Wildcats Finish At Mac's

Below is the update, courtesy Wildcats coach Terry Pavely.

The Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats were not able to defend their back-to-back Mac's Midget AAA Invitational titles as they finished the tournament with a 2-1-1 record.  They were shutout by the top team in Alberta, the Calgary Flyers, 3-0 on Tuesday night.  The Wildcats were still mathematically alive for the one wildcard spot in the playoffs when they took to the ice against the Melville Prairie Fire on Wednesday afternoon.  They beat a hard-working Prairie Fire team 5-3 and were led offensively by Bailey Habscheid with three goals and Jenna Smith who had a goal and two assists in the win. Leanne Gerwing got her second win of the tournament in goal against the Prairie Fire.  The Wildcats were officially eliminated later in the day when the St. Albert Slash beat the Calgary Chaos 5-1 later in the day.  The Wildcats have a record of 13-1-2 at the Mac's Tournament over the last three years.

Five Points For Scarlett; Three For Lowry In Team Pacific Triumph

Swift Current Broncos D Reece Scarlett scored a goal and four assists in Team Pacific's 10-4 win over Team Atlantic tonight at the U-17's in Timmins, Ontario. The other Bronco on the team, F Adam Lowry, also scored a goal and two assists in the win.

Pacific was upset 6-2 by Russia yesterday and is now 1-1 at the tournament, while Team Atlantic fell to 0-2 with the loss.

You're wondering if Broncos' trainer Jamie LeBlanc sharpened their skates just right to do all the damage? Nope...not likely in this one. LeBlanc is with Team West. 

Read more on Reece's and Adam's big night right here.

Back...

I'm back! If you're wondering why I didn't post for over a day, blogger.com was acting up yesterday. I got an error message with every attempt to post.

There are a few tidbits worth a mention. Otherwise there's nothing major to blog about as far as I know.

****

Legionnaires F Colton Heffley (left) will suit up for the Kelowna Rockets tonight as they play host to the Kamloops Blazers. The Rockets, burdened with injuries, called up two 15-year-old players yesterday to fill some of the void. Earlier this month when the Rockets played in Swift Current, Heffley was to be in their lineup. However a wrist injury shortly before that time caused the Rockets to change their mind and keep him out.

Colton has one goal, two assists and 28 penalty minutes in 24 games played with the Legionnaires so far this season. Due to injuries, his role as a SMAAAHL rookie really increased towards Christmas break and he flourished in it.

Good luck to Colton tonight as he wears a WHL jersey for the first time. The picture above was the best I could do. It was obviously taken at the baseball diamond.

His SMAAAHL team, the Legionnaires, will not play until January 9th in Tisdale.

****

The Brandon Wheat Kings are done standing pat. Trade rumours are abundant in the Wheat City as the January 10 trade deadline nears, and today they made quite the bang. Here are the details courtesy www.oilkings.ca:

The Edmonton Oil Kings said good-bye to their all-time leading scorer Wednesday morning. Oil Kings General Manager Bob Green made his second significant move this week by trading veteran forward Brent Raedeke to the 2010 Memorial Cup host Brandon Wheat Kings in exchange for highly touted power forward Klarc Wilson and a conditional draft pick.

****

Team Canada announced it's olympic roster today for Vancouver 2010. You can see it right here courtesy www.rodpedersen.com.

I'm very excited for the event and to see how this team of superstars will gel. 

Here's my biased view though: It HAD to include Dallas Stars' captain Brenden Morrow. He's one of the most complete players in the game. He fights, he scores, and he's good defensively.

****

The Diamond Energy Wildcats kept their playoff round hopes alive at the Mac's Midget tournament in Calgary this afternoon with a 5-3 win over Mellville. Their record at the event now sits at 2-1-1.

****

That's all for today. The Broncos will play New Year's Day versus the visiting Medicine Hat Tabbies. Check back for a recap then.

Broncos Double Wheaties

The Broncos got the last laugh when they scored the winning goal late in a back-and-forth Monday night affair with the Wheat Kings. The ensuing 4-2 victory was their third consecutive win, and improved their home ice record to 15-5 this season.

Brad Hoban got credited with the winner at 16:16 of the third period. The puck went off a Brandon skate and deflected into the net top shelf for Hoban's 13th of the season. Earlier, he scored to tie the game 2-2 just after Brandon had taken their first lead. The Broncos also got a goal from Michael Stickland, who powered through a crowd by himself and gave his team a 1-0 lead at 18:20 of the first. Cody Eakin added an empty net tally late to seal the 4-2 deal.

Brenden Walker and Jesse Synatinski scored for the Wheaties, who saw an impressive eight-game winning streak come to an end. Interestingly enough their last loss also happened in Speedy Creek back on November 28, a 5-4 defeat.

The Broncos did a great job of pushing the pace tonight and their spirits were not dampened when Brandon took a 2-1 lead, nor were they effected negatively by the four posts that rang out behind Brandon G Andrew Hayes. A number of decent scoring chances went by the wayside but the Broncos got the puck to the net with regularity. The past couple years they've been guilty of playing in awe of Kelly McCrimmon's squad but that trend seems to have ended. They keep pushing back lately. Jordan Peddle took and dished out a few knuckle sandwiches in a second period bout with Brandon's Ryley Miller. Brandon looked like the more dangerous team for a large measure of the third period, but the Broncos got a number of key saves from G Mark Friesen. They then shoved the winning goal down the Wheaties' throat late, and also their attempt to tie things up with the goalie pulled.

The Wheat Kings played the game without Brayden Schenn who is still with Team Canada at the World Junior tournament, and Toni Rajala, who's with Finland at the same competition. The Broncos skated without a few key components as well including Stepan Novotny, (World Juniors) Adam Lowry (U-17) and Reece Scarlett. (U-17) Derek Claffey returned to the Broncos' lineup after a four-game absence.

