Scout
11-21-2005, 07:31 PM
21 November 2005
Bronco Week In Review
Record: 7-14-0-4
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The Broncos walked into 3 games in 3 nights this week, the 2nd time they've done so this season. The next time the Broncos play 3 games in 3 nights is on December 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. On Friday night, the B.C. Division leading Kootenay Ice were in town. Saturday night saw the Pizza Hut Fan Bus head to Moose Jaw with the team to kick off the Goals for Education Lottery. Finally, on Sunday night, the Broncos traveled North to Saskatoon for a tilt with the Blades.
On Friday night, the Kootenay Ice were in town for the 2nd meeting of the 2 teams this season. On October 1st the Ice handed the Broncos their worst defeat of the season, 8-1. The Broncos stumbled out of the gate on Friday, allowing the Ice some solid scoring chances early in the game including numerous breakaways. Ryan Russell opened the scoring for the Ice at the 7:01 mark of the 1st period and would add his 2nd of the game just over 2 minutes later, giving Kootenay a 2-0 lead. The shots after the 1st period were 6-6. The score would remain the same until the 3rd period when Ned Lukacevic scored his 9th of the season past Taylor Dakers, pulling the Broncos to within 1. It would not be enough, however, as Steve DaSilva would add some insurance for Kootenay with just over 5 minutes remaining in the game. With the Broncos net empty, Curtis Billsten would add the Ices 4th goal of the game, leaving the final score 4-1 in favour of Kootenay. The final shots on Friday night were 29-20 in favour of Kootenay in front of 2,076 fans. Daniel Rakos was the only Bronco given a star in the game (2nd).
Saturday night the Broncos faced their 2nd division leading opponent in as many nights as the club headed East to Moose Jaw. A sold out fan bus followed the Broncos in support of their team. Ned Lukacevic would get the Broncos on the board mid-way through the 1st period. Lukacevic would have some time in front of the goal and put a handful of moves on Warriors goaltender Joey Perricone before slipping the puck past the goal line to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead. Just under 3 minutes later, Troy Brouwer would chip a loose puck over Kyle Moir's shoulder while shorthanded to bring the game to a 1-1 tie after 20 minutes of play. In the 2nd period, the Broncos would re-gain their lead when rookie Levi Nelson would score his 7th of the season on a beautiful cross-crease pass by Ned Lukacevic, fooling Perricone. The Broncos would head into the dressing room with a 2-1 lead. Heading into Saturday's game, the Broncos were 5-1-0-1 when leading after 2 periods of play. On a Levi Nelson minor penalty for goaltender interference, Troy Brouwer would score his league leading 22nd goal of the season on a bouncing puck past Kyle Moir. The Broncos would not be able to respond in regulation, sending the game to overtime. The extra frame saw some solid end-to-end action with Kyle Moir making some game saving saves on Moose Jaws top scorers. Joey Perricone also came up large for the Warriors, stopping Marc Desloges on a breakaway late in the extra frame. With the seconds winding down, a bouncing puck in front of Perricone eventually crossed the goal line thanks to the work of Michael Hengen, giving him the game winner and the Broncos the victory. Final shots on Saturday night were 39-22 in favour of Moose Jaw in front of 2,545 fans.
