Written by: Rory McGouran
It’s a best-of-three series now.
Kye Benoche sealed the victory with 2:27 left in the first overtime, Dazza Mitchell made another 57 saves, and the Humboldt Broncos secured a 4-3 win on Wednesday culminating both games three and four in Humboldt into an opening round series tie with the Flin Flon Bombers.
A penalty filled affair was a slow grind through the 77+ minutes. 16 combined powerplays generated over 50% of the total offense with the Bombers going 2/9 and Humboldt 2/7.
For the third straight game of the series, the Broncos scored the games opening goal. Tre Fouquette notched his first of the postseason, firing the puck off the back wall that was kicked back into their own net by Bomber’s goaltender Matthew Kieper.
A string of four straight powerplay goals followed.
Jacob Strizzi, who picked up three points in the win, and Maddox Amaral both scored their first of the playoffs. Ryder Ringor added his league leading 8th point with a goal, and Ryder Mucha scored his first.
Minus the litany of penalties, and the timing of the goals, it was nearly a carbon copy of game three. Humboldt carried a two-goal lead into the third period that was quickly washed away with the Bombers’ second straight comeback attempt. Keefe Greuner tied the game just 34 seconds after Mucha’s powerplay market for a 3-3 tie.
A scary moment in the second period resulted in Broncos’ defenseman, Liam Rodman, laying unconscious on the ice while also suffering a cut to his head from a body check by Landon Alexander. Thankfully, Rodman was able to leave the ice on his feet with help from his teammates, but the Broncos will have to expect to be without him for potentially the remainder of the series.
Following a 3-2 double overtime victory in game three. Humboldt finished the task a bit earlier on Wednesday.
Moments before the goal, Orin Olson blocked a shot and while grimacing in pain realized he wouldn’t have time for a line change. Instead, he grinded his way back into the defensive zone to break up a net front chance off a Dazza Mitchell rebound. The broken play ended on the stick of Jacob Strizzi who muscled his way down the ice, fired a shot towards the net of Kieper that rebounded out to Kye Benoche. Benoche, while being squeezed away by two Bombers’ defenders, somehow chipped the puck up and over the shoulder of Kieper for the game-winning goal. Benoche’s 4th goal of the payoff is now tied for the SJHL lead.
Dazza Mitchell was a workhorse once again for the Broncos turning aside 57/60 and has now made 119 saves over the last two wins.
In order to win the series, the Broncos need to find a way to win a game at the Whitney Forum in Flin Flon and they’ll look to do so starting with Game 5 on Saturday.
