Wheatkings 4 Bronco's 3 in overtime

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It was a homecoming for Winnipeg. MB native Riley Stotts as the Bronco rookie forward netted two goals Friday night, but his club couldn’t hang on as they dropped a tough 4-3 decision to the Brandon Wheat Kings.


Stotts opened the scoring early for the Broncos as he picked up a loose puck in front of the Brandon net and buried it to make it 1-0 Swift Current 3:14 into the period.

The Broncos were looking for more on the man advantage, but Wheat Kings’ forward Tanner Kaspick skated down the left wing and slapped home a shorthanded goal off the post and in to knot the game up at 1-1.

Brandon was putting the pressure on the Broncos in the first half of the second period but Bronco goaltender Travis Child made some key saves to keep the game tied and it led to Stotts scoring his second goal of the night. Stotts made a nice individual play in which he took the puck along the boards and made his way over to the slot before sniping one far side by Wheat Kings netminder Logan Thompson. Sahvan Khaira and Tyler Adams registered the assists on the goal.

In the third period, the Wheat Kings capitalized on their second power play opportunity of the game as Stelio Mattheos got the goal to once again tie the game.

The Broncos got their lead back quickly with a goal from Aleksi Heponiemi just 53 seconds later. Tyler Steenbergen found Heponiemi in the low slot with a pass from behind the net and Heponiemi one-timed it by Thompson to give Swift Current the 3-2 lead.

Brandon refused to quit as team captain Nolan Patrick snuck one in by the pad of Child in the final minute of regulation with the Wheat King net empty to once again tie the game 3-3.

Overtime solved nothing and a shootout was required to determine a winner. Patrick scored the lone goal in the shootout to complete Brandon’s comeback win with a 4-3 victory over Swift Current.

The Broncos failed to score in five power play opportunities while Brandon went 1/2 on the night. Shots on goal favoured the Wheat Kings 34-24.

Swift Current returns home for a Saturday night tilt with the Prince Albert Raiders at the Credit Union i-Plex at 7:00pm.

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COURTESY SHAWN MULLINS




Nolan Patrick snuck a puck by Travis Child with 47 seconds left in regulation to steal away a win from the Swift Current Broncos.

The likely top pick in the 2017 NHL draft forced overtime and then won the game for Brandon in the shootout tonight.

Riley Stotts scored twice as the Broncos took an early lead and were in front most of the game in Brandon.

It was the first star level peformance of Stotts' young career as the 16-year-old 2015 first round bantam pick was Swift Current's best player on the night and also nearly won the game on a breakaway in overtime.

The Broncos still earned a point for the overtime loss and sit at 4-2-0-1 on the season.

Stotts opened the scoring at 3:10 of the first period by dragging back a rebound of a Sahvan Khaira shot and roofing it over Logan Thompson.

The Broncos had the better of the play in the early going and threated throughout the first period before some struggles on the power play slowed their momentum.

Tanner Kaspick struck shorthanded at 16:12 of the first period on a great shot off the far post and the teams went to the dressing room tied.

Stotts struck again midway through the second period cutting across the top of the slot and firing a hard wrist shot over Thompson. His line with Tyler Adams and Brandan Arnold was perhaps Swift Current's most consistent throughout the night.

Brandon started to turn the game around in the second period and built momentum as they pushed for the equalizer. They got it midway through the third period on Stelio Mattheos power play goal.

Less than a minute later the Broncos again pulled ahead as Tyler Steenbergen set Aleksi Heponiemi up for his second of the season on a very quick pass and release.

Brandon kept pushing and sent the game to overtime on Patrick's shot along the ice that Child attempted to cover and missed. It forced an exciting three on three overtime with a mix of skilled play and physical intensity that at one point had all six skaters on the ice battling after a whistle.

Patrick scored the lone goal in the shootout lifting his Wheat Kings to 2-1-1.

Child made 31 saves as Brandon dealt him his first loss of the season. Logan Thompson stopped 21 Swift Current shots to earn the win.

The Broncos went 0 for 5 on the power play on the night, while Brandon went 1 for 2.

Swift Current has two games left at home before their BC Division road swing. They host Prince Albert on Saturday night and Kootenay on Monday afternoon.

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