The win was big in a few ways for Swift Current, which was fresh off a 3-2 record through a five-game U.S. road trip before Christmas. Going into the trip it had slipped out of a playoff spot but with some success lately, finds itself right back in the thick of things just one point removed from fifth place in the Eastern conference.

UP NEXT: The Broncos will face the Medicine Hat Tigers in a home-and-home series to kick off 2010. The Tigers are 7-2-0-1 in their last 10 games, despite head coach Willie Desjardins' temporary absence.

Wildcats Earn First "W" at Mac's

The Swift Current Wildcats improved to 1-0-1 at the Mac's Midget AAA Invitational Tournament with a 3-1 win over the Lloydminster Steelers.  Leanne Gerwing made 16 saves in her first appearance of the tournament. The Wildcats were led offensively by Megan French who scored two powerplay goals.  Bailey Habscheid had a goal and an assist while Jenna Smith added two helpers. The Wildcats next action is against the Calgary Flyers on December 29 at 8:30pm.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Wildcats Stuff

I'm just posting a quick Wildcats update. The girls are currently in Calgary for the Mac's tourney. Below is the information, courtesy Wildcats head coach Terry Pavely.

****

The Swift Current Wildcats started defence of their back-to-back Mac's titles against the Medicine Hat Hounds. 

The Wildcats scored in the last minute of the game with their goalie pulled to salvage a 4-4 tie. 

The Wildcats were led offensively by Jenna Smith who scored twice and added an assist. Chelsie Lowe got the tie in net for the Wildcats making 26 saves. 

The Wildcats next action is Dec. 28 against the Lloydminster Steelers.

Merry Christmas!

This will be the final blog post until December 27th. I'm taking a break!

It's definitely my favourite time of year. Christmas to me is a time for family and friends, and warm feelings. It's also a time of relaxation. I've never been afraid to express my feelings about why Christmas is celebrated, because there truly is only one reason.

May you and your family have a Merry Christmas this year.

Thanks to all the blog readers...it's greatly appreciated!

Quick Point

If you came here for updates on the World Juniors, I'm sorry. There will be none...for a couple of reasons:

*there is enough coverage available. TSN does a thorough job of it.

*I'm taking a break like everyone should this time of year.

*if you are still confused about why Team Canada cut Cody Eakin, you're not alone. By all indications he was a training camp standout. I still can't figure out how he didn't make the team, with head coach Willie Desjardins knowing full well what he's capable of.

*and if you think Pierre McGuire's very presence is irritating, you're not alone in that department either.  Hint, hint.

That's where my mini rant will stop.

Broncos Finish 3-2 In U.S. / Senior Hockey A Blast

I listened to the third period of the Broncos/Thunderbirds game coming home from Kyle. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to watch or listen to the first 40 minutes due to PA announcing and music duties at Kyle Sport Centre.

The Broncos, still without Derek Claffey and Stepan Novotny, managed to pick up two more points and grab a shootout victory in Kent Washington tonight. Cody Eakin was the only guy to score in the shootout. Mark Friesen stopped three shootout attempts in his fifth straight start for the Broncos.

Going into this trip, somehow 3-2 seemed like a long shot when one considered their bad road record and the valuable players they were to be missing through all or some of the five games. But alas, they pulled it off. Guys like Joel Rogers and Taylor Vause stepped up and exceeded expectations instead of just meeting them. The line of Blanke/Peddle/Sullivan was very energetic throughout the road trip and it instilled confidence in the coaching staff. Their ice time was heavily increased as the trip wore on. Big guys up front including Justin Dowling, Cody Eakin and Matt Tassone obviously played key roles in the five road games.

As an onlooker, it feels great to see your team head to Christmas break on a high. The Broncos certainly didn't have a perfect trip...in fact they were rather disappointing the first two periods in Everett, and didn't take care of their own zone in Tri-City....but after tonight's win I don't think that will be remembered at all.

This momentum should give the team a good push into the second half.

****

Have you been at a good senior hockey game lately? If not, do take the time to attend one. Apparently a lot of the games become a gong show towards the end, but are great to witness.

I mentioned to Kyle Elks GM Rob Poole that I'd like to do PA announcing/music for one of their home games, and made the trip there tonight as Kyle took on Rosetown. It's something I've wanted to see for a while.

The rink was packed and they got their money's worth. The fights boiled over in the third period between two teams that were both on big winning streaks. (Kyle..8 games Rosetown..5 games) The fact was one team had to lose and the Rosetown Redwings didn't take kindly to that.

Kyle won 5-2, but the score was the last thing on everyone's mind.

A few Rosetown players after having received game misconducts, came out of their dressing room in attack mode. It got better when the fans got involved, which a few did including a guy wearing a big cowboy hat. "Back off you Rosetown f&%@er$," one fan shouted from the top.

The ref actually left the ice to attend to the situation. Not that he had much control over it. "Those bastards are all the same," the score keeper yelled over the intercom. "They always goon it up."

And I had to LMAO. It was a tonne of fun. I'll attend another game this year for sure.

****

One more quick note:

The Diamond Energy Wildcats pulled off the weekend sweep of the SFMAAAHL's worst team, the Battlefords Sharks with a 1-0 home ice win earlier today.

It felt like the game would go on forever without a goal but a third period slapshot by Bailey Habscheid found it's way awkwardly over the goalie's shoulder and into the net. That's where the offense ended.

By all indications the girls certainly didn't play what was their best hockey in two games this weekend but got both wins. Ultimately, that's what counts.

****

My Christmas break from hockey will come after tomorrow. One more game to do announcing for before Christmas....the "AA" Hurricanes called today and I agreed to do their game tomorrow night at 7:30.

Bed time...good night.

Saturday Bits / Kyle Bound

A group of us watched the Bronco game at Kabos last night. Steve did another great job presenting the game on the big screen to his customers. I still think that's a fabulous idea. The bar was full and most people there were watching the game with interest.