Sunday night the Broncos traveled North to Saskatoon for the 1st time since the season opening game on September 23rd that saw the Blades beat the Broncos 4-0. The Blades were in Swift Current just a few weeks ago and beat the Broncos 5-1. On Sunday, Saskatoon jumped out to the lead early in the 1st period when Zdenek Bahensky scored at the 5:23 mark. The Broncos, however, would respond thanks to Jeremy Schenderling's 14th of the season midway through the period. After 20 minutes of play the game was tied 1-1 with the Broncos being out-shot 14-12 by the Blades. In the 2nd, Schenderling once again scored for the Broncos, this time at the 13:20 mark of the 2nd period. The Broncos, like on Saturday night, entered the 3rd period with a 2-1 lead. Late in the 3rd period, Donny Lloyd took a minor penalty for delay of game after breaking his stick and freezing the puck, giving the Blades a power play opportunity to close out the game. Just 9 seconds into the minor, Blades star Devin Setoguchi put one past Kyle Moir, tying the game up and forcing it into overtime. In the extra frame, neither team could score - enter the shootout, the Broncos 5th of the year. Final shots after 65 minutes were 41-28 in favour of Saskatoon. Daniel Rakos was the Broncos 1st shooter but could not score, however, Setoguchi slipped one past Broncos net minder Kyle Moir giving the Blades a 1-0 lead. The Broncos followed Rakos with Thomas Raffl who tied the shootout up at 1 per side. From there, goaltenders Kyle Moir and Kevin Armstrong took over. Moir stopped Zdenek Bahensky and Wacey Rabbit while Armstrong stopped Spencer McAvoy, sending the shootout into sudden death. Jeremy Schenderling, Luke Hunter, Ned Lukacevic, and Marc Desloges were all stopped by Kevin Armstrong while Moir responded by stopping Blades shooters Aaron Bader, Blair MacAulay, Justin McCrae, and Chris Cloud. Levi Nelson was the Broncos 8th shooter in the shootout and was also stopped by Armstrong. Colton Gillies, the 16 year old from Surrey, BC, was the Blades final shooter, scoring on Moir and ending the game. The final score on Sunday night was 3-2 for Saskatoon in front of 3,387 fans.
Who's Hot? Defenseman Derek Price has been on an assist streak as of late. In his last 5 games, Price has recorded 1 assist each night. The leagues longest streak this season for consecutive games with an assist is 7. Levi Nelson put forth a solid week for the Broncos, scoring once and adding 3 assists in his last 3 games. Ned Lukacevic continued his strong play this week, scoring twice and adding an assist for 3 points in the 3 games this week. Veteran Broncos goaltender Kyle Moir had a strong weekend, playing in all 3 games. Moir faced a total of 107 shots, making 100 saves for a save% of .935 and a goals against average of 2.22 on the weekend.
Numbers: The Broncos continue to be lead offensively by Ned Lukacevic who has now recorded 21 points (10G; 11A) in his first 24 games as a Bronco. While Lukacevic has been leading the team in points, 19 year old forward Jeremy Schenderling has introduced the puck to the back of the net 15 times this season, including 2 goals on Sunday night in Saskatoon. Schenderling's 15 goals have him tied for 3rd in the Western Hockey League, trailing Ashton Rome (16), as well as Moose Jaws dynamic duo of Troy Brouwer and Dustin Boyd who each have 22. Jeremy is also tied for 3rd in the WHL with 7 power play goals this season, with Portland's Jonathon Bubnick (8) and Vancouver's Tim Kraus (9) being the only 2 players with more. Levi Nelson is continuing to prove that he is a strong candidate for the Broncos Rookie of the Year honours, recording 7 goals and 5 assists in his first 24 games this season. Nelson has earned his right to see some time on the power play and is beginning to see more ice time in key situations.
Special Teams: The Broncos power play struggled this week, going 0 for 8 in the 3 games. The 3 game drought is the longest of the season for the power play and, prior to the streak, it had scored once in each of its last 5 games. After 25 games, the power play has scored 21 times on 134 attempts for a success rate of 15.7%. Jeremy Schenderling leads the team with 7 power play goals while Ned Lukacevic has 10 points (4G; 6A) while on the man advantage. On the penalty kill, the Broncos allowed 2 goals on 12 tries, boosting their operating success rate to 83.3% on the season (24 goals against in 144 tries). The Broncos have scored 5 goals while shorthanded and have allowed 4 shorthanded goals against.
Did You Know? The Goals for Education Lottery kicked off on Saturday night in Moose Jaw. Last season was the inaugural lottery that saw the teams raise over $70,000 to go towards their education expenses. Each Western Hockey League player is given 1 year worth of free education for every season they play in the league, one of the largest expenses for WHL teams. Thanks to the incredible success of the lottery last season, the clubs have once again teamed up to create the 2nd Annual Goals for Education Lottery. This season there are over 50 prizes available to be won, including a previous buyers draw of $5,000, an early bird draw of $25,000, and of course, the grand prize draw of $100,000 to be made at the Broncos final regular season home game on March 17th. To purchase a ticket, call the ticket hotline at 1-888-640-GOAL (4625).
