Scout
12-20-2005, 06:41 AM
19 December 2005
Bronco Week In Review
Record: 9-18-1-8
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The Broncos were in British Columbia this week for their only west coast swing of the year. The squad played three games with stops in Kamloops on Tuesday, Kelowna on Wednesday, and finally in Vancouver on Friday. The Broncos are currently at their respective homes for Christmas Break and will return to Swift Current on Boxing Day. The Broncos next action goes December 28th, 2005 when the Regina Pats are in town.
The Swift Current Broncos rolled into Kamloops on Tuesday night to face off against the Blazers. With goaltender Devan Dubnyk attending the World Junior Selection Camp for Team Canada in Vancouver, backup goaltender Michael Maniago got the nod in goal for the Blazers. Forwards Graham Telford (89), Matt Tassone (89), and Philip Gervais (90) all made their debuts in Bronco colors in the game. Kamloops would jump out to the lead, turning a Michael Hengen turnover on the power play into a shorthanded goal. It was Brady Mason's first of the year and left the Broncos trailing 1-0. The Broncos, however, would respond thanks to Josh Aspenlind scoring his 5th of the season (PP) at the 13:33 mark of the 2nd period with the assists going to R.J. LaRochelle and Daniel Rakos. Just 2 minutes later, Kamloops would re-gain their 1 goal lead when Raymond Macias slipped his 5th of the season past Broncos goaltender Kyle Moir. After 40 minutes of play the Blazers were carrying a 2-1 lead. Ashton Rome would continue his promising season, scoring his 19th of the season (PP) past Moir to give Kamloops some insurance with a 3-1 lead. In an attempt to mount a comeback, the Broncos would pull Kyle Moir to get an extra attacker on the ice, however, it would backfire as Moises Gutierrez would put his 5th of the year (EN/SH) into the Broncos empty cage to make the final score from Tuesday night 4-1 in favor of Kamloops. The final shots from Tuesday night were 32-22 in favor of Kamloops, who held the Broncos to just 3 shots in the 1st period. A total of 4,711 fans took in the action at the Interior Savings Centre on Tuesday night.
Things did not get any easier for the Broncos on Wednesday night as they traveled South to Kelowna to battle the experienced Rockets. Forward Geordie Wudrick (90), who the Broncos selected in the 1st round (2nd overall) in the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft, made his debut for the Broncos in the game. Goaltender Travis Yonkman, who recently returned to the lineup after breaking his collarbone in October, was named the starting goalie for the Broncos in the game. For Yonkman, it was his 3rd start of the season and allowed Kyle Moir a much-needed rest after he appeared in 33 of the teams first 34 games of the season. Kelowna would jump out to an early lead in the game thanks to European forward Lauris Darzins' 2nd goal of the year on the power play. The Broncos, however, would respond with back-to-back power play goals. At 6:54 of the first period, Marc Desloges would score his 5th of the season past Rockets goaltender Kristofer Westblom. The Broncos would immediately add another, again on the power, this time with Levi Nelson picking up a rebound and throwing it on goal past Westblom. Nelson's 9th goal of the season gave the Broncos a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes of play despite being out-shot 15-11. The Broncos would continue their offense with a 3rd power play goal courtesy of Josh Aspenlind just 1:35 into the 2nd period. The Broncos, enjoying a 3-1 lead, would give one back before the end of the 2nd period when Lauris Darzins would score his 2nd of the night (PP) to pull the Rockets to within one after 40 minutes of play. The Rockets were out-shooting the Broncos 34-18 after 2 periods of play. The wheels would fall off for the Broncos in the final frame as Justin Keller would record the natural hat-trick with goals at the 4:20, 9:29, and 15:20 marks of the 3rd period. Keller's goals gave the Rockets a 5-3 lead and they would not look back as Clayton Bauer would add an empty net goal with just over 2 minutes remaining in the game to make the final score 6-3 in favor of Kelowna on Wednesday night. The Broncos were badly out-shot in the contest by a final count of 52-31 in favor of Kelowna. A total of 6,042 fans took in the action at Prospera Place.
