Current. I gathered from his words that with the support, they want to keep the Broncos here for a LONG time to come....and he seems to be VERY pleased with the renovations. Good news!
-I am making the trip to Saskatoon for tomorrow's game. It should be a good one! Hopefully the roads are up to par with my driving...or vice versa. :)
-BTW Deano is now 4 and 0 versus Hunch. WOOOO!!! :)
-I LOVE nights like this when the Broncos win. But what makes it a LOT better of a night, is Dallas once again doing the predictable thing, and pulling a 4-1 win out of Edmonton. GO STARS GO!! :) That includes tomorrow night in Calgary on HNIC! My VCR will be hot recording the game while I'm gone in Saskatoon! haha
LET'S GO SWIFTY!!!