As far as the game is concerned, it was probably the most complete effort the Broncos have brought forth in a while. I don't think they were chasing the game at any point. Even 1:43 of third period 5 on 3 power play time for the Winterhawks didn't break down the visitors. They were just determined to win and to do whatever it took.

Without captain Derek Claffey or F Stepan Novotny, (who left after the last game for World Juniors) the Broncos were again looking for their existing roster to fill those two holes. They did a great job. Matt Tassone did not disappoint and scored two very important goals in the game. Dillon Wagner (right) also scored two, including the winning goal shorthanded. For Wags, this one was probably a game within a game considering that his best friend Brett Ponich captains the Winterhawks. Justin Dowling picked up three assists and certainly looked like the catalyst he can be. 

Mark Friesen stood tall in the third period when the Winterhawks turned it on and outshot Swift Current 19-5. Friesen made 32 saves in his fourth start on this U.S. road swing, and will likely get rewarded with another start tonight in Seattle.

****

Don't expect too much of a game recap tonight from this blogger. After the Wildcats game this afternoon, I'm heading out to Kyle to do some P.A. announcing for the Kyle Elks. They'll be taking on the Rosetown Redwings at 8 PM. Elks general manager Rob Poole has me locked in for those duties tonight at Kyle Sports Centre. It should be lots of fun....can't wait! My parents grew up in the Kyle area and had just moved away when I came along so in a sense, I consider Kyle my hometown.

****

Speaking OF the Wildcats, they downed Battlefords 3-1 last night at the i-Plex. Jenna Smith scored two goals while Kelsey Mastel got the other.

The girls ran into some penalty trouble in the latter stages of the second period, but survived. They came out of 40 minutes with a 2-1 lead and then put a finishing touch on the game in the third.

They'll play the Sharks again this afternoon. Game time is 2:15 at the i-Plex.

Broncos Topple Hawks

Recap courtesy www.oregonlive.com

Portland, Oregon-The Portland Winterhawks and Swift Current Broncos met for the only time this season at the Rose Garden on Friday, and the Broncos came away with a 6-3 win before 4,238 fans.

Swift Current opened the scoring 3:54 into the first period. The puck bounced through the Portland crease and landed on the stick of Swift Current center Matt Tassone, who fired a shot past goaltender Ian Curtis.

In the the second period the teams combined for five goals. At 1:26, Swift Current's Taylor Vause took a cross-ice pass from Cody Eakin and fired a shot past Curtis to make it 2-0.

Portland (22-14-0-1, 45 points in the Western Hockey League) answered at 9:34 on a nice play from the Ryan Johansen-Nino Niederreiter-Broad Ross line. Johansen passed the puck from the left faceoff circle down low on the end line to Ross, who fired it back out to the slot to Niederreiter, who shot it past Broncos goalie Mark Friesen to cut the deficit to 2-1.

But that would last only 12 seconds. Tassone scored again for Swift Current (18-17-0-2, 38 points) to make it 3-1. The Broncos got a shorthanded goal from Dillon Wagner at 15:50 to extend their lead to 4-1.

But the Winterhawks made it 4-2 before the end of the period. Ty Rattie gathered the puck in the corner, walked out and fired a shot top shelf past Friesen.

Swift Current again opened up a three-goal lead 2:19 into the third period on a power-play goal from former Winterhawk Travis Bobbee.

But from that point on the Winterhawks dominated play. Just over three minutes after the Broncos' fifth goal, Niederreiter notched his second of the game and 23rd of the season when he cut across the middle of the Swift Current zone and fired a backhand top shelf to make it 5-3.

The Winterhawks continued pressing, drawing two consecutive Broncos penalties midway through the third that gave them a two-man advantage for 1:43. Portland had numerous chances but the Broncos successfully killed the penalties.

Portland continued pressing, firing 19 shots at Friesen in the third period. Portland pulled Curtis for an extra attacker late in the third, but the Broncos scored into the empty net.

Friesen turned away 32 of 35 shots; Curtis made 26 saves.

Legionnaires 2 @ Warriors 5

The AAA Moose Jaw Warriors scored three goals on seven power play chances and sunk the Swift Current Legionnaires by a final score of 5-2 tonight in Moose Jaw.

Dyson Stevenson opened the scoring just seven seconds into the game. He beat two defenders off the opening faceoff, walked in and wristed it high over the goaltender. Unfortunately the Legionnaires did not get the needed push from the opening goal and went on to allow two goals by Moose Jaw less than a minute apart, thereby squandering the early lead.

They fought back however and tied it back up at 2-2 with a Dayton Reinboldt power play tally late in the first. The Warriors though scored two critical goals in the second period including one with just 11 seconds remaining. That made it really tough for the road team. Moose Jaw added one more in the third for the 5-2 count.

G Myles Hovdebo made 22 saves in his first start as a Swift Current Legionnaire. They called him up to fill the void left by G Jay Hudon, who left on a call-up basis to play with the Melfort Mustangs.

The Legions will take a lengthy Christmas break before returning to action on January 10, 2010.  


****

The Diamond Energy Wildcats will play their first home game in almost a month tomorrow night when they host Battlefords to kick off a two-game weekend home set. Face-off is 8 PM at Credit Union i-Plex.


See you there!

Broncos Fall Despite Late Push

The Broncos didn't accomplish much for approximately 52 minutes and turned on the offense a bit too late to climb out of a hole in Everett. The Silvertips narrowly avoided trouble, but finally skated away with the 3-2 win.

Before Cody Eakin notched the first Swift Current tally at 8:06 of the third period, the score was already 3-0 Everett. The Silvertips got goals just 39 seconds apart from Dan Iwanski and Shane Harper in the first and took the 2-0 lead to the second. Everett's Chris Langkow potted a centering feed for the winner late in the second frame.

