stick boy
11-07-2008, 05:28 PM
Are the Broncos contenders or pretenders?
STEVEN MAH
The Southwest Booster
So 19 games into a 72 game season I can’t help but begin to consider whether or not the Swift Current Broncos are in fact contenders or pretenders this season in the Western Hockey League.
After posting an impressive 14-5-0-0 record and currently riding a five-game winning streak the Broncos find themselves leading the East Division and amongst the WHL’s top teams along with the Vancouver Giants, the defending Memorial Cup champion Spokane Chiefs, and the Calgary Hitmen who eliminated the Broncos in the Eastern Conference semi-finals last season.
Thus far the Broncos have played 12 games at home and only seven on the road. At home the Broncos have the second most wins in the league with a 9-3-0-0 record. On the road the Broncos have the third best winning percentage thanks to a 5-2-0-0 record.
On the powerplay the Broncos are ranked 12th in the WHL with a mediocre 18.4 per cent mark. This is a far cry from squads like Vancouver, Calgary, and Kelowna who are all connecting at over 27 per cent.
The penalty killing unit has been a source of strength for the Broncos, especially in recent games. The Broncos are ranked third in penalty killing at 87.6 per cent, and have only allowed one goal in their past 42 opportunities over eight games.
Through 19 games the Broncos have scored 61 goals, an average of 3.21 goals per game, and allowed only 41, an average of 2.15 per game. The Broncos have allowed the least goals amongst the 12-team Eastern Conference and the second fewest in the entire WHL behind Vancouver who have surrendered a paltry 27 in 15 games.
One aspect that the Broncos continue to excel at is protecting a lead that they take to the dressing room. The Broncos are 7-0 when leading after 20 minutes of play and 9-0 when leading after 40 minutes of play.
Now some critics of the Broncos may point out that they have benefitted from a soft schedule early in the season and they may be correct in part. The Broncos have played 19 games against 10 different opponents with a combined record of 84-84-7-19. But hey, those records are partially a reflection of the Broncos strong play against those teams. For example the Moose Jaw Warriors are 5-11-0-1 but take out the four losses at the hands of the Broncos and they are almost a .500 team.
A more accurate test of the Broncos may come in the next three games as the Broncos take on Brandon (10-6-1-0), Regina (11-6-1-3), and Calgary (15-4-1-0) in the next five days.
One interesting tidbit is that I have heard some people saying that the Broncos just don’t look like a dominating team. Well the Broncos began the season with six consecutive wins, five of which came by one-goal margins. During their recent five-game winning streak the Broncos have outscored their opponents 22-7 overall and only one win has been by less than a three-goal margin. So in reality while the Broncos have been battling injuries and illness they have actually become more dominant. In fact the Broncos have won six games this season by one-goal margins and eight by two or more goals.
Some of this recent success must be attributed to more balanced scoring. A look at the recent game-winning goal scorers shows Geordie Wudrick, Joel Rogers, Jan Dalecky, Keegan Dansereau, and Grant Toulmin. Early in the season the Broncos got by mostly on the strength of the Matt Tassone, Keegan Dansereau, and Justin Dowling line, it now seems as though they are getting production from multiple lines which has enabled them to create multiple goal leads.
In the end though the Broncos real strength appears to be in net where the return of Travis Yonkman along with Mark Guggenberger has created one of the top goaltending tandems in the WHL. The team appears equally confident with either netminder in the lineup.
Whether or not the Broncos are contenders or pretenders will play out in the months to come, but if the first 19 games are of any significance then my opinion is leaning towards the contenders side of the debate. Their strong goaltending, excellent penalty killing, and ability to protect a lead are just too hard to overlook for this prognosticator.
STEVEN MAH
The Southwest Booster
So 19 games into a 72 game season I can’t help but begin to consider whether or not the Swift Current Broncos are in fact contenders or pretenders this season in the Western Hockey League.
After posting an impressive 14-5-0-0 record and currently riding a five-game winning streak the Broncos find themselves leading the East Division and amongst the WHL’s top teams along with the Vancouver Giants, the defending Memorial Cup champion Spokane Chiefs, and the Calgary Hitmen who eliminated the Broncos in the Eastern Conference semi-finals last season.
Thus far the Broncos have played 12 games at home and only seven on the road. At home the Broncos have the second most wins in the league with a 9-3-0-0 record. On the road the Broncos have the third best winning percentage thanks to a 5-2-0-0 record.
On the powerplay the Broncos are ranked 12th in the WHL with a mediocre 18.4 per cent mark. This is a far cry from squads like Vancouver, Calgary, and Kelowna who are all connecting at over 27 per cent.
The penalty killing unit has been a source of strength for the Broncos, especially in recent games. The Broncos are ranked third in penalty killing at 87.6 per cent, and have only allowed one goal in their past 42 opportunities over eight games.
Through 19 games the Broncos have scored 61 goals, an average of 3.21 goals per game, and allowed only 41, an average of 2.15 per game. The Broncos have allowed the least goals amongst the 12-team Eastern Conference and the second fewest in the entire WHL behind Vancouver who have surrendered a paltry 27 in 15 games.
One aspect that the Broncos continue to excel at is protecting a lead that they take to the dressing room. The Broncos are 7-0 when leading after 20 minutes of play and 9-0 when leading after 40 minutes of play.
Now some critics of the Broncos may point out that they have benefitted from a soft schedule early in the season and they may be correct in part. The Broncos have played 19 games against 10 different opponents with a combined record of 84-84-7-19. But hey, those records are partially a reflection of the Broncos strong play against those teams. For example the Moose Jaw Warriors are 5-11-0-1 but take out the four losses at the hands of the Broncos and they are almost a .500 team.
A more accurate test of the Broncos may come in the next three games as the Broncos take on Brandon (10-6-1-0), Regina (11-6-1-3), and Calgary (15-4-1-0) in the next five days.
One interesting tidbit is that I have heard some people saying that the Broncos just don’t look like a dominating team. Well the Broncos began the season with six consecutive wins, five of which came by one-goal margins. During their recent five-game winning streak the Broncos have outscored their opponents 22-7 overall and only one win has been by less than a three-goal margin. So in reality while the Broncos have been battling injuries and illness they have actually become more dominant. In fact the Broncos have won six games this season by one-goal margins and eight by two or more goals.
Some of this recent success must be attributed to more balanced scoring. A look at the recent game-winning goal scorers shows Geordie Wudrick, Joel Rogers, Jan Dalecky, Keegan Dansereau, and Grant Toulmin. Early in the season the Broncos got by mostly on the strength of the Matt Tassone, Keegan Dansereau, and Justin Dowling line, it now seems as though they are getting production from multiple lines which has enabled them to create multiple goal leads.
In the end though the Broncos real strength appears to be in net where the return of Travis Yonkman along with Mark Guggenberger has created one of the top goaltending tandems in the WHL. The team appears equally confident with either netminder in the lineup.
Whether or not the Broncos are contenders or pretenders will play out in the months to come, but if the first 19 games are of any significance then my opinion is leaning towards the contenders side of the debate. Their strong goaltending, excellent penalty killing, and ability to protect a lead are just too hard to overlook for this prognosticator.