It hasn’t been a breeze holding off the Hurricanes
‘Resilient’ Lethbridge squad giving favoured Broncos all they can handle
SWIFT CURRENT The Swift Current Broncos are learning to feel good about being lucky.
The WHL club didn’t require much karmic intervention en route to the league’s No. 2 record this season, but you often need more than a superb lineup and top-notch coaching to maintain that level of excellence in the playoffs.
It also takes some good fortune. The Broncos needed a little of everything when they faced two elite teams — the Regina Pats and Moose Jaw Warriors — in the opening two rounds of the postseason.
Swift Current managed to win each series in seven games, advancing to the Eastern Conference final against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
The ’Canes were not a top team in the regular season, but they sure looked like one over the weekend despite opening the best-of-seven matchup with a pair of one-goal losses — 3-2 in Game 1 and 4-3 (in overtime) in Game 2.
“You could tell they’re a resilient team,” said Broncos centre Giorgio Estephan, who scored three goals, including the OT winner, in Saturday’s triumph at the Credit Union iplex.
“We’ve been up 2-0 twice and they’ve come back on us twice. Knowing that, we can’t take them lightly. They ’ve really been speedy and putting pressure on us. We have to learn from our mistakes even though we didn’t learn from Game 1.
“We were lucky we got out with a win.”
The Broncos also recognize that it’s all part of the equipment at playoff time — when the margin for error is razor thin and superior talent can be trumped by determination and execution.
The underdog Hurricanes are making a strong case after they finished 16th out of 22 WHL teams in the regular season. With help from key veterans like goalie Logan Flodell and forward Brad Morrison, their promising young squad has come of age in the playoffs, needing just five games apiece to eliminate the Red Deer Rebels and Brandon Wheat Kings.
“Maybe the media is surprised, but we’re not surprised how good Lethbridge is,” said Broncos head coach Manny Viveiros. “We knew they’re a good hockey team. They have great goaltending and they ’re well coached. If we don’t play well, they can beat us.”
With a little more luck, either of the first two games might have ended in favour of the Hurricanes, who overcame an early 2-0 deficit both times, but couldn’t quite finish the job.
In Friday’s series opener, their third-period comeback was halted when Aleksi Heponiemi scored the eventual game-winner — his first career playoff goal — with 8:49 left in regulation.
One night later, Estephan scored twice in 55 seconds to give Swift Current a 2-0 lead before the game was five minutes old. Jordy Bellerive, Dylan Cozens (penalty shot) and Jadon Joseph responded in the second period, but Heponiemi tied it midway through the third and Estephan completed the comeback at 9:41 of OT.
The Broncos also needed goalie Stuart Skinner to be sharp in both games, keeping the well-rested visitors at bay.
“I thought Lethbridge played really well again,” Viveiros said Saturday after his team was outshot for the second straight night — 39-33 in Game 2 and 4130 in Game 1. “We were fortunate again to get a win, but that’s playoff hockey. I’m certainly not going to apologize for that by any means.”
Nor will Viveiros complain if his players take matters into their own hands when the series moves to Lethbridge for Game 3 on Tuesday and Game 4 on Wednesday.
After playing well “in spurts” over the weekend, Swift Current will be looking for more consistency on the road.
“You still haven’t seen our best game,” said centre Matteo Gennaro. “We definitely have more to give.”
The Broncos might have to do more with less after losing two of their top players to undisclosed injuries. Defenceman Artyom Minulin was hurt in Game 1 and centre Glenn Gawdin was knocked out of Game 2, leaving them as question marks for Tuesday.