Friday recap:
The Broncos moved one win away from clinching another post-season birth following a 5-3 victory over the Yorkton Terriers on Friday night. 58 points is now the magic number to break into the playoffs. The Broncos reached 56 points snapping a two-game slump in the process.
In the culmination of another season series, the Broncos navigated through 60-minutes with no alarming needs for attention. Effort and simplified execution were on clear display leading to a much better outcome then seen on Wednesday night against Weyburn.
Humboldt opened a 3-0 lead throughout the first half. Cade Kennedy scored his 12th on a powerplay. Michael Dowdall converted a penalty shot for his 4th goal of the season, and Ryder Knutson picked up a goal and an assist on the night reaching the 20-point plateau in his sophomore season.
Maddox Amaral, who recently committed to Nipissing University, added a pair of goals his 11th and 12th of the season to round out the Broncos scoring.
Yorkton picked up two tallies from Tate Schofer, and another by David Coyle.
The Terriers had a rallying push in the third period outshooting the Broncos 27-9 in the final frame alone, and 50-36 overall, but Dazza Mitchell was brilliant and calm throughout making 47 saves.
The Broncos powerplay came to life, notching two goals on three attempts, while their penalty kill stopped 4/5.
The win helped Humboldt keep pace, however, with Battlefords and Melville both securing victories on the same night, there was no movement from their current 7th place standing.
Saturday recap:
The Broncos couldn’t stop the streaking Melville Millionaires but managed a point in a 3-2 shootout loss.
Melville extended their winning streak to 11 games with the win.
Humboldt was unable to officially clinch a playoff spot but trimmed their magic number down to one. A Broncos victory in their final four games or a loss by La Ronge in their final four games would seal Humboldt’s playoff fate.
There was some good news for the Broncos on Saturday as Conner Miller returned to the lineup after being sidelined over the last month with an injury.
Rylan Hue and Jacob Strizzi scored for Humboldt on Saturday night, with Miller drawing an assist on Strizzi’s goal.
Dazza Mitchell made 29 saves in the loss.
One night after going 2/3 on the extra-man advantage, the Broncos struggled on the power play, going 0/6.
With the shootout loss, Humboldt remains one point back of Battlefords for sixth spot in the SJHL standings, heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
The Broncos will close out the home portion of their schedule this weekend, beginning on Saturday when they host the Notre Dame Hounds in the final encounter between the two teams. Currently, the last Hounds victory at the Duncan McNeill Arena was against the Broncos back on November 27, 2024.
On Sunday, Humboldt hosts Kindersley, in a game that could have playoff implications for both teams. The Klippers lead the Ice Wolves by one point for the final playoff spot in the SJHL.
The final two games for the Broncos will be on the road, Tuesday, March 11 in Weyburn and Friday, March 14 in Nipawin.