Big Ern
04-01-2009, 12:26 AM
And with that, it came to an end again.....
.....
The Swift Current Broncos worked hard in game seven on Tuesday night and deserved a better fate...including outshooting the visitors by a count of 40-21, but were eventually handed a 4-1 loss by the Medicine Hat Tigers, who with the win, moved on to round two of the '09 WHL Playoffs.
-with their 40 shots, the Broncos continued hitting posts, and failing to capitalize on quality chances, while the Tigers made good on the few opportunities they had to sway the eventual result in their favour.
-Michael Stickland scored the only goal for the Broncos at 9:21 of the first period at that time tying the score 1-1.
-Swift Current's defense was solid, allowing only 21 shots on goal.
-the forward line of Peddle/Vause/Wagner left it all on the ice every game this series.....and continued to so tonight.
-Tyler Ennis continued to get the job done for the Tigers as he has all series long.
-Ryan Holfeld loomed large when his team needed him most, in game seven. He made 39 saves to lead the Tigers to the series victory.
.........
Both injuries and mediocre play IMO contributed to the unfortunate early end to the team's season.
The Broncos lived and spoke in denial of key injuries throughout the first half of their season, and now this series. But when it's all over, reality always sinks in....excuses are not excuses anymore. The reality? The Broncos managed to somehow fend off any negative thoughts created by the loss of their heart and soul in Matt Tassone, and went on to finish the season with a stellar 8-2 mark. But it got tougher as more guys got hurt...the team's top defenseman Eric Doyle in game four, and Keegan Dansereau in game five. The loss of their undisputed three best players ultimately ended up being the big killer. Truth is they were in pretty tough to win game six OR seven with the veterans they had getting tired from being double shifted. They were much deeper than Medicine Hat when the series started, but to say their depth got seriously tested towards the end would be a great understatement.
One can point out the troubling stats as well, and state that the team had some problems with their game throughout the series. Which they did. A couple of forwards that were key towards the end of the season never checked in to the first round at all, forwards the team really had high expectations for. The goaltending was experiencing difficulties. We saw again how important it is for a team to have all hands on deck and be prepared to play come game time no matter who the opponent may be. We also saw throughout the series how tough it is to allow goals early and keep having to climb uphill.
It was really tough to watch it all draw to a close tonight because of those reasons.
.....
The three graduating players this season will be Travis Yonkman, Spencer McAvoy, and Keegan Dansereau.
-McAvoy flew under the radar....literally his entire WHL career. Although not a superstar, Mac could do anything from running a powerplay, to setting up a tic-tac-toe play for a goal. He was known to play both the forward and defense positions and make the switch from one to the other with considerable ease. He could be counted upon to be that much-needed shutdown guy on the blue line. Thirdly, Mac was a pleasant guy to run into and talk to off-ice or on the internet, wherever you may meet him. His presence will be missed.
-Travis was on the team's roster for a long time...two years he waited in the wings until his turn came and finally got a chance to step in full time when Kyle Moir departed. Yonks will be remembered for his unbelievable play in last year's thrilling first round series versus the Pats, second round versus the Hitmen, and on a lighter note, perhaps for his ability to stop Regina sniper Jordan Eberle repeatedly.
-as for Keegan Dansereau, he had talent and soft hands like I doubt Bronco fans had seen in a very long time. Keegan almost effortlessly passed the puck over and under three sticks to find his teammate streaking in on the other side. He had a deadly shot and was fun to watch.
At this time I would certainly like to wish the best of luck to all three of the above mentioned individuals in their futures.
-as for the current team's future, I don't think there is a dull outlook at all. With continued great drafting and developement, the Broncos should be ok for years to come as far as staying competetive is concerned.
.....
Congrats to the Medicine Hat Tigers and their fans on the series win. The Tigers got help from their boisterous supporters night after night, be it in the home or visiting team's barn. Their squad fought hard to win the series.
.....
I guess that does it.....my apologies for the game recap haitus through games 4-6 of this series. Time did not allow it, while other issues helped along in preventing the recaps from happening. Like the damage on my vehicle, which SGI is still assessing after a five-week plus wait.........
If you're strapped for something to do this weekend, please check out the Telus Western Regionals, hosted by the Swift Current Legionnaires at Credit Union i-Plex. It's a huge event beginning with the first game at 4 PM this Thursday, and it runs through Sunday. I'm immensely excited to be the public address announcer for the entire event, and hope to see many friends in attendance.
Thanks everyone for great times at the rink this year, and let's do it all next year again.