Eakin spent all day traveling out West to join the Broncos after finding out this morning that he had not made Team Canada's World Junior roster. Cody of course scored the first Bronco goal in the third, and would push hard from that point on to try and get one or two more for the tie. The Broncos got a break when the referee made a weak goalie interference call on Everett late. D Jordan Evans scored his first goal of the season on the fifth Bronco power play of the hockey game. They pulled the goalie and turned the heat up on the 'Tips late, but the 3-0 lead proved insurmountable.

The Broncos were still without captain Derek Claffey, who sat out further with a lower body injury. The Silvertips were also without their captain, Zack Dailey.

They are now 1-2 on the five-game U.S. roadie and will try their luck again this Friday night. That's when they face former teammate Eric Doyle and the giant laden Portland Winterhawks.

****

The Home Hardware Legionnaires will play their final game before Christmas tomorrow night in Moose Jaw.

F. Dylan Balaski, (concussion) F Jeff Olson, (fighting suspension) and D. Brandon Pratt (knee) will sit out while the Legionnaires try to go for their 11th win of the season. They currently sit five points behind the Saskatoon Blazers for the final playoff spot in SMAAAHL hockey.

The pre-game show from Moose Jaw will kick off at 6:50 PM on the Legionnaires Broadcast Network.

Tuesday

A few quick notes...

*I misinformed a few blog readers a couple days ago when I blogged that the Broncos would play in Everett on Tuesday. Well, I'm sorry. Today is Tuesday and nobody's playing at Comcast Arena so I guess that means they'll play the Silvertips tomorrow! My apologies.

*When the Broncos continue their U.S. road swing in Everett they'll still be without their best forward in Cody Eakin. But there's also the possibility now of being without their best defenceman, Derek Claffey. I haven't got an update but if Claffey is to be gone for a while with that "lower body strain," I think it may be unrealistic to imagine the team doing any better than 1-2 in the remaining three road games before Christmas. For the Broncos to win, the goalie will either have to be miraculous (which he pretty much has been so far) or they'll have to dig deeper than ever before. The first two games in the U.S. were tough. Saturday's was versus a strong Spokane team with hostile surroundings, a game in which the Broncos managed to catch them flat footed a couple of times and capitalize for the win. Then came Sunday and they played a quick-as-lightning Tri City squad. The Ams exposed the Broncos' young defence. The way everyone is talking, all three other U.S. teams are just as good, or maybe better than the first two were. Hopefully Claff is back sooner rather than later. We'll see how they fare.

-I for one hope they defy the odds. Again, in hockey you never know what might happen. 

*****

Legionnaires captain Dylan Balaski is fine and has returned home to Swift Current.

Balaski took a shot to the head in Sunday's Legionnaire game at Regina and made it to the bench where he then lost consciousness. He was just coming off a concussion so the incident was very scary.

As far as a return time line, I don't think anything is set in stone. They're not ruling out a return later this season, but you have to think extreme caution will be taken when he is returned to the line-up, if at all this year.

I would like to wish Dylan all the best as he recovers. He is the team's true leader.

If you're feeling up to it Dyl, I need a colour commentator in Regina Thursday night. :) 

****

Warmer weather is finally coming to Swifty. I'm looking forward to it.

Gym time. More blogging tomorrow night after the game in Everett......

Gone Shopping / Merry Christmas From The Legionnaires

As you may have guessed by now, after busy weekends I like to take Mondays off on the blog. Today is no different so this post will be quick.

****

The Legionnaires want to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year.

They'll close off things for the Christmas break with a visit to Moose Jaw this Thursday night. 

Above is a screen shot of the previously promised video that someone in the Legionnaire family put together for Christmas. It's quite comical and features (from left) Lukas MacDonald, Brandon Pratt, Alex Laird, Dylan Balaski, and Matt Boha.

To watch the video, click here.

****

I'm off to do some Christmas shopping. I've got a couple more things to buy and some greeting cards to search for.

Happy Monday!

Broncos Pounded By Ams

The Tri City Americans scored four goals in the second period on their way to a 6-2 win over the Broncos Sunday night.

A few notes....

-I had hoped to watch the game coming home from Regina. My BlackBerry works awesome as a tethering modem for the MAC, and the internet is fast enough to stream WHL Web TV. Problem was the BlackBerry was dead, so I was only able to watch the game for five minutes. I caught the third period, but it was already too little too late for the Broncos.

-the Ams got two goals from Lethbridge native Pat Holland and two from last week's player of the week, Johnny Lazo.

-the Broncos went into the third trailing 4-0 and scored the next two early. Stickland got his eighth of the season just 1:01 in, and Adam Lowry banged home a drop pass from Taylor Vause at 8:38. Both goals were scored on the power play, which hasn't worked very well lately for the Broncos. The two tallies early made it interesting but not for long. Holland scored the critical goal on the breakaway about five minutes later to put the Ams back up by three.

-Swift Current was missing D Derek Claffey due to a lower body strain. He had a limited role yesterday and was kept completely out of the line-up tonight. His absence exposed their young defense. G Mark Friesen was great in goal making 35 saves on 40 shots, including 15 saves in the first period to keep the game scoreless through 20.

-assistant coach Tim Kehler mentioned post-game that the Sullivan/Blanke/Peddle line was probably the best line for the Broncos tonight. You have to think those three players will get more ice time in the future if they keep up the recent stellar play. Their time has been limited so far this season.

-missing captain Derek Claffey, the Broncos had Michael Stickland wearing the "C" for this game. I didn't see much of the first 40 minutes, but Stickland sure looked feisty in the third.

The Broncos, now 1-1 on the U.S. trip, will try again on Tuesday night in Everett.

****

The Home Hardware Legionnaires dropped a 7-0 decision to the Pat Canadians this afternoon.

