Gennaro’s OT heroics put Swift Current back on track
The Swift Current Broncos would have been playing for their Western Hockey League playoff lives Friday had it not been for the heroics of centre Matteo Gennaro.
The St. Albert product scored a hat trick, including the game-winner in double overtime, in Game 4 of their second-round series against the Moose Jaw Warriors on Wednesday.
Gennaro’s winner evened the best-of-seven series at 2-2, setting up Game 5 in Moose Jaw on Friday. The Broncos now lead the series after a 2-0 win Friday. They got goals from Kaden Elder and Giorgio Estephan and a 35-save shutout performance from goalie Stuart Skinner.
Gennaro has been a driving force for Swift Current through the second half of the season and into the playoffs since being acquired from the Calgary Hitmen midway through the year.
He’s got six goals and two assists in 12 playoff games for Swift Current, who loaded up prior to the WHL trade deadline for a run at a championship.
Gennaro’scontributioninGame4 could prove vital if the Broncos can get past the Warriors in the highly anticipated matchup between the two best teams in the regular season.
Gennaro, 21, has had big games through his five-year WHL career, but Wednesday may have been his biggest.
“It was just an intense game throughout,” he said. “As it went into double overtime, the stakes were just that much more.”
The series has lived up to the billing.
Moose Jaw won the opener 5-3 at home, then were soundly beaten 4-0 in Game 2.
The Warriors rebounded to win Game 3 5-4 in overtime before Gennaro’s hat trick paced the Broncos to a 3-2 win in Game 4, setting up Friday’s 2-0 win.
A seventh-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets in 2015, Gennaro has had a distinguished WHL career. He’s thankful for the opportunity to contend for a championship in his final year of junior hockey.
“When I did get moved to Swift, I was pretty excited, and hearing from Manny Viveiros, our head coach and GM, he said this is the year we’re going to make a run for it,” Gennaro said. “We wanted nothing less than to win a championship. As an overage guy, that’s all you can ask for, and it’s been a smooth transition for me.”