Bronco Week In Review
Record: 7-14-0-4
..
The Broncos walked into 3 games in 3 nights this week, the 2nd time they've done so this season. The next time the Broncos play 3 games in 3 nights is on December 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. On Friday night, the B.C. Division leading Kootenay Ice were in town. Saturday night saw the Pizza Hut Fan Bus head to Moose Jaw with the team to kick off the Goals for Education Lottery. Finally, on Sunday night, the Broncos traveled North to Saskatoon for a tilt with the Blades.
On Friday night, the Kootenay Ice were in town for the 2nd meeting of the 2 teams this season. On October 1st the Ice handed the Broncos their worst defeat of the season, 8-1. The Broncos stumbled out of the gate on Friday, allowing the Ice some solid scoring chances early in the game including numerous breakaways. Ryan Russell opened the scoring for the Ice at the 7:01 mark of the 1st period and would add his 2nd of the game just over 2 minutes later, giving Kootenay a 2-0 lead. The shots after the 1st period were 6-6. The score would remain the same until the 3rd period when Ned Lukacevic scored his 9th of the season past Taylor Dakers, pulling the Broncos to within 1. It would not be enough, however, as Steve DaSilva would add some insurance for Kootenay with just over 5 minutes remaining in the game. With the Broncos net empty, Curtis Billsten would add the Ices 4th goal of the game, leaving the final score 4-1 in favour of Kootenay. The final shots on Friday night were 29-20 in favour of Kootenay in front of 2,076 fans. Daniel Rakos was the only Bronco given a star in the game (2nd).
Saturday night the Broncos faced their 2nd division leading opponent in as many nights as the club headed East to Moose Jaw. A sold out fan bus followed the Broncos in support of their team. Ned Lukacevic would get the Broncos on the board mid-way through the 1st period. Lukacevic would have some time in front of the goal and put a handful of moves on Warriors goaltender Joey Perricone before slipping the puck past the goal line to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead. Just under 3 minutes later, Troy Brouwer would chip a loose puck over Kyle Moir's shoulder while shorthanded to bring the game to a 1-1 tie after 20 minutes of play. In the 2nd period, the Broncos would re-gain their lead when rookie Levi Nelson would score his 7th of the season on a beautiful cross-crease pass by Ned Lukacevic, fooling Perricone. The Broncos would head into the dressing room with a 2-1 lead. Heading into Saturday's game, the Broncos were 5-1-0-1 when leading after 2 periods of play. On a Levi Nelson minor penalty for goaltender interference, Troy Brouwer would score his league leading 22nd goal of the season on a bouncing puck past Kyle Moir. The Broncos would not be able to respond in regulation, sending the game to overtime. The extra frame saw some solid end-to-end action with Kyle Moir making some game saving saves on Moose Jaws top scorers. Joey Perricone also came up large for the Warriors, stopping Marc Desloges on a breakaway late in the extra frame. With the seconds winding down, a bouncing puck in front of Perricone eventually crossed the goal line thanks to the work of Michael Hengen, giving him the game winner and the Broncos the victory. Final shots on Saturday night were 39-22 in favour of Moose Jaw in front of 2,545 fans.
