HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt Broncos are hoping to gallop past the La Ronge Ice Wolves this week.
The second seeded Humboldt Broncos opened the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoffs with a 6-4 victory over the No. 7 La Ronge Ice Wolves last Friday. The next night the Ice Wolves shut out the Broncos, 2-0, to even the best-of-seven series at 1-1.
The series now heads to La Ronge for two games. The teams tangle at the Mel Hegland Uniplex on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We just need to focus on playing our game, which is controlling the puck and using our speed. … We have total faith in our players and are looking forward to Game 3 up in La Ronge,” Broncos head coach Scott Barney said.
The series will return to the Elgar Petersen Arena on Friday for Game 5. If necessary, the sixth contest would be in La Ronge on Sunday while the seventh game would be in Humboldt on March 29.
On the series’ first weekend, the Broncos had an enthusiastic crowd cheering on the team. The squad had an average attendance of 847 – 904 on Friday and 789 the next.
“The atmosphere was electric, it was the loudest I have heard it in there in a while,” veteran Broncos forward Braiden Koran said. “The fans’ support gets our team’s energy up, which ultimately makes us play better.”
Last Friday was the first time the two teams had played since November. Humboldt won three of the regular season contests between the two clubs, including picking up a shootout victory. The Broncos (45-13-0-0 in the regular season) had an SJHL-best 25-4-0-0 record. The Ice Wolves (29-24-1-4) were one of the few teams to hand the Humboldt team a home loss.
In the SJHL regular season, the Ice Wolves (1,562 penalty minutes) and Broncos (1,546) were the league’s most penalized teams. So, it was not surprising that special teams played a role in the first two games of the series. Both teams scored four goals with the man advantage. La Ronge’s power play was operating at 90 per cent while the Broncos were at 57.1 per cent. In the Ice Wolves’ Saturday victory both goals came on the powerplay. Barney joked that it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that the team needs to be more disciplined than in Game 2.
Game 1
Broncos 6, Ice Wolves 4
After the Ice Wolves scored early in the first period, the goals came in bunches last Friday night. Alex Morozoff’s even strength marker was sandwiched in between power play goals by Braiden Koran and Rhett Gibson in the first period. In the second session, La Ronge scored three times to rally from a 3-1 deficit to lead 4-3 at the second intermission. Two of those goals came on the power play while one was shorthanded.
In the third, the Broncos galloped again. Gibson got his second of the night on a powerplay. Alec Saretzky also lit the lamp with the man advantage. Defenceman Nicksha Eric capped the contest with an empty net goal.
“We got a little too comfortable, let them back in the game but battled through in the end and came out with a win, which is the most important part,” Saretzky said.
LeRoy’s Connor McGrath was a big factor as he recorded five goals. Defenceman Cody Hough had two assists. Humboldt goalie Rayce Ramsay made 21 saves on 25 shots to earn the win. La Ronge’s Xavier Cannon stopped 40 of the 45 shots sent his way.
Game 2
Ice Wolves 2, Bronco 0
On Saturday night, Cannon made 28 saves to shut out the Broncos. Ramsay only allowed two goals – as previously noted, both came on the power play. La Ronge was 2-for-8 with the man advantage. Humboldt was 0-for-2 on the powerplay.
“It's definitely not the outcome that we wanted but that's the beauty of a seven-game series,” said Carter Hansen, the Humboldt Broncos' assistant coach. “Some nights it's yours, some nights it's theirs and I think we just got to regroup and now get to Game 3.”
The Broncos last week
SJHL First Round Playoffs
Humboldt vs La Ronge
Series tied 1-1, as of Sunday
Game 1
Friday, March 18 in Humboldt
Humboldt 6, La Ronge 4
Broncos Scorers: Rhett Gibson (2), Alex Morozoff, Nicksha Eric, Braiden Koran, Alec Saretzky
Ice Wolves Scorers: Holden Knights (2), Mkyllan Couture, Brandon Della Paolera
Goalies: Rayce Ramsay, Humboldt, 21 saves on 25; Xavier Cannon, La Ronge, 40 on 45
Attendance: 904
Notes: The Broncos led 3-1 after the first period. La Ronge scored three times in the second to go up 4-3. In the third, Humboldt scored two powerplay goals and added an empty net marker.
Game 2
Friday, March 19 in Humboldt
La Ronge 2, Humboldt 0
Ice Wolves Scorers: Nate Looft, Ethan Strik
Goalies: Rayce Ramsay, Humboldt, 24 saves on 26; Xavier Cannon, La Ronge, 28 on 28
Attendance: 789
Notes: In between scoreless first and third period, the Ice Wolves scored a pair of powerplay goals in the second session.
This Week
The Humboldt Broncos and La Ronge Ice Wolves continue their best-of-seven first round series. La Ronge hosts Game 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday. The series returns to Humboldt for Game 5 on Friday. If necessary, game six is in La Ronge on Sunday and Humboldt would host Game 7 on March 29.
