Big Ern
03-11-2009, 09:22 PM
NO WAY, right? Yes...the Swift Current Broncos actually beat the Brandon Wheat Kings tonight 4-2 at Westman Place...the Broncos' first win in that rink since '05-06, and also their only victory over Brandon in eight games this season. With their 40th victory, the Broncos clinched fourth place in the Eastern Conference, a feat which brings with it the guarantee of home ice advantage in the first round of the WHL playoffs.
-the Broncos rode G Travis Yonkman to victory. Yonkman had a brilliant night, making big save after bigger save throughout on the Wheaties' big guns. Yonks finished with a whopping 36 save effort, and looks right back on track for another good playoff run.
-Swift Current didn't do the best job of neutral zone puck management at times in periods one and two. There were a few sloppy plays between those blue lines which allowed Brandon repeated rushes to the goal...and a couple of ringing posts. The third period was better. Although the Wheaties scored twice early and late in that frame, IMO the Broncos limited their space a lot more than they did in the first 40 minutes.
-what saved the Broncos and allowed them to sort of overtake the game was their capitalization on chances, and Brandon's lack thereof.
-Michael Stickland played perhaps his best game as a Bronco thus far...he was all over the ice and skating hard. Stickland scored the breakaway goal and likely the game-changer with just 52 seconds to play in the second period to put his club up 3-0. Keegan Dansereau assisted on that tally, and was very creative tonight. Dansereau also got credit for the first goal of the game...a sharp angle shot from the left side. Another breakaway was capitalized upon by Taylor Vause at 12:34 of the third, a goal which really put the game away. Geordie Wudrick got the other goal for Swift Current with a heated wristshot from the middle of the circles for a 2-0 Broncos lead early in the second period. So the Broncos did not lack offense tonight.
-the Wheat Kings on the other hand, didn't capitalize tonight like they usually do. They were given some space in the first 40 minutes, but got a bit fancy or waited that extra second and allowed the Broncos too much time to recover. When they DID get to the net, the aforementioned Travis Yonkman loomed large for the Broncos. The Wheaties are just too dangerous a group to keep off the board though...and were able to get two tallies in the third....one early from Cale Jefferies and another late from Matt Calvert.
-the four breakaways for the Broncos were a direct result of a sluggish Brandon defense. The Broncos were allowed multiple passes behind the Brandon defense and some great rushes up ice. No doubt the Wheat Kings miss the steadying presence of their top defenseman and newly-named Fans' Player of the Year, Keith Aulie. The Calgary Flames draft pick and Roleau SK. native is out of the line-up with an injured hand.
-this loss was a really big one for Brandon, which had a chance to get within one point of the East Division leading Saskatoon Blades with a win. The Wheaties' hopes of winning that banner this year are now pretty dull.
-Referees Chris Savage (am I really stating this?) and Derek Zalaski did a good job of officiating tonight. Both teams played pretty disciplined. The powerplays ended up 5-2 in favour of the home team.
-Most guys on the team contributed tonight, notably Spencer McAvoy with an assist, Cody Eakin with another relentless effort, Ryan Molle with a pretty steady night on the back end, and John Negrin with a +2.
Again what a win in Brandon for the Broncos, who have waited a while for a win in that barn.
They also have now won 40 games for consecutive seasons, a feat which can be credited directly to coaching and management.
......
And what a weekend home-and-home series it should be versus the Regina Pats!
The Pats' destiny is being determined as I type....they are leading by a goal in PA in the third, but that doesn't matter. The Edmonton Oil Kings who had to lose for the Pats' mathematical playoff hopes to stay alive, beat Kootenay 4-2 tonight.
Just the same, it's always a treat to watch Swifty and Regina go at it. It's a home game you will not wanna miss this Friday, and you might also want to consider travelling to Regina for Saturday's game at the Brandt Centre.
The Broncos need their fans' vocal support to push them into playoffs.
LET'S GO SWIFTY!!!
-the Broncos rode G Travis Yonkman to victory. Yonkman had a brilliant night, making big save after bigger save throughout on the Wheaties' big guns. Yonks finished with a whopping 36 save effort, and looks right back on track for another good playoff run.
-Swift Current didn't do the best job of neutral zone puck management at times in periods one and two. There were a few sloppy plays between those blue lines which allowed Brandon repeated rushes to the goal...and a couple of ringing posts. The third period was better. Although the Wheaties scored twice early and late in that frame, IMO the Broncos limited their space a lot more than they did in the first 40 minutes.
-what saved the Broncos and allowed them to sort of overtake the game was their capitalization on chances, and Brandon's lack thereof.
-Michael Stickland played perhaps his best game as a Bronco thus far...he was all over the ice and skating hard. Stickland scored the breakaway goal and likely the game-changer with just 52 seconds to play in the second period to put his club up 3-0. Keegan Dansereau assisted on that tally, and was very creative tonight. Dansereau also got credit for the first goal of the game...a sharp angle shot from the left side. Another breakaway was capitalized upon by Taylor Vause at 12:34 of the third, a goal which really put the game away. Geordie Wudrick got the other goal for Swift Current with a heated wristshot from the middle of the circles for a 2-0 Broncos lead early in the second period. So the Broncos did not lack offense tonight.
-the Wheat Kings on the other hand, didn't capitalize tonight like they usually do. They were given some space in the first 40 minutes, but got a bit fancy or waited that extra second and allowed the Broncos too much time to recover. When they DID get to the net, the aforementioned Travis Yonkman loomed large for the Broncos. The Wheaties are just too dangerous a group to keep off the board though...and were able to get two tallies in the third....one early from Cale Jefferies and another late from Matt Calvert.
-the four breakaways for the Broncos were a direct result of a sluggish Brandon defense. The Broncos were allowed multiple passes behind the Brandon defense and some great rushes up ice. No doubt the Wheat Kings miss the steadying presence of their top defenseman and newly-named Fans' Player of the Year, Keith Aulie. The Calgary Flames draft pick and Roleau SK. native is out of the line-up with an injured hand.
-this loss was a really big one for Brandon, which had a chance to get within one point of the East Division leading Saskatoon Blades with a win. The Wheaties' hopes of winning that banner this year are now pretty dull.
-Referees Chris Savage (am I really stating this?) and Derek Zalaski did a good job of officiating tonight. Both teams played pretty disciplined. The powerplays ended up 5-2 in favour of the home team.
-Most guys on the team contributed tonight, notably Spencer McAvoy with an assist, Cody Eakin with another relentless effort, Ryan Molle with a pretty steady night on the back end, and John Negrin with a +2.
Again what a win in Brandon for the Broncos, who have waited a while for a win in that barn.
They also have now won 40 games for consecutive seasons, a feat which can be credited directly to coaching and management.
......
And what a weekend home-and-home series it should be versus the Regina Pats!
The Pats' destiny is being determined as I type....they are leading by a goal in PA in the third, but that doesn't matter. The Edmonton Oil Kings who had to lose for the Pats' mathematical playoff hopes to stay alive, beat Kootenay 4-2 tonight.
Just the same, it's always a treat to watch Swifty and Regina go at it. It's a home game you will not wanna miss this Friday, and you might also want to consider travelling to Regina for Saturday's game at the Brandt Centre.
The Broncos need their fans' vocal support to push them into playoffs.
LET'S GO SWIFTY!!!