HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt Broncos are seeking success on the road.
As the visitors this past weekend, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League club fell 6-3 to the Battlefords North Stars and rebounded to beat the Kindersley Klippers, 5-1, the next night.
This started a stretch of five straight games away from the friendly confines of the Elgar Petersen Arena. The team, 3-1 after the weekend, is slated to play eight of its first 10 games away from Humboldt. Broncos head coach Scott Barney said having a stretch of road games can be positive.
“Sometimes it’s good for bonding, especially early in the season,” he said. “Get the chemistry better, build the camaraderie between the players … but it’s tough to win on the road. It’ll be good for our club overall and hopefully it goes in a positive way for us.”
Before taking to the road, the squad was supposed to play its second game in a row at home but its contest last week against Melville was postponed out of caution for a positive case associated with the Millionaires organization. Last Friday the Broncos and North Stars were tied at 1-1 and 3-3 at the intermissions. Battlefords scored three times in the third, including an empty netter, to take the victory.
“I think the difference on Friday for us was we made too many costly errors, which led to Battlefords getting different odd man rushes at various points of the game,” Barney said. “Battlefords has got a strong team over there and they are going to play hard every night.”
On Saturday, the Broncos bounced back to down the host Klippers. After a 1-1 first period, the Broncos outshot the Klippers 12-5 and outscored them 4-0 in the second frame. Neither team scored in the third. Humboldt netminder Rayce Ramsay finished with 25 saves.
“After Friday’s loss, I think we had some good meetings and some good video sessions and the guys came out really hard all three periods there in the Kindersley game,” Barney said. “It was great to see the guys bounce back with a really strong effort after the game on Friday.”
This week the Broncos play two games at the SJHL Showcase in Warman - against Weyburn and Estevan – and visit the Battlefords North Stars on Friday. They return to the EPA on Saturday to host the North Stars.
Bus rides in the SJHL provide hours for the players to be together and get to know each other. This could be important for a Bronco bunch with many new faces.
“I enjoy just relaxing and talking with the guys on the way there and then doing the same with on the way back,” said veteran forward Logan Kurki.
If the opening weekend is any indication, the Broncos will return home to a large, enthusiastic crowd. For the home opener, the team’s lone home game so far, 1,252 fans were in the EPA. That was the largest reported attendance on the SJHL’s opening weekend.
SJHL Showcase
The Broncos begin this week in Warman at the SJHL Showcase. The event brings all of the league’s teams to one place. This makes it easy for scouts from various levels and leagues across North America to come watch.
“This event allows players to showcase their talent in front of over 200 scouts,” said Logan Foster, the SJHL’s director of marketing and communications. “The event provides scouts the ability to fly into Saskatoon and watch all 12 teams from one single arena. A scout can then do all their prospecting early in the year to see how the players progress throughout the year.”
The league and SaskTel Max announced that fans will be able to watch the showcase games on TV. They will be shown on SaskTel maxTV and maxTV Stream channels 49 and 349.
The Broncos last week
Friday, Oct. 1 in North Battleford
Battlefords 6, Humboldt 3
Broncos Scorers: Logan Kurki, Samuel Marburg, Alec Saretzky
North Stars Scorers: Dylan Esau (2), Kevin-Thomas Walters, Holden Doell, Bradley Blake, Jake Southgate
Goalies: Rayce Ramsay, Humboldt, 28 saves on 33 shots; Ulrik Roussel, Battlefords, 25 on 28
Attendance: 413
Notes: The game was tied 1-1 after the first period. Humboldt took a 2-1 early in the second. The North Stars equalized quickly but Marburg’s power play goal gave the Broncos back the lead, 3-2. Southgate scored shorthanded to knot the gate at 3-3 before the send of the second. Battlefords outscored Humboldt, 3-0, including an empty net goal, in the third.
Saturday, Oct. 2 in Kindersley
Humboldt 5, Kindersley 1
Broncos Scorers: Alec Saretzky (2), Lucas Ceccarelli (2), Braiden Koran
Klippers Scorer: Jaxon Georget
Goalies: Rayce Ramsay, Humboldt, 25 saves on 26 shots; Matthew Presenti, Kindersley, 26 on 31
Notes: After the first period ended tied at 1-1, the Broncos exploded for four second period goals. One of those came on the powerplay. Humboldt was 1-for-7 with the man advantage. The Broncos stopped all seven of Kindersley’s power play opportunities.
This Week
At the SJHL Showcase, the Broncos were slated to play Weyburn Monday and Estevan on Wednesday in Warman. The Broncos stay on the road to play the Battlefords North Stars on Friday, before hosting that club on Saturday. On Oct. 12, the Humboldt team is in Wilcox to play the Notre Dame Hounds.