To start the game, Trent Winzer (suspension) and Brandon Pratt (knee) were scratched. By the end, the list included Dylan Balaski, (concussion) Austin Connor, (cut/fight) Jeff Olson, (fight) and Dyson Stevenson. (fight) Those players were all missing by the 13:03 mark of the second period. At that point Balaski lost consciousness behind the bench after taking an elbow to his head and a 40-minute delay resulted before EMS arrived and took him to hospital.

For a bit more info on what happened, please read the recap further down.

The Legionnaires will finish up their pre-holidays schedule this Thursday night in Moose Jaw, before taking time off up to January 10.

****

The Diamond Energy Wildcats finished tournament action in Notre Dame this afternoon with a 2-1 win over the Regina Rebels.

Their final record at the tourney ended up at 3-2.

The Wildcats will take on Battlefords on Friday, December 18th at 8 PM from the i-Plex.

Legionnaires 0 Pat Canadians 7

The Legionnaires lost 7-0 tonight to the Regina Pat Canadians at Regina's Al Ritchie Arena.

The game had it's scary moments.

During a second period fight, F Austin Connor got a cut on his wrist from the ref's skate. Luckily the cut missed the blood vein for the most part. Austin had to get stitches at the hospital but is on the bus ride home with the Legionnaires. (See pic above.)

F Dylan Balaski, who had just come off a concussion, took an elbow to the head in the second period. He made it to the bench but lost consciousness after that. EMS had to be called in and after a 40 minute delay he was taken away on a stretcher. The last 6:57 of the second and the entirety of the third period were finally played. As for Dylan, word is he was ok at the hospital when the Legionnaires left town.

Game results become irrelevant when these things happen. Everybody is thankful the players involved are ok.

More later after the Bronco game...




Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Chiefs Edged By Broncos

The Swift Current Broncos got 42 saves from G Mark Friesen and squeezed out a 2-1 win over the Spokane Chiefs tonight at Spokane Arena.

The home team was flat to start the game. Spokane was missing it's best defenseman Jared Cowen, who had to be in Regina for World Junior training camp. Their defense still looked respectable but an uncharacteristic giveaway in the first frame resulted in a goal for the Broncos' Stepan Novotny. He promptly walked in and shot the puck over a defender and the goaltender, who were both sprawled. The Broncos could have opened up the 1-0 lead on their four power play chances in the first period, but they struggled on the man advantage and failed to convert.

The pace did not slow in the second. The Chiefs got 16 shots to the Broncos' 12. Mark Friesen came up large when needed and on one occasion, he absolutely robbed Spokane F Kyle Beach in the high slot. The score remained 1-0 after two.

An action packed third period ensued. F Taylor Vause scored his sixth of the season shorthanded and silenced the crowd. On the same power play, the Chiefs finally brought the Teddy Bears down on the ice. Young Brenden Kichton scored from a sharp angle during a netfront scramble to cut Swift Current`s lead in half. That was as close as the Chiefs would come though. The Broncos got a mammoth defensive effort after that and managed to hold on. Derek Claffey played a limited role due to a lower body strain, and his team had some guys step up their play in his absence.

The Broncos were missing a key piece of the puzzle in F Cody Eakin. He`s also partaking in Canada`s World Junior training camp at Regina. Their power play wasn`t effective at all going 0 for 6 on the night. That almost always hurts a team, but didn`t hurt the Broncos in this one. Of course G Mark Friesen had a whale of a game to help their cause.

The win should provide some momentum for the Broncos, who are now 1-0 on a five game U.S. road trip. The road win was just their third triumph this year when away from home ice. They`ll face the Tri City Americans tomorrow.

****

Just a quick thing to add...the Hame Hardware Legionnaires will travel to Regina tomorrow morning and face the Pat C`s at 2:30. The pre-game show on the Legionnaires Broadcast Network is at 2:20 PM.  The Legions are looking for their fourth consecutive road win.

Update

Mainly regarding minor hockey...

The Swift Current Legionnaires hung in there last night with the best team in the SMAAAHL, the Saskatoon Contacts. For the longest time they were in a one-goal game trailing 3-2. That was until the Contacts' Adam Zbitniff stretched their lead to 4-2 at 4:03 of the third. From there the Legionnaires brought it close once again with a goal from Austin Connor, but only momentarily. The Contacts scored one with just over two minutes to go to extinguish any comeback hopes the home team may have had.

The loss broke a four-game winning streak for the Legionnaires, who got goals from Dyson Stevenson, Brett Penner, and Austin Connor.

G Jay Hudon took the loss in goal and was beaten by Adam Zbitniff, Kohl Bauml, Jon Lashyn, and Jesse Mychan. Swift Current Broncos prospect Robbie Newton scored a goal and an assist for the Contacts who got 50 shots on goal. The two points brought Newton's point total to 25 points in 25 games played. Jordan Fransoo, the younger brother of former Bronco Jason Fransoo, had three assists in the win.

After the game Legionnaires coach Regan Darby mentioned that his team played well positionally, but admitted they made a few critical errors on the night. The Contacts, as dangerous as they are, capitalized on a couple of the mistakes to help their cause.

The Legionnaires will travel to Regina on Sunday to face the Pat C's for the second time in four days. The game will air live on the Legionnaires Broadcast Network. The pre-game show kicks off at 2:20 PM from Al Ritchie Arena.

*****

The Diamond Energy Wildcats started tournament play in Notre Dame last night with a 6-2 loss to the Highwood Raiders.

They roared back today however.

It started this morning with a 4-0 shutout victory over the Winnipeg Titans. Wymark's Bailey Habscheid came through with a hat trick. The other goal for the Wildcats was scored by Shelby Lebel. G Chelsea Lowe got the goose egg between the pipes for Swift Current.

Then later today, they followed up the win with a 5-2 thrashing of the Edmonton Thunder. Nikki Connor, Bailey Habscheid, Shelby Nesbit, Desirae Kuhlmann, and Megan French all tallied for the Wildcats.

Now with a 2-1 record at the event, they'll continue action tomorrow.

