Big Ern
03-21-2009, 10:57 PM
With a solid effort, a few lucky bounces, and a rowdy bunch of their visiting fans behind them, the Medicine Hat Tigers jumped on a scrambly Swift Current Broncos squad early and stole a 6-2 win on Saturday night at Credit Union i-Plex. The win evened the best of seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series 1-1, as play shifts to Medicine Hat for games three and four Tuesday and Wednesday.
-save for their comeback effort in the latter half of the second period, the Broncos were a step behind and climbing uphill for most of the game. The Tigers' passes seemed to be crisp and fast, while the Broncos did a double take on most of their passes. Several veteran forwards didn't have a game to remember. As a result Swift Current ended up chasing the puck, the game, and ultimately falling short on the scoreboard.
-Swift Current fell behind by three goals surprisingly early in the game, and it proved too big a hole to climb out of.
-the Tigers got lucky on three goals tonight...really. The third goal of the game sort of went up Yonkman's arm and into the net off a sharp angle shot by Brennan Bosch. Their fourth goal, which ended up being the game changer, was unfortunately mishandled by Broncos G Travis Yonkman. And the sixth goal bounced high up in the air and somehow found it's way to the back of the net after it fell back to the ice. But as the saying goes, "You gotta be good to be lucky and vice versa." The Tigers didn't wait around to strike tonight and made it known early that they wanted the win really bad. Guys like Ennis and Bosch were more dangerous than ever and it proved deadly for the home team.
-Medicine Hat also played a good defensive game and found a way to stop the Broncos at the blue line on most of their attempts to enter offensive ice. Otherwise, the Tigers blocked a tonne of passes and after that did a good job of taking play the other way.
-the Broncos came out hitting and were physical for most of the night....they definitely won the battle in the back alley. Will this have an effect later on in this series?
-shots have almost been few and far between for the Broncos in games one and two. A total of three shots in the first period, as was the case tonight is unacceptable. The guys seemed to be hesitant to fire the puck.
-Travis Yonkman had a rather forgettable outing in the crease....including his unfortunate mishandling of the puck on the Tigers' fourth tally. Of course it's easy to blame goaltending and a goaltender's mishaps are always highly magnified. BUT the Broncos will need Travis to be their main man if they are to have a chance at winning this series. He is a battler and will more than likely bounce back in a big way.
-the second period comeback was great...the Broncos made the Tigers pay on two penalties in a row as John Negrin and Taylor Vause counted powerplay markers. The home squad had completely taken over the game before the fourth Medicine Hat tally took the wind out of their sails early in the third frame.
The Broncos will now head to Medicine Hat and try to regain control of this series Tuesday and Wednesday night. One win in that building would go a long way...we'll see how the team responds after tonight's loss....
LET'S GO SWIFTY!!!
EXTRAS:
-my apologies for the failure to post a recap of game one. I ended up at a small get together with friends and it dragged into the night longer than first planned....
-Medicine Hat fans sort of ran the Bronco fans' show early in the game and only got louder when the Tigers opened with three quick goals. Bronco fans would get louder in the second period, but just the same....credit to the Tiger boosters, who came from Medicine Hat in droves and were out in full force this weekend in Swift Current.
-the playoff atmosphere was no doubt present for both games. The team was treated to a deafening applause upon the final buzzer of game one, and Bronco fans were loud and proud throughout both contests. More cowbell!
-I was pretty disappointed with officiating on both sides for the measure of the weekend. The referees in both games seemed indecisive and unwilling to call the games evenly at any point.
-I fully intend to be on both the Tuesday and Wednesday fan buses to the Gas City to see games three and four of the series. The fan bus should be a blast as always.
Have a fantabulous Sunday!
-save for their comeback effort in the latter half of the second period, the Broncos were a step behind and climbing uphill for most of the game. The Tigers' passes seemed to be crisp and fast, while the Broncos did a double take on most of their passes. Several veteran forwards didn't have a game to remember. As a result Swift Current ended up chasing the puck, the game, and ultimately falling short on the scoreboard.
-Swift Current fell behind by three goals surprisingly early in the game, and it proved too big a hole to climb out of.
-the Tigers got lucky on three goals tonight...really. The third goal of the game sort of went up Yonkman's arm and into the net off a sharp angle shot by Brennan Bosch. Their fourth goal, which ended up being the game changer, was unfortunately mishandled by Broncos G Travis Yonkman. And the sixth goal bounced high up in the air and somehow found it's way to the back of the net after it fell back to the ice. But as the saying goes, "You gotta be good to be lucky and vice versa." The Tigers didn't wait around to strike tonight and made it known early that they wanted the win really bad. Guys like Ennis and Bosch were more dangerous than ever and it proved deadly for the home team.
-Medicine Hat also played a good defensive game and found a way to stop the Broncos at the blue line on most of their attempts to enter offensive ice. Otherwise, the Tigers blocked a tonne of passes and after that did a good job of taking play the other way.
-the Broncos came out hitting and were physical for most of the night....they definitely won the battle in the back alley. Will this have an effect later on in this series?
-shots have almost been few and far between for the Broncos in games one and two. A total of three shots in the first period, as was the case tonight is unacceptable. The guys seemed to be hesitant to fire the puck.
-Travis Yonkman had a rather forgettable outing in the crease....including his unfortunate mishandling of the puck on the Tigers' fourth tally. Of course it's easy to blame goaltending and a goaltender's mishaps are always highly magnified. BUT the Broncos will need Travis to be their main man if they are to have a chance at winning this series. He is a battler and will more than likely bounce back in a big way.
-the second period comeback was great...the Broncos made the Tigers pay on two penalties in a row as John Negrin and Taylor Vause counted powerplay markers. The home squad had completely taken over the game before the fourth Medicine Hat tally took the wind out of their sails early in the third frame.
The Broncos will now head to Medicine Hat and try to regain control of this series Tuesday and Wednesday night. One win in that building would go a long way...we'll see how the team responds after tonight's loss....
LET'S GO SWIFTY!!!
EXTRAS:
-my apologies for the failure to post a recap of game one. I ended up at a small get together with friends and it dragged into the night longer than first planned....
-Medicine Hat fans sort of ran the Bronco fans' show early in the game and only got louder when the Tigers opened with three quick goals. Bronco fans would get louder in the second period, but just the same....credit to the Tiger boosters, who came from Medicine Hat in droves and were out in full force this weekend in Swift Current.
-the playoff atmosphere was no doubt present for both games. The team was treated to a deafening applause upon the final buzzer of game one, and Bronco fans were loud and proud throughout both contests. More cowbell!
-I was pretty disappointed with officiating on both sides for the measure of the weekend. The referees in both games seemed indecisive and unwilling to call the games evenly at any point.
-I fully intend to be on both the Tuesday and Wednesday fan buses to the Gas City to see games three and four of the series. The fan bus should be a blast as always.
Have a fantabulous Sunday!