Friday night saw the Broncos in Vancouver to take on the Giants for the first time this season. Ned Lukacevic made his return from the injured list and did not take long to contribute to the club as he scored his 3rd shorthanded goal of the season past former Pat goaltender Dustin Slade to give the Broncos an early 1-0 lead just over 2 minutes into the game. The Broncos would not be done before the end of the period as Josh Aspenlind would score his 7th of the season at the 17:42 mark of the 1st period to give the Broncos a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes of play despite being out shot 13-6. The 2nd period would continue to be friendly for the Broncos as Ned Lukacevic would score again, this time on the power play at the 12:04 mark of the 2nd period. The Broncos would skate off the ice at the end of the 2nd period with a 3-0 lead and a record of 7-1-0-2 when leading after 40 minutes of play. However, the 3rd period would be a struggle for the Broncos. Mitch Bartley would score less than 5 minutes into the first period, delaying the game as teddy bears littered the ice for the Giant's annual teddy bear toss. When play would resume, Vancouver sustained their offensive pressure and would eventually pull the game to within 1 goal when Spencer Machacek would score a rebound goal past goaltender Kyle Moir just 1 minute and 40 seconds after Bartley's goal. Machacek would complete the Giant's comeback with just 1:15 remaining in the game. The Broncos managed to capture a point in Vancouver, however, would not be able to get a 2nd point out of the contest as Cody Franson would score just 25 seconds into overtime to give the Giants a 4-3 overtime win, handing the Broncos their first overtime loss of the season. Swift Current was badly out shot in the contest, surrendering 51 shots while putting just 19 shots towards Dustin Slade.
The Broncos head into the Christmas Break with a record of 9-18-1-8 and are currently 3 points ahead of Red Deer in the battle for the final playoff birth in the Central Division. The Broncos have improved in almost every category this season in comparison to their 36-game stats in 2004/05. The power play for the Broncos has scored 11 more goals than they had at this time last year and has a 5.8% improvement in their power play success rate. The Broncos allowed 37 power play goals against after 36 games in 2004/05 as compared to 33 this season. The 2004/05 edition of the Broncos had not recorded a shorthanded goal after 36 games while they have scored 6 shorthanded goals for this season.
Who's Hot? Veteran forward Josh Aspenlind was the most consistent Bronco during the BC Division swing and picked up his game with the recent injuries that have plagued the Broncos. Aspenlind scored in 3 of the 4 games in BC and has now recorded 8 points (5G; 3A) in his last 7 games. Michael Hengen and Daniel Rakos each recorded 3 assists in the teams 4 games in BC while Marc Desloges scored 2 goals and added 1 assist in the 4 games.
Numbers: The Broncos are currently riding a season high 9 game losing streak, however, have recorded 5 points over the stretch. The Broncos have been struggling in the shots department lately, as they have not out shot their opponent since November 23rd when the Brandon Wheat Kings were in town. The Broncos allowed 103 shots in their last 2 games in comparison to 50 shots for. The club has, however, been consistent offensively over their last handful of games. The Broncos have scored 2 or more goals in 7 of their last 8 games, the strongest they have been all season. The Broncos are 6-5-1-8 in 1 goal games this season and have an impressive record of 7-1-1-2 when leading after 40 minutes of play. Scoring first has proved to be an important factor this season as the team is 6-4-1-4 when scoring first, as compared to 3-14-0-4 when allowing the first goal. The Broncos have played strong when it counts, posting a record of 5-6-0-3 against Central Division opponents. Oddly, the Broncos have recorded twice as many wins on the road as they have at home in the first half of the season. The Broncos are 6-10-1-4 away from the Civic Centre and are just 3-8-0-4 when playing in front of their hometown fans. Ned Lukacevic is the teams leading scorer and has been since the start of the season. Lukacevic has recorded 25 points (13G; 12A) in his first 31 games played as a Bronco. Jeremy Schenderling has a team leading 15 goals this season and has been a road warrior, recording 11 goals on the road. Levi Nelson, the 17-year-old rookie center for the Broncos, has been budding into a solid WHL player after putting 9 goals and 8 assists on the board after 35 games played. Derek Price leads all Bronco defenseman with 12 points while Michael Hengen leads the Broncos defense with 4 goals. Paul Postma is the only other Bronco defenseman to have scored a goal this season.