****

Just for something else to say: As I type, the Broncos are about to arrive in Spokane, Washington.  They left this morning at 9:30 Swift Current time.

Should be an interesting U.S. swing starting tomorrow. The results from this road trip could determine what stage of the junior hockey process the Broncos will be in come the second half. Elite, middle of the pack, or completely rebuilding.....

Legionnaires Win Fourth Straight; Face Contacts Tonight

After building a 4-0 first period lead, the Home Hardware midget "AAA" Legionnaires skated to a 6-5 win in Regina over the Pat Canadians.

The Legionnaires won their third straight game on the road and fourth overall, as they make the push to get into a playoff spot.  Austin Connor led the way with two goals and an assist.  Singles came from Alex Laird, Tanner Froese, Dyson Stevenson and Trent Winzer.

The Legionnaires were outshot 35-22 with Lukas MacDonald picking up the win in goal.  The Legionnaires host the league leading Saskatoon Contacts tonight at the Credit Union i-plex. Game-time is 8 PM.

Game recap courtesy www.swiftcurrentonline.com

****

STUFF

-surprisingly, the four-goal first period was not what stood out after the game last night. The Legionnaires allowed Regina to roar back and tie the game 4-4 in the second period and then to take the lead early in the third. A goal on the breakaway by Alex Laird swung the momentum back on the road team's side, and Austin Connor scored the winner later on the power play. The coaches were happy with the winning result, but very unhappy that the team took the 4-0 lead for granted and almost got burnt.

-the Legionnaires will face a tough animal tonight when the Saskatoon Contacts bring their 17-5-1-1 record to the i-Plex. The Legions are now just two points removed from a playoff spot, and you would think even one of those points versus the Contacts would be a big accomplishment.

-Connor had a big game with two goals and one assist. The Portland Winterhawks have liked what they've seen from Austin, and actually listed him following last night's game.

-thanks to Mason Logan's dad Doug, who I got a ride with to Regina yesterday. We took off at five and arrived at the arena around 7:15. The big Ford didn't disappoint because Ford never does. :)

-in other Midget AAA hockey news, the Diamond Energy Wildcats are taking part in a tournament in Notre Dame for the next few days. It will feature teams from all over Western Canada. The Wildcats have a record of 8-5-2 on the season. Their next home game will be Friday December 18 versus Battlefords. 

****

The Swift Current Broncos started practice at three and were still skating without a puck at five when I walked through the rink yesterday. Some guys were doubled over trying to catch their breath, while others were being told to move it.

"She's a tough one," said one onlooker.

Head coach Mark Lamb is very unhappy with the two recent home ice losses, and he let it be known yesterday.

The Broncos will head to Spokane tomorrow to prepare for a game there on Saturday. They are expected to ice a full line-up to start the road swing.

I'm out....later.

Rockets 3 Broncos 2

The Kelowna Rockets scored two goals in the first and added a timely one in the third. That was enough to sink the struggling Broncos 3-2 tonight at Credit Union i-Plex.

The Rockets, who had spent almost two days in Swift Current to start their East Division road trip, certainly got the better of the Broncos in the first period. For Swift Current the first 20 minutes perhaps were a carryover from Saturday's home game versus Prince Albert, in which the Broncos also showed a disappointing effort. Shane McColgan got his 11th of the season early in the first, and Max Adolph scored later to afford the road team a 2-0 lead which they held until the expiration of the opening 20 minutes. They also out shot the hosts 13-8.

The Broncos followed up with a much better second and third, but were stymied by Rockets' G. Adam Brown. But above all, the Broncos definitely didn't play what was their best hockey and made some bad decisions all over the ice. Former Rocket Stepan Novotny got them on the board and cut the lead in half at the 10:47 mark of period two. They took over in the shot category in the second with a 16-9 edge. It almost felt like they would tie it, but again Brown stood tall in the net. The Rockets scored a weak goal right between the pads of Broncos G. Morgan Clark to grab a 3-1 lead at a critical time early in the third. D. Travis Bobbee got the Broncos closer with a power play marker at 6:53. From there, Kelowna did a tremendous job of defending the one-goal lead and blocking passing lanes. They earned a lot of credit playing that well with at least two of their top players out of the lineup and are in the midst of what has so far been an injury-filled season.

Ultimately, it ended up costing the Broncos what was supposed to be their 15th home ice win of the season. For the last game before Christmas and the U.S. road trip, the game sure left a sour taste.

Was a five game road trip what the doctor ordered for the Broncos? With their scary 2-10-2 road record so far, probably not. Maybe on this road trip, they'll get it back together after two pretty disappointing home games.

****

Bells and Whistles.....

*I saw former Broncos' G. Mark Guggenberger (left) in the stands. He's been out of the Rockets' lineup since the 2009-10 campaign started with a groin injury, after playing a big part in the team's WHL Championship last season. "Guggs" is ready to get back at it though. He's played lots in practice and expects to dress tomorrow night in Regina. Adam Brown has played well for the Rockets. At age 20, will Guggenberger just grab the starting job again or will he have to oust Brown to do so? That will sure be interesting to watch.

-the Broncos were able to quiet their former teammate Geordie Wudrick, who had scored five goals in seven games with the Rockets since his acquisition. He was held off the board and took two penalties.

-former Legionnaire Mackenzie Johnston saw quite a bit of ice time and was a +1 for Kelowna. The youngster is surprising a few people in his rookie season.

-Legionnaires' F. Colton Heffley, who's a Kelowna draft pick from the past bantam draft, was scheduled to suit up tonight with the Rockets. But they decided they had best not play him because of a recent wrist injury. He played for the Legionnaires on the weekend but WHL hockey is a lot faster, and apparently they thought the risk of getting re-injured may be greater. 

-Andy Blanke dropped the gloves and landed a couple good shots right on the nose of the Rockets' Mitch Chapman.

