BHP Recap: Broncos Extended Winning Streak to 3, Defeat Bruins 6-2
Pat Lanthier celebrates his 11th goal of the season
Photo: Marla Possberg Photography The Humboldt Broncos have picked up their 8th victory in the past 10 games to put themselves within striking distance of 2nd and 3rd place in the SJHL standings.
Hosting Estevan on Wednesday night, the Bruins were the only team remaining in the SJHL this season that the Broncos failed to register a win against. All that changed with a 6-2 victory, moving them one point back of the Battlefords North Stars.
Estevan is currently going through a brutal stretch of injuries and suspensions resulting in a thinned roster for Wednesday’s showdown. Although Humboldt controlled 90% of the 60 minutes. The opening 10 minutes, and the opening goal were capatalized by the Bruins.
Felix Allard sniped his 19th of the season, which leads all defensamn in the SJHL.
The first period media timeout came shortly following the 1-0 marker. The Broncos used it to calm themselves back into action, and took over from there on out. This was the first game for Humboldt in 11 days, who seemed to need the initial 10 minutes to get back up to game speed.
Humboldt scored three goals in under five minutes to finish out the first period.
Pat Lanthier scored a highlight reel goal as he was falling down on his stomach for his 11th of the season.
Brayden Skogstad tipped in a Connor Thue point shot for his 9th of the year.
Finally, Matthew Van Blaricom intercepted a pass along his own blue line, took it down the ice on a breakaway, deked out netminder Jackson Miller and slipped home his 25th.
Humboldt added two more goals late in the second frame just 19 seconds apart to settle into cruise control for the final 20 minutes.
Ben Costantino, hit the double-digit plateau with his 10th of the year, getting just enough of a net-front one-timer to flutter a puck up and over Miller for a 4-1 lead.
Then after a huge Ben Motew save, the Broncos rushed down the ice and Daylan Weigel knocked home a rebound for his 3rd of the season and a 5-1 lead.
In the final frame, Estevan added a powerplay marker off the stick of Raine Hodge to cut the Broncos lead to three.
Rarely is there a full 60 minutes where the SJHL’s leading goal scorer doesn’t find the back of the net, and Spencer Bell continued that trend with his 41st of the season to cap the scoring.
Ben Motew, especially in the first 10 minutes of the game, was brilliant, stopping 28 of 30 overall for his 23rd win of the season.
The Broncos were once again very discipline, only falling shorthanded three times and killing two of them. They’re powerplay was 0/1.
Without question, the biggest weekend of the season is now next on the schedule.
With one game in hand, Humboldt sits one point back of the Battlefords North Stars for third place in the league. Those two Nutrien division rivals will meet for the final two times on March 8th (in North Battleford) and 9th (in Humboldt).