Bronco Week In Review
Record: 9-18-1-8
..
The Broncos were in British Columbia this week for their only west coast swing of the year. The squad played three games with stops in Kamloops on Tuesday, Kelowna on Wednesday, and finally in Vancouver on Friday. The Broncos are currently at their respective homes for Christmas Break and will return to Swift Current on Boxing Day. The Broncos next action goes December 28th, 2005 when the Regina Pats are in town.
The Swift Current Broncos rolled into Kamloops on Tuesday night to face off against the Blazers. With goaltender Devan Dubnyk attending the World Junior Selection Camp for Team Canada in Vancouver, backup goaltender Michael Maniago got the nod in goal for the Blazers. Forwards Graham Telford (89), Matt Tassone (89), and Philip Gervais (90) all made their debuts in Bronco colors in the game. Kamloops would jump out to the lead, turning a Michael Hengen turnover on the power play into a shorthanded goal. It was Brady Mason's first of the year and left the Broncos trailing 1-0. The Broncos, however, would respond thanks to Josh Aspenlind scoring his 5th of the season (PP) at the 13:33 mark of the 2nd period with the assists going to R.J. LaRochelle and Daniel Rakos. Just 2 minutes later, Kamloops would re-gain their 1 goal lead when Raymond Macias slipped his 5th of the season past Broncos goaltender Kyle Moir. After 40 minutes of play the Blazers were carrying a 2-1 lead. Ashton Rome would continue his promising season, scoring his 19th of the season (PP) past Moir to give Kamloops some insurance with a 3-1 lead. In an attempt to mount a comeback, the Broncos would pull Kyle Moir to get an extra attacker on the ice, however, it would backfire as Moises Gutierrez would put his 5th of the year (EN/SH) into the Broncos empty cage to make the final score from Tuesday night 4-1 in favor of Kamloops. The final shots from Tuesday night were 32-22 in favor of Kamloops, who held the Broncos to just 3 shots in the 1st period. A total of 4,711 fans took in the action at the Interior Savings Centre on Tuesday night.
Things did not get any easier for the Broncos on Wednesday night as they traveled South to Kelowna to battle the experienced Rockets. Forward Geordie Wudrick (90), who the Broncos selected in the 1st round (2nd overall) in the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft, made his debut for the Broncos in the game. Goaltender Travis Yonkman, who recently returned to the lineup after breaking his collarbone in October, was named the starting goalie for the Broncos in the game. For Yonkman, it was his 3rd start of the season and allowed Kyle Moir a much-needed rest after he appeared in 33 of the teams first 34 games of the season. Kelowna would jump out to an early lead in the game thanks to European forward Lauris Darzins' 2nd goal of the year on the power play. The Broncos, however, would respond with back-to-back power play goals. At 6:54 of the first period, Marc Desloges would score his 5th of the season past Rockets goaltender Kristofer Westblom. The Broncos would immediately add another, again on the power, this time with Levi Nelson picking up a rebound and throwing it on goal past Westblom. Nelson's 9th goal of the season gave the Broncos a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes of play despite being out-shot 15-11. The Broncos would continue their offense with a 3rd power play goal courtesy of Josh Aspenlind just 1:35 into the 2nd period. The Broncos, enjoying a 3-1 lead, would give one back before the end of the 2nd period when Lauris Darzins would score his 2nd of the night (PP) to pull the Rockets to within one after 40 minutes of play. The Rockets were out-shooting the Broncos 34-18 after 2 periods of play. The wheels would fall off for the Broncos in the final frame as Justin Keller would record the natural hat-trick with goals at the 4:20, 9:29, and 15:20 marks of the 3rd period. Keller's goals gave the Rockets a 5-3 lead and they would not look back as Clayton Bauer would add an empty net goal with just over 2 minutes remaining in the game to make the final score 6-3 in favor of Kelowna on Wednesday night. The Broncos were badly out-shot in the contest by a final count of 52-31 in favor of Kelowna. A total of 6,042 fans took in the action at Prospera Place.