-Matt Tassone took a scary hit on the boards in the middle of period two. Recently returned from surgery on both shoulders, it almost looked like Tazz had re-injured something up there. The guy beside me in the stands insisted that Tassone's knee was feeling the pain, and not his upper body. He returned to the game later, so every worry was neutralized.

****

I other hockey news, the Swift Current Legionnaires will travel to Regina tomorrow night with two road wins in a row under their belts and try to claw some more points back in the race for playoffs.

It's yet uncertain, but team captain Dylan Balaski may just return to the lineup from a concussion injury tomorrow. 

The game will air live on the Legionnaires Broadcast Network starting with the pre-game show at 7:20 PM.

Day Off

I have taken and am taking the day off from blogging to recuperate after a fairly tiring weekend on the road.

Above is a nice winter shot within Swifty. And yes...winter is certainly here. -27 Celsius right now would second that notion.

The Broncos face the Rockets tomorrow night for the last home game before the Christmas break. They'll take off for their biennial U.S. road trip after that.

Click on "Regan's Rant" in the link list on the right to read more about how many connections the Rockets have to Swift Current.

More tomorrow after the game....

Legionnaires Sweep Weekend

Shaunavon's Dyson Stevenson (left) scored 25 seconds into the third period to lift the Swift Current Legionnaires to a 3-2 win over the Battlefords Stars this afternoon.

The win capped a very successful weekend for the Legionnaires, who won both games of a two-game set in North Battleford.

The road team was a bit sluggish off the hop and found itself down 2-0 early on. However, F. Dayton Reinboldt scored his 14th of the year late in the frame to cut the Stars' lead to 2-1. For a while there was no scoring, but with just under four minutes remaining in period two, Tanner Froese beat Stars' G. Taylor Mahon with a long shot to tie the game. The puck hit Mahon in the mask and then fell down behind him before slowly trickling across the goal line. Dyson Stevenson then scored early in the third on the power play to sink the Stars with the Legionnaires' third unanswered goal.

Lukas MacDonald was in goal and got his second win of the weekend with 34 saves.

They will travel to Regina to play the Pat Canadians on Wednesday night.

Legionnaires LIVE from North Battleford

The live play-by-play broadcast of today's SC Legionnaires' game in in North Battleford will stream on the Legionnaires Broadcast Network starting with the pre-game show at 2:20 PM. To listen, click the "Listen Live" link over there on the right, click "Join the Call," and then click "Join as Guest."

Having Fun

The Legionnaires were allowed to wander through the mall this morning to kill some time here in Battleford.

From left to right, Austin Connor, Dyson Stevenson, and Trent Winzer made the most of their time.


Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Legionnaires Down Stars 5-3

After the Legionnaires and Stars went at it tonight for an eight-goal third period, it was Swift Current that ended up with a 5-3 win in North Battleford. The road victory was their first road triumph of the season, and improved their record to 8-16-1-0.

Austin Connor, Pavlo Zerebecky, Dayton Reinboldt, and Brett Penner scored for the Legionnaires. Jeff Olson also scored. His goal was a big one with 5:04 remaining in the game and ended up being the game winner.

The Legionnaires' defense had a great night, only allowing 20 shots on goal. G. Lukas MacDonald picked up the win between the pipes, making 17 saves. 

****

Looked like the Broncos brought the Teddy Bears down early with a Dillon Wagner goal.

But from there, things obviously went sour. If you're an avid blog reader and want to recap some of the action in the comments, that would be awesome.

It's time for breakfast here at our hotel in NB......

Legionnaires LIVE from North Battleford

The live play-by-play broadcast of today's SC Legionnaires' game in in North Battleford will stream on the Legionnaires Broadcast Network starting with the pre-game show at 7:20 PM. To listen, click the "Listen Live" link over there on the right, click "Join the Call," and then click "Join as Guest."

Heading North

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Broncos Triple Warriors

The Broncos beat the Warriors for the fourth time this season with a 3-1 win on home ice tonight. 

-the game was a tough one to watch at times. The Broncos poured it on but just could not run the score up for some reason or other. It remained a 1-1 tie through 20 minutes and then a 2-1 Swift Current lead until Matt Tassone scored into the empty net to salt things away. The chances they had to bury were unreal; a wide open rebound chance here and a post hit there. That was how it went tonight. This all despite the huge shot advantage the home team had all game long.

-G. Mark Friesen got his first start in goal as a Bronco and was very good. Although mostly from far outside, the Warriors did get some quality chances in tight and he was there to stop them. He finished his first Bronco home game with 27 saves.

-the Broncos' passing almost seemed a bit off the mark tonight. Too often they made a great play up ice and the charging forwards failed to gain control of some very nice passes. That allowed the Warriors time and space to chip away and move the disc the other direction.

-Moose Jaw was missing D. Travis Hamonic and F. Jason Bast, the two best players on their squad. That is really hurting their cause. The Warriors have lost six of their last seven games.

-and Matt Tassone is definitely back. He scored a power play goal in the blue paint to put the Broncos ahead for good in the second period. He was then snake-bitten one or two glorious rebound opportunities and one break-away, before depositing the empty netter at a critical time. It's sure great to have Tazzy back in the line-up.

-Warriors' G. Jeff Bosch made 44 saves. The numbers speak for themselves. He had to be effective, only allowing two goals to that Bronco onslaught.

****

I am really busy getting set for two weekend Legionnaire broadcasts out of North Battleford. The first one will air tomorrow with the pre-game show at 7:20, and the second one will hit the airwaves at 2:20 PM Sunday afternoon. The show will feature a lot more new stuff, like Legionnaire player profiles and a few special interviews with Legionnaire players. To tune in, you can click on the "Listen Live" link at the top right of this page a while before, or during any road game.

Of course I'll miss tomorrow night's Bronco home game while in North Battleford, although I'll likely watch it out of the corner of my eye.

Could someone please throw a Teddy Bear for me?? :)

Musings

The Broncos reassigned G. Alex Sirard today to the Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL.

