Broncos within reach of division lead after two home wins
The Swift Current Broncos won both home games last week to move within one point of the Central Division lead.
Wednesday, the Broncos inched closer to a playoff spot with an 8-2 win over the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. Clarke Caswell led the Broncos with two goals and one assist as seven different skaters found the back of the net.
The Broncos got goals from Caswell, Luke Mistelbacher, and Connor Hvidston to lead 3-1 after one period. Gavin Hodnett replied for the Oil Kings in a hard-hitting opening frame.
Ty Coupland added to the lead in the second period with his 11th goal of the season.
Tyson Galloway made it 5-1 early in the third period and Mathew Ward added a power play goal, but Cole Miller replied with a power play goal for the Oil Kings. Brady Birnie and Caswell added late goals to close the scoring.
Reid Dyck made 21 saves for his 10th straight win.
Saturday, the Broncos got goals from six different skaters to defeat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 2,865 fans at the Innovationplex.
The Broncos took the lead in the first period with a power
play goal from captain Owen Pickering.
The Wheat Kings tied the game 1:48 into the second period with a Jayden Wiens goal and took the lead 38 seconds later with a Matteo Michaels goal. The Broncos quickly tied the game with a four-on-four goal from defenseman Ryan Mccleary when he picked the top corner. Josh Filmon quickly
restored the lead with a deflection goal, his 26th of the season. Minutes later, the Broncos doubled the lead when Clarke Caswell scored into a gaping net on a perfect two-on-one pass from Mistelbacher.
The Wheat Kings closed the gap with a Caleb Hadland goal in the third period, but Ward responded with a goal 16 seconds later to restore the two-goal
lead. Conor Geekie scored into the empty net to seal the win.
Dyck made 15 saves to improve to 22-6-2-0 for the Broncos.
The Broncos improved to 35-20-4-2, fourth in the Eastern Conference, only one point back of the Medicine Hat Tigers for the Central Division lead with two games in hand.
The Broncos will play three
games in as many days this weekend, beginning Friday when they host the Medicine Hat Tigers and will rematch Saturday in Medicine Hat. The Broncos lead the season series by a 5-1-1-0 margin.
The Broncos will also visit the Edmonton Oil Kings on Sunday. The Broncos will host the fifth-place Red Deer Rebels on Wednesday .