Broncos find the win column on home ice
The Swift Current Broncos got into the win column in the Western Hockey League over the weekend.
Friday, Connor Hvidston scored twice in his return to the Broncos to lead the team to a 3-0 win over the visiting Calgary Hitmen.
The Broncos had lost their opening two games of the season until the Anaheim Ducks prospect returned with a pair of power play goals. Joey Rocha was equally as important with 33 saves for his second WHL shutout to improve to 1-2-0-0 on the season with Reid Dyck still sidelined due to injury.
The Broncos got on the scoreboard first in the opening period when Hvidston scored on the power play. Hvidston scored from in tight off a seeing eye centering feed from Brady Birnie.
The Broncos doubled the lead midway through the second period when Clarke Caswell found a rebound behind the goalie and tucked it home during four-onfour play.
The Broncos added an insurance goal early in the third period when Hvidston struck for his second.
Ethan Buenaventura made 26 saves to fall to 0-2-0-0 for the Hitmen.
Saturday, the Broncos
were defeated 6-3 by the host Brandon Wheat Kings after allowing the opening three goals of the game.
Mathew Ward scored twice for the Broncos to pull the team within one goal early in the third period. Charlie Elick quickly replied for the home team before Caleb Wyrostok answered for the Broncos with his first
goal of the season.
Brett Hyland and Rylen Roersma counted for the Wheat Kings to put the game out of reach.
Former Bronco Kayden Sadhra-kang, Dominik Petr, and Jayden Wiens had all scored to build up the three-goal cushion.
Rocha took the loss with 23 saves on 28 shots. Carson Bjarnason
earned the win with 34 saves on 37 shots.
The Broncos finished one-for-four on the power play, while the Wheat Kings were onefor-three.
The Broncos will host the Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday before departing for a five-game road trip through the B.C. Division.
Broncos Bits: the
Broncos made a trade last week to added defenseman Zach Turner from the Brandon Wheat Kings for a sixth-round pick in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft. The Broncos also parted ways with overage defenseman Adam Mcnutt after he cleared CHL waivers. Mcnutt played 61 games over parts of two seasons in Swift
Current after being acquired from the Regina Pats. Veteran forward Josh Filmon returned to the Broncos line-up on Saturday after returning from the New Jersey Devils. The Winnipeg product was one of the top goal scorers in the WHL last season with 47 goals in 64 games during his third WHL campaign.