BHP Recap: Broncos Snap Three Game Slide with 8-6 Victory of Red Wings
Aidan Fischer stopped all 9 shots faced in relief.
Photo Credit: Kristin Grassing
Written by: Rory McGouran
It certainly wasn’t the prettiest of games for the Broncos this season, but the green and gold will take a win any way they can.
The Humboldt Broncos and Weyburn Red Wings met for the second time this season and for the first time at Crescent Point Place in Weyburn on Tuesday, November 22nd.
The Broncos defeated the Red Wings 10-1 back on October 11th in the first meeting of the season. Once again, they had no problem replicating the offensive production. However, there was many needs of correction on the defensive side of the puck in an often sloppy back and forth game.
The Broncos scored the first two goals of the game, starting with with a powerplay marker on a back door tap-in from Spencer Bell (10) followed by Travis Bryson’s 9th of the season just 1:34 apart.
Weyburn countered with a pair of goals of their own, vanquishing the two-goal lead. The first was a cross ice pass from Jacob Visentini that ricochet off of Broncos’ defenseman, Connor Thue’s skate and in the back of the net. Drew Molde then beat netminder Ben Motew for his second goal of the year.
Matthew Van Blaricom was eager and engaged in the opening period, creating physicality with multiple big hits, picking up an assist on the Bell goal, and then adding his 15th of the season to give the Broncos a 3-2 lead heading into the 2nd period.
Van Blaricom’s 15th goal currently ranks third among all SJHL players.
The Broncos, and specifically their powerplay, took over the game in the second period.
Humboldt’s Maddox Amaral (7) and Weyburn’s Jerome Maharaj (11) alternated goals that increased the one-goal lead to 4-3. Two minutes later, the Broncos connected on back-to-back powerplays.
Spencer Bell added his second of the game in nearly the same spot as his first. Cage Newans then poked home a tricking puck just enough passed the goal line for his 9th of the year on a subsequent penalty.
The two goals were scored only 34 seconds apart, on two separate man-advantages, that took a combined 13 seconds of powerplay time to find the back of the net.
Before the second period was over, Bryson added his second goal of the game and 10th of the season to give the Broncos a 7-3 lead. Bryson now has six goals in his last six games.
Credit is due for the Red Wings in the third period as they pushed the Broncos back into the game with three consecutive goals in a 7-minute span. Cade Meiklejohn fired home a pair and Jaxson Ruthven closed the gap to 7-6.
The Broncos elected to pull Ben Motew out of the net in favour of Aidan Fischer following the sixth goal. Motew turned aside 22 of 28 and will still get credited with the victory and improve his record to 10-3-2-1. Fischer stopped all 9 shots faced in relief.
Spencer Bell completed his hat-trick, finding the back of the empty net to neutralize the Red Wings comeback effort and give the Broncos an 8-6 victory on the road.
The win improved the Broncos record to 14-4-2-1 through 21 games this season.
The Broncos will now turn their attention to the Melfort Mustangs for a home-and-set on November 24th and 25th.