Friday night saw the Broncos in Vancouver to take on the Giants for the first time this season. Ned Lukacevic made his return from the injured list and did not take long to contribute to the club as he scored his 3rd shorthanded goal of the season past former Pat goaltender Dustin Slade to give the Broncos an early 1-0 lead just over 2 minutes into the game. The Broncos would not be done before the end of the period as Josh Aspenlind would score his 7th of the season at the 17:42 mark of the 1st period to give the Broncos a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes of play despite being out shot 13-6. The 2nd period would continue to be friendly for the Broncos as Ned Lukacevic would score again, this time on the power play at the 12:04 mark of the 2nd period. The Broncos would skate off the ice at the end of the 2nd period with a 3-0 lead and a record of 7-1-0-2 when leading after 40 minutes of play. However, the 3rd period would be a struggle for the Broncos. Mitch Bartley would score less than 5 minutes into the first period, delaying the game as teddy bears littered the ice for the Giant's annual teddy bear toss. When play would resume, Vancouver sustained their offensive pressure and would eventually pull the game to within 1 goal when Spencer Machacek would score a rebound goal past goaltender Kyle Moir just 1 minute and 40 seconds after Bartley's goal. Machacek would complete the Giant's comeback with just 1:15 remaining in the game. The Broncos managed to capture a point in Vancouver, however, would not be able to get a 2nd point out of the contest as Cody Franson would score just 25 seconds into overtime to give the Giants a 4-3 overtime win, handing the Broncos their first overtime loss of the season. Swift Current was badly out shot in the contest, surrendering 51 shots while putting just 19 shots towards Dustin Slade.
The Broncos head into the Christmas Break with a record of 9-18-1-8 and are currently 3 points ahead of Red Deer in the battle for the final playoff birth in the Central Division. The Broncos have improved in almost every category this season in comparison to their 36-game stats in 2004/05. The power play for the Broncos has scored 11 more goals than they had at this time last year and has a 5.8% improvement in their power play success rate. The Broncos allowed 37 power play goals against after 36 games in 2004/05 as compared to 33 this season. The 2004/05 edition of the Broncos had not recorded a shorthanded goal after 36 games while they have scored 6 shorthanded goals for this season.
Who's Hot? Veteran forward Josh Aspenlind was the most consistent Bronco during the BC Division swing and picked up his game with the recent injuries that have plagued the Broncos. Aspenlind scored in 3 of the 4 games in BC and has now recorded 8 points (5G; 3A) in his last 7 games. Michael Hengen and Daniel Rakos each recorded 3 assists in the teams 4 games in BC while Marc Desloges scored 2 goals and added 1 assist in the 4 games.
Numbers: The Broncos are currently riding a season high 9 game losing streak, however, have recorded 5 points over the stretch. The Broncos have been struggling in the shots department lately, as they have not out shot their opponent since November 23rd when the Brandon Wheat Kings were in town. The Broncos allowed 103 shots in their last 2 games in comparison to 50 shots for. The club has, however, been consistent offensively over their last handful of games. The Broncos have scored 2 or more goals in 7 of their last 8 games, the strongest they have been all season. The Broncos are 6-5-1-8 in 1 goal games this season and have an impressive record of 7-1-1-2 when leading after 40 minutes of play. Scoring first has proved to be an important factor this season as the team is 6-4-1-4 when scoring first, as compared to 3-14-0-4 when allowing the first goal. The Broncos have played strong when it counts, posting a record of 5-6-0-3 against Central Division opponents. Oddly, the Broncos have recorded twice as many wins on the road as they have at home in the first half of the season. The Broncos are 6-10-1-4 away from the Civic Centre and are just 3-8-0-4 when playing in front of their hometown fans. Ned Lukacevic is the teams leading scorer and has been since the start of the season. Lukacevic has recorded 25 points (13G; 12A) in his first 31 games played as a Bronco. Jeremy Schenderling has a team leading 15 goals this season and has been a road warrior, recording 11 goals on the road. Levi Nelson, the 17-year-old rookie center for the Broncos, has been budding into a solid WHL player after putting 9 goals and 8 assists on the board after 35 games played. Derek Price leads all Bronco defenseman with 12 points while Michael Hengen leads the Broncos defense with 4 goals. Paul Postma is the only other Bronco defenseman to have scored a goal this season.