The Swift Current Broncos fell to the Saskatoon Blades by a 5-4 score on Friday night at the InnovationPlex.
With players like Connor Hvidston, and Caleb Wyrostok still out of the lineup, and Mat Ward also missing the game, the Broncos got off to a fantastic start. Tyson Laventure scored just 1:21 into the game, extending his point streak to 12 games. Then, Luke Mistelbacher got his second of the year as the Broncos held a 2-0 after just four minutes and three shots on goal.
However, some penalty trouble got in the Broncos way as three powerplay opportunities were given to the Blades, scoring on one to make it 2-1 after the first period.
In the second, a pair of Brandon Lisowsky goals made it 3-2, one of which was a powerplay goal, and a Rowan Calvert shorthanded goal made it 4-2 Blades through 2 periods.
Broncos Assistant Coach Taras McEwen said it was a lack of details at points in the game.
“Just a lack of details in the second period, and on our powerplay and the shorthanded goal, and their two powerplay goals,” he said. “Just a lack of detail in those areas, that’ll come back to haunt you.”
In the third period, Brady Birnie scored on a sharp angle halfway through the third period to bring things back to within one, and the Broncos continued to push but the Blades made it 5-3 with an Egor Sidorov goal and the Broncos were unable to get another one until four seconds remained in the third when Rylan Gould knocked one home, but it was too little too late for the Broncos.
And while the Broncos were missing a number of key players, McEwen said they aren’t looking for excuses.
“Regardless of who’s in the lineup, who’s not,” McEwen said. “We still think we have a good enough team to compete on any given night even though we had some young guys, we liked the young guys.”
Swift Current product Parker Rondeau and Shaunavon’s own Mason Fauser made their WHL debuts in the contest as well.
The Broncos are now 9-9-1-0 on the year and will be back in action on Tuesday when the Medicine Hat Tigers come to town.