Boston Pizza Game Recap: Eskit Earns First Career Win in Historic 7-3 Victory Over Royals
The Swift Current Broncos put together a strong all-around performance Saturday night at the InnovationPlex, defeating the Victoria Royals 7–3 in their only meeting of the season. The win was highlighted by timely scoring, effective special teams, and a historic night between the pipes.
Victoria opