The Swift Current Broncos have now won four straight games after a 5-2 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors on Monday night.
It was a big game in the standings with the teams separated by just six points separating the two clubs, and the Broncos ultimately came out on top. Broncos Assistant Coach Regan Darby said it was pretty close to a full 60-minute effort for his club.
“The guys were ready to go,” Darby said. “These are the games that the guys want to play. It had a real good playoff feel to it and the guys battled right until the end.”
Owen Pickering got the Broncos on the board with a powerplay goal about halfway through the first period, and things took off from there. Brayden Schuurman responded for the Warriors less than a minute later to tie things up.
Physical play ramped up in the first which included a fight between Caleb Wyrostok and Max Finley. It was a fight that seemed to spark the Broncos who then struck twice in the final minutes of the first as Brady Birnie and Connor Hvidston scored to give the Broncos a 3-1 lead after one period.
The Warriors were the only team to get on the board in the second as Owen Berge brought things back to within a goal.
In the third period, the Broncos got a goal from Ty Coupland just over three minutes in to restore the two-goal lead. Both teams had their chances in the third, but the Broncos were able to lock things down which included one big penalty kill in the third, and three overall.
Darby added that it was great to see the penalty kill succeed tonight.
“The guys are just killing with passion and they’re putting their bodies in front of shots,” he said. “They’re getting sticks in lanes, they’re doing everything they can to win battles.”
Ryan McCleary added an empty netter to seal the deal for the Broncos.
Reid Dyck stopped 25 of 27 shots he faced in the victory.
The Broncos are back in action on Friday, hosting Medicine Hat.