Sunday night the Broncos traveled North to Saskatoon for the 1st time since the season opening game on September 23rd that saw the Blades beat the Broncos 4-0. The Blades were in Swift Current just a few weeks ago and beat the Broncos 5-1. On Sunday, Saskatoon jumped out to the lead early in the 1st period when Zdenek Bahensky scored at the 5:23 mark. The Broncos, however, would respond thanks to Jeremy Schenderling's 14th of the season midway through the period. After 20 minutes of play the game was tied 1-1 with the Broncos being out-shot 14-12 by the Blades. In the 2nd, Schenderling once again scored for the Broncos, this time at the 13:20 mark of the 2nd period. The Broncos, like on Saturday night, entered the 3rd period with a 2-1 lead. Late in the 3rd period, Donny Lloyd took a minor penalty for delay of game after breaking his stick and freezing the puck, giving the Blades a power play opportunity to close out the game. Just 9 seconds into the minor, Blades star Devin Setoguchi put one past Kyle Moir, tying the game up and forcing it into overtime. In the extra frame, neither team could score - enter the shootout, the Broncos 5th of the year. Final shots after 65 minutes were 41-28 in favour of Saskatoon. Daniel Rakos was the Broncos 1st shooter but could not score, however, Setoguchi slipped one past Broncos net minder Kyle Moir giving the Blades a 1-0 lead. The Broncos followed Rakos with Thomas Raffl who tied the shootout up at 1 per side. From there, goaltenders Kyle Moir and Kevin Armstrong took over. Moir stopped Zdenek Bahensky and Wacey Rabbit while Armstrong stopped Spencer McAvoy, sending the shootout into sudden death. Jeremy Schenderling, Luke Hunter, Ned Lukacevic, and Marc Desloges were all stopped by Kevin Armstrong while Moir responded by stopping Blades shooters Aaron Bader, Blair MacAulay, Justin McCrae, and Chris Cloud. Levi Nelson was the Broncos 8th shooter in the shootout and was also stopped by Armstrong. Colton Gillies, the 16 year old from Surrey, BC, was the Blades final shooter, scoring on Moir and ending the game. The final score on Sunday night was 3-2 for Saskatoon in front of 3,387 fans.
Who's Hot? Defenseman Derek Price has been on an assist streak as of late. In his last 5 games, Price has recorded 1 assist each night. The leagues longest streak this season for consecutive games with an assist is 7. Levi Nelson put forth a solid week for the Broncos, scoring once and adding 3 assists in his last 3 games. Ned Lukacevic continued his strong play this week, scoring twice and adding an assist for 3 points in the 3 games this week. Veteran Broncos goaltender Kyle Moir had a strong weekend, playing in all 3 games. Moir faced a total of 107 shots, making 100 saves for a save% of .935 and a goals against average of 2.22 on the weekend.
Numbers: The Broncos continue to be lead offensively by Ned Lukacevic who has now recorded 21 points (10G; 11A) in his first 24 games as a Bronco. While Lukacevic has been leading the team in points, 19 year old forward Jeremy Schenderling has introduced the puck to the back of the net 15 times this season, including 2 goals on Sunday night in Saskatoon. Schenderling's 15 goals have him tied for 3rd in the Western Hockey League, trailing Ashton Rome (16), as well as Moose Jaws dynamic duo of Troy Brouwer and Dustin Boyd who each have 22. Jeremy is also tied for 3rd in the WHL with 7 power play goals this season, with Portland's Jonathon Bubnick (8) and Vancouver's Tim Kraus (9) being the only 2 players with more. Levi Nelson is continuing to prove that he is a strong candidate for the Broncos Rookie of the Year honours, recording 7 goals and 5 assists in his first 24 games this season. Nelson has earned his right to see some time on the power play and is beginning to see more ice time in key situations.
Special Teams: The Broncos power play struggled this week, going 0 for 8 in the 3 games. The 3 game drought is the longest of the season for the power play and, prior to the streak, it had scored once in each of its last 5 games. After 25 games, the power play has scored 21 times on 134 attempts for a success rate of 15.7%. Jeremy Schenderling leads the team with 7 power play goals while Ned Lukacevic has 10 points (4G; 6A) while on the man advantage. On the penalty kill, the Broncos allowed 2 goals on 12 tries, boosting their operating success rate to 83.3% on the season (24 goals against in 144 tries). The Broncos have scored 5 goals while shorthanded and have allowed 4 shorthanded goals against.
Did You Know? The Goals for Education Lottery kicked off on Saturday night in Moose Jaw. Last season was the inaugural lottery that saw the teams raise over $70,000 to go towards their education expenses. Each Western Hockey League player is given 1 year worth of free education for every season they play in the league, one of the largest expenses for WHL teams. Thanks to the incredible success of the lottery last season, the clubs have once again teamed up to create the 2nd Annual Goals for Education Lottery. This season there are over 50 prizes available to be won, including a previous buyers draw of $5,000, an early bird draw of $25,000, and of course, the grand prize draw of $100,000 to be made at the Broncos final regular season home game on March 17th. To purchase a ticket, call the ticket hotline at 1-888-640-GOAL (4625).