GO BRONCOS!!!
Shalom.
.....
The Swift Current Broncos worked hard in game seven on Tuesday night and deserved a better fate...including outshooting the visitors by a count of 40-21, but were eventually handed a 4-1 loss by the Medicine Hat Tigers, who with the win, moved on to round two of the '09 WHL Playoffs.
-with their 40 shots, the Broncos continued hitting posts, and failing to capitalize on quality chances, while the Tigers made good on the few opportunities they had to sway the eventual result in their favour.
-Michael Stickland scored the only goal for the Broncos at 9:21 of the first period at that time tying the score 1-1.
-Swift Current's defense was solid, allowing only 21 shots on goal.
-the forward line of Peddle/Vause/Wagner left it all on the ice every game this series.....and continued to so tonight.
-Tyler Ennis continued to get the job done for the Tigers as he has all series long.
-Ryan Holfeld loomed large when his team needed him most, in game seven. He made 39 saves to lead the Tigers to the series victory.
.........
Both injuries and mediocre play IMO contributed to the unfortunate early end to the team's season.
The Broncos lived and spoke in denial of key injuries throughout the first half of their season, and now this series. But when it's all over, reality always sinks in....excuses are not excuses anymore. The reality? The Broncos managed to somehow fend off any negative thoughts created by the loss of their heart and soul in Matt Tassone, and went on to finish the season with a stellar 8-2 mark. But it got tougher as more guys got hurt...the team's top defenseman Eric Doyle in game four, and Keegan Dansereau in game five. The loss of their undisputed three best players ultimately ended up being the big killer. Truth is they were in pretty tough to win game six OR seven with the veterans they had getting tired from being double shifted. They were much deeper than Medicine Hat when the series started, but to say their depth got seriously tested towards the end would be a great understatement.
One can point out the troubling stats as well, and state that the team had some problems with their game throughout the series. Which they did. A couple of forwards that were key towards the end of the season never checked in to the first round at all, forwards the team really had high expectations for. The goaltending was experiencing difficulties. We saw again how important it is for a team to have all hands on deck and be prepared to play come game time no matter who the opponent may be. We also saw throughout the series how tough it is to allow goals early and keep having to climb uphill.
It was really tough to watch it all draw to a close tonight because of those reasons.
.....
The three graduating players this season will be Travis Yonkman, Spencer McAvoy, and Keegan Dansereau.
-McAvoy flew under the radar....literally his entire WHL career. Although not a superstar, Mac could do anything from running a powerplay, to setting up a tic-tac-toe play for a goal. He was known to play both the forward and defense positions and make the switch from one to the other with considerable ease. He could be counted upon to be that much-needed shutdown guy on the blue line. Thirdly, Mac was a pleasant guy to run into and talk to off-ice or on the internet, wherever you may meet him. His presence will be missed.
-Travis was on the team's roster for a long time...two years he waited in the wings until his turn came and finally got a chance to step in full time when Kyle Moir departed. Yonks will be remembered for his unbelievable play in last year's thrilling first round series versus the Pats, second round versus the Hitmen, and on a lighter note, perhaps for his ability to stop Regina sniper Jordan Eberle repeatedly.
-as for Keegan Dansereau, he had talent and soft hands like I doubt Bronco fans had seen in a very long time. Keegan almost effortlessly passed the puck over and under three sticks to find his teammate streaking in on the other side. He had a deadly shot and was fun to watch.
At this time I would certainly like to wish the best of luck to all three of the above mentioned individuals in their futures.
-as for the current team's future, I don't think there is a dull outlook at all. With continued great drafting and developement, the Broncos should be ok for years to come as far as staying competetive is concerned.
.....
Congrats to the Medicine Hat Tigers and their fans on the series win. The Tigers got help from their boisterous supporters night after night, be it in the home or visiting team's barn. Their squad fought hard to win the series.
.....
I guess that does it.....my apologies for the game recap haitus through games 4-6 of this series. Time did not allow it, while other issues helped along in preventing the recaps from happening. Like the damage on my vehicle, which SGI is still assessing after a five-week plus wait.........
If you're strapped for something to do this weekend, please check out the Telus Western Regionals, hosted by the Swift Current Legionnaires at Credit Union i-Plex. It's a huge event beginning with the first game at 4 PM this Thursday, and it runs through Sunday. I'm immensely excited to be the public address announcer for the entire event, and hope to see many friends in attendance.
Thanks everyone for great times at the rink this year, and let's do it all next year again.
GO BRONCOS!!!
Shalom.