That means they'll likely go with two 19-year-old goalies up until close to the trade deadline and then pick which one they want to keep at that point.

Friesen and Clark should pressure each other into a competitive situation and for any team, that's never a bad thing to have in goal.   

****

Someone approached me earlier and asked why the news about Cody Eakin making Canada's selection camp was never on the blog. "He's the first player to do that since Ian White and you didn't blog it?" they said. Good point. I certainly want to wish Eaks all the best as he heads East for the WJ's. Stats don't lie. He's been the Broncos' best player this season. He deserves the chance to play for the nation, there's no question.

****

Meanwhile, the Broncos will host the Warriors tomorrow night for the second meeting in three days between the two teams. The Warriors have not won in Swift Current since March 2008.

Most fans I talked to in Moose Jaw on Tuesday were lamenting the bad injury to Jason Bast, which has really been hurting them lately. He's their undisputed leader on and off the ice and on top of that, a Moose Jaw product.  

****

The Legionnaires will bus to Battleford through the winter wonderland this Saturday for two meetings with the Stars.

They expect to have F. Austin Connor back from the lengthy injury list, as he got his cast off today.

The weekend will be a pivotal one for the hockey club. They'll enter with a 7-16-1-0 record and currently sit five points out of a playoff spot. They'll try to keep the Stars four points in the arrears, while catching the Moose Jaw Warriors.

The broadcast gear is all on track and good to go. The equipment was not compatible with my new BlackBerry. What we ended up doing was just using SaskTel's add-a-cell feature. We added head coach Regan Darby's old phone to my plan. The phone is perfect for the system. "That was easy." (although Staples wasn't involved) ;)

See you at the rink tomorrow night.

Raiders Outscore Broncos

To start, I didn't see much of the game tonight; maybe four minutes. The WHL webcast was awful. An error message kept popping up. I got in contact with another subscriber in a different part of the province and he had the same problem. For the league to charge $315 per year (for the entire subscription) and imply that "the quality has improved," is almost a farce. WHL Web TV is a pretty cool feature but personally I think it could be a lot better some nights for the aforementioned $315 per season.

So I had to listen to the game instead. That was fine too. 

****

Thoughts....

-the Raiders got hat tricks from Dustin Cameron and Brandon Herrod on their way to the 7-4 win and capitalized off a couple of sloppy plays by the Broncos, including a first period shorthanded goal that put them out in front 3-0 at that time.

-the Broncos' offense certainly got the job done, scoring four goals and getting 40 shots on goal. The power play went 2 for 5. That offensive performance should have been more than enough to beat PA. F. Adam Lowry scored two goals and by all accounts he did a good job out there. D. Joel Rogers got three assists tonight, and now has four points in the last two games. Of course I didn't see the game but it sure sounds like Dillon Wagner was, and is back to his old self. The last couple or three weeks he's been rather quiet. Last night's big performance in Moose Jaw obviously got him going, because by the sounds of things he had another good physical game tonight.

-unfortunately the play of G. Morgan Clark exemplified tonight why the Broncos went out and got him some competition. He can look really good for stretches in a game like last night, and then everything seems to change rather quickly, like in tonight's game. The Raiders beat him four times on 18 shots. He was lifted to start the third in favour of his newest teammate, Mark Friesen.  Friesen jumped in and allowed two goals in the third period but made a couple of quick saves as well.

-the Broncos went into the third trailing 4-1 and made things interesting by scoring two goals very early to make it 4-3. The Raiders though struck quickly after for a bit of a cushion again and did a good job wasting time from that point on. The turning point in the game was likely the Herrod goal immediately after the Broncos brought the score to 4-3. That seemed to deflate the road team.

The Broncos will face both Moose Jaw and P.A. again this weekend.

 

Broncos 6 Warriors 4

The Broncos scored five goals in the third period en route to a 6-4 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors in the Friendly City. D. Joel Rogers was credited with what would be the winning goal in the third period. The officials thought a player in front may have tipped it in with a high stick, but video review saw no evidence that it wasn't a good goal. Therefor it stood. F. Dillon Wagner finished the night with three points. The win moved the Broncos to 3-1 versus Moose Jaw this season.

Matt Tassone made his return to the line-up and looked a lot like his old self, powering past obstacles and bringing the physicality. 

The win was one both teams really needed and felt they could get. In the end Swift Current was more persistent, and Moose Jaw allowed them too much room in the third period. The Warriors stuck around for a while, tying the game twice in that frame but time became their enemy as the third period wore on. 

****

Earlier today, the Broncos made headlines by acquiring another 19-year-old goalie. The move has fans wondering if current starter Morgan Clark may be on the move, if the Broncos will choose to have two 19-year-old goalies around, or any other combination. Should be interesting moving forward. Clark has had his battles, but mostly with pucks in tight. From distance, he's been there when called upon and was exactly that tonight. In fact, there were times in the game where he saved his team's bacon.

**** 

Enough for tonight...I just got home. The roads were no fun. I was happy I didn't have to drive. Time for some rest.

Good night.

Inside the Crushed Can

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Broncos Acquire Friesen

Courtesy www.scbroncos.com:

Swift Current Broncos General Manager and Head Coach Mark Lamb has announced the club has acquired 19 year old goaltender Mark Friesen from the Chilliwack Bruins in exchange for a 3^rd round bantam pick in 2010.

Friesen, from Winkler Manitoba, is in his 3rd WHL season. The 5’11” goaltender has a career goals against average of 3.21 and a career save percentage of .904 in 99 regular season and playoff games.

 

Head coach and general manager Mark Lamb says: “We wanted to add some experienced depth to our goaltending position. We are confident in our goaltending as Mark has nearly 100 WHL games experience. He is a quick agile goaltender.” 

 

This is the third deal between the Broncos and Bruins since the end of the 2009 season.

 

****

More later...off to Moose Jaw...