Humboldt Broncos claim league title
The Humboldt Broncos are back on top.
The Broncos claimed their fourth SJHL title in a six-season span Friday, beating the host Weyburn Red Wings 6-0 to win the bestof-seven Canalta Cup in six games.
Humboldt won league titles in 2007, ’08 and ’09 before the La Ronge Ice Wolves won back-to-back championships in the past two seasons. Dean Brockman has been the Broncos’ head coach and general manager for all four of their championships.
“When you win a few times in a row, you constantly doubt your ability to be able to do it again,” Brockman said from Weyburn. “It’s pretty satisfying to know that I’m still able to do something like this.”
It was the first SJHL title for Broncos goalie Matt Hrynkiw, but he felt much the same as Brockman.
“Everybody bought in and it was a whole team effort,” Hrynkiw said.
“There was never a doubt, but to finally get it done is just indescribable.”
The Broncos move on to play the Portage Terriers in the Anavet Cup, an annual best-of-seven series between the champions of the SJHL and MJHL. That series is slated to begin in Humboldt next Friday.
Normally, the team that wins the Anavet Cup represents the West region at the RBC Cup national junior A championship tournament. However, because the Broncos are the host team for the 2012 tournament, Portage automatically is in the event as the West team.
That’s not to say, however, that the Broncos are going to give up on the Anavet Cup.
“We’ve said from Day 1, ‘These are the steps we’ve got to take,’ ’’ Brockman said. “The first step is finishing first (overall) in the league. Another is winning the league.
“It’s the last Anavet (the series is to be replaced next season by a Western Canadian championship tournament), so we want to make sure we give ourselves an opportunity to bring that cup back to Saskatchewan.”
On Friday, Humboldt took a 1-0 lead at 12:36 of the first period when Andrew Johnston fired a wrist shot past Red Wings goalie Mitch Kilgore.
Johnston scored his second goal of the game at 1:36 of the second period, banging in the rebound of a Josh Roach shot.
Robbie Ciolfi made it 3-0 at 7:48, picking the top corner on a power play for his 15th goal in 16 games this post-season.
Johnston completed his hat trick at 12:53, when his shot hit Kilgore, went up in the air and bounced into the Weyburn net.
It was the fifth goal in two games for Johnston, who hadn’t scored in the first four games of the series before breaking out with a pair of goals in Game 5.
Matt Glowa and Emrik Guillemette added third-period goals for the Broncos.
Hrynkiw made 33 saves to post his second shutout in three games. He played in the series opener, backed up Colin Dzijacky in games 2 and 3 and then backstopped Humboldt to three straight victories to end the series.
The Red Wings played Friday’s contest without forward Jesse Ross, who was suspended by the league on Thursday for a slashing major he received at the end of Game 5 on Tuesday.
Ross, who led the league in goals (46) and points (91) during the regular season, was represented on the ice, however. His jersey number, 16, was painted near the centre-ice faceoff circle.
Kilgore, who stopped 21 shots on Friday, was named the playoff MVP.