The Humboldt Broncos keep on rolling after the Christmas break as they knocked off the Notre Dame Hounds 3-2 at the EPA on Jan. 15 in their lone game of the week. Their Jan. 12 home contest against the Kindersley Klippers was postponed.
An early penalty put the Broncos behind the eight-ball as the Hounds capitalized on the power play to take a 1-0 lead but they responded with a dominant first period.
The Broncos outshot the Hounds 15-6 in the period and scored three times.
The first Broncos goal came off the stick of newly acquired Bronco Brett Horn who converted a fantastic pass from Connor Swystun to tie the score at one.
The goal was Horn’s first in exactly two months and first as a Bronco making the goal that much sweeter, he said.
“It’s always nice to break the ice with the guys so it was a pretty important goal.”
The Broncos continued carrying the pace of play following the Horn goal as Brayden Camrud and Laramie Kostelansky both found the back of the net to give the Broncos a 3-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
Jumping out to a quick lead was part of the game plan for the Broncos, says Horn, especially given that Notre Dame came into the game on the third night of a back-to-back-to-back.
“They did fight back but I think our ability to roll all the lines and get on them and pressure the puck at all times it really wore them down it was definitely a part of our game.”
The Broncos continued carrying the pace of play in the second period as they outshot the Hounds 16-7 but were unable to find the back of the net as the teams went into the second intermission with the Broncos leading 3-1.
The Hounds responded with a great third period scoring early but the Broncos refused to break as they hung on for a 3-2 win.
Garrett Mason was good when called upon for the Broncos as he turned aside 26 of 28 shots to pick up his 17th win of the season.
Despite the win Horn noted that there were a couple of things the team needs to tighten up in their own zone, noting that his line is among them as they were caught on the ice for a goal against.
Looking ahead the Broncos head out on the road for a southern road trip as they visit the Estevan Bruins on Jan. 20 and the Weyburn Red Wings on Jan. 21.
Having a good week of practice is going to be key for the Broncos says Horn, who notes they are tough teams to play against.
“It’s a tough swing down there with those two teams. They like to play pretty tough and hard nosed games so if we can match that and roll all the lines then we should be alright,” says Horn.
SJHL Standings
As of Jan. 17
Pos. Team GP W L OTL SOL PTS GF GA LAST 10
1 Battlefords North Stars 42 34 7 1 0 69 160 83 8-1-1-0
2 Flin Flon Bombers 41 27 10 2 2 58 158 111 8-2-0-0
3 Estevan Bruins 40 26 13 0 1 53 162 140 5-5-0-0
4 Nipawin Hawks 38 23 12 2 1 49 125 82 8-2-0-0
5 Humboldt Broncos 40 23 16 0 1 47 130 119 6-4-0-0
6 Weyburn Red Wings 43 18 20 1 4 41 117 134 2-7-1-0
7 Melfort Mustangs 40 17 17 2 4 40 129 141 5-3-1-1
8 Yorkton Terriers 41 18 20 3 0 39 108 140 5-5-0-0
9 Notre Dame Hounds 39 17 18 3 1 38 119 119 3-7-0-0
10 Kindersley Klippers 41 17 23 1 0 35 123 140 6-4-0-0
11 Melville Millionaires 39 16 21 2 0 34 93 123 3-6-1-0
12 La Ronge Ice Wolves 40 6 29 1 4 17 73 165 0-9-1-0
Top 5 Broncos Scorers
As of Jan. 17
Player GP G A PTS
Chris Van Os-Shaw 39 28 21 49
Trevor Posch 30 15 15 30
Tristen Elder 32 14 11 25
Connor Swystun 35 3 22 25
Brett Horn 36 9 15 24