Boston Pizza Game Recap: Broncos Outlast Blazers in Shootout Thriller
The Swift Current Broncos earned a hard-fought 3-2 shootout victory over the Kamloops Blazers on Saturday night at the InnovationPlex, thanks to a standout performance from Joey Rocha in net and a clutch shootout winner from Noah Kosick.
Kamloops wasted no time opening the scoring, striking just 23 seconds into the game on their first shot. Josh Evaschesen buried a quick one past Rocha, assisted by Nathan Behm, giving the Blazers an early 1-0 lead. But the Broncos responded immediately. Less than a minute later, Noah Kosick tied the game at 1-1 after finishing off a setup from Stepan Kuryachenkov.
The back-and-forth action continued as the Blazers reclaimed the lead midway through the first. Tommy Lafreniere netted his eighth of the season at 8:58, assisted by Jacob Dumansky, sending Kamloops into the first intermission with a 2-1 advantage.
The second period saw both teams trade chances, but neither could find the back of the net. Rocha was particularly sharp for Swift Current, turning aside all 12 shots he faced in the frame and making several highlight-reel stops to keep the Broncos within one.
Swift Current finally broke through again early in the third period on the power play. Jace McFaul hammered home a one-timer from the blue line at 5:29 to even the score 2-2. The goal was set up by Kosick and Anthony Wilson and marked McFaul’s third of the season.
Neither side could score the rest of the way, sending the game to overtime. The Broncos had some quality looks early in the extra frame but were dealt a setback with a late penalty, forcing them to defend a 4-on-3 for the final two minutes. Defenceman Daxon Yerex and Brennen Hocher played a critical role in overtime, staying on the ice for the full two-minute penalty kill to keep the team alive. Rocha also stood tall yet again, making critical saves to send the game to a shootout.
In the shootout, Sawyer Dingman shot first for Swift Current but couldn’t convert. Kamloops missed on their first two attempts, opening the door for Kosick, who calmly beat the Blazers goalie with a nice move to give the Broncos the edge. JP Hurlbert, the Blazers’ final shooter, was denied by Rocha, securing the win for Swift Current.
Following the game, Broncos head coach Dean DeSilva spoke to the team’s resilience throughout the game: “These are the types of games we’ll face a lot this year. I thought we got better as the game went along. Everyone contributed in different ways from faceoffs, shot blocking and making good decisions. Hats off to our special teams. Another learning experience which will go a long way in our progression and development.”
The Broncos outshot Kamloops 36-34 and went a perfect 1-for-1 on the power play, while Kamloops finished 0-for-2. Faceoffs were almost dead even, with Kamloops winning 37 to Swift Current’s 36. Rocha finished with 32 saves in another stellar performance between the pipes.
With the win, the Broncos improve to 6-3-0-0 on the season. They’re back in action Wednesday, October 22, when they host the Red Deer Rebels at the InnovationPlex.
