It’s back to the EPA for the Humboldt Broncos and the Weyburn Red Wings as they’ll sort the first round of SJHL playoffs in a seventh game tomorrow night, April 2.
The Broncos trekked to Weyburn on Sunday night with a 3-2 series lead, working to close out with a win at Crescent Point Place after a spectacular win on Friday night on home ice.
As has been their calling card during the regular season, the Broncos struck fast and first when Travis Bryson opened scoring on a power play within the 2-minute mark.
The Broncos found themselves in penalty trouble in the early going of the second period as a pair of calls against them put Weyburn in a 5-3 advantage. Jerome Maharaj took advantage and put one past Ben Motew to even it up.
Maddox Amaral energized the Broncos and electrified the crowd with some behind the net sleight-of-stick as he conjured up a picture-perfect Michigan wraparound to bounce the puck off Weyburn goalie Dazza Mitchell and into the net to take the lead.
That maneuver sparked the Broncos to another pair in the third, one early in the period courtesy of Matthew Van Blaricom and a rolling empty netter from Spence Bell to give him his first of the playoffs and the Broncos the game 5 win.
As expected, Sunday night’s game 6 was a spare-nothing effort on all fronts. The back-and-forth attacks and outstanding defensive work from both teams led to a stalemate at the end of the first.
Jaxson Ruthven fired one past Ben Motew early in the second to open the scoring. Ten minutes further in the period, Maddox Amaral acted as the key to jump start the Broncos once again and put the Red Wings on their heels for the remainder of the period.
In the final minutes of the third, a mad scramble in front of the Broncos net led to an unmoored goal post and a delay of game penalty charged to the Broncos. The Red Wings took that opportunity, off an effort by Matthew Hodson with a minute left, to force game 7.
Calling all Bronco fans to the EPA on Tuesday night, April 2 for the finale of round one. Game time is 7:30 pm, and you can catch the play call here on 107.5 Bolt FM.