The Swift Current Broncos (22-19-1-2) and Everett Silvertips (23-21-1-0) played an entertaining game in front of 7,400 fans at the Angel of the Winds Arena Saturday night, with the home side taking a 4-3 overtime win.
The Broncos jumped out of the gate with some early chances, including a breakaway for Josh Davies who was denied by the left pad of Tyler Palmer.
After the Broncos iced the puck, the Silvertips would take a 1-0 lead. Sending out their top line against a tired Broncos group, Kaden Hammell threw the puck on net from the blue line, and Austin Roest jammed in the loose puck during a goal-mouth scramble to make it 1-0.
Swift Current responded perfectly to the adversity, tying the game less than a minute late. Drew Englot won a faceoff cleanly in the Everett zone and the puck went right to the tape of Davies who snapped a shot over the glove of Palmer to tie the game.
Just 18 seconds later the Broncos would take a 2-1 lead. Connor Hvidston skated into the Everett zone on a two-on-one rush and tried to toe drag around the Silvertip defender. The puck was knocked off his stick, but slid across the crease to Caleb Wyrostok who tapped it into the open net for his 15th of the season.
The Broncos carried the 2-1 lead into the intermission, outshooting Everett 14-8.
A tough start to the second period saw the Silvertips tie the game early. Jackson Berezowski picked up a loose puck in the high slot before turning and firing toward the goal, handcuffing Reid Dyck to tie the game at two. The goal came just 1:44 into the period.
Five minutes later, while on the power play, the Broncos regained the lead. Mathew Ward picked up the loose puck along the right-wing boards and sent it to the slot for Josh Filmon. Filmon took the pass and quickly fired a shot past the blocker of Palmer for his 32nd of the year.
Everett would once again tie the game four minutes later. After winning a board battle to get the puck, Austin Roest fired a shot from the slot that was stopped by Dyck. The rebound went up the slot for Jesse Heslop who fired it in, tying the game at three 10:46 into the second.
The Broncos survived a 1:08 long five-on-three penalty kill sequence late in the second period to get to the intermission tied at three.
While both teams had eight shots in the third period, the crowd was on the edge of their seat for the entirety of the final frame as both teams had great chances to end the game in regulation.
Swift Current gathered a point by getting into overtime, but suffered their first overtime loss of the year. Ben Hemmerling gained the Bronco line on right wing, cut toward the net and slid the puck in on his backhand while tumbling over the Broncos goaltender.
The Broncos argued about potential goalie interference on the goal, and the officials went to the penalty box to review the play, but it was eventually called a good goal as the Silvertips took the game 4-3.
Swift Current now looks to their next game on Tuesday against the Seattle Thunderbirds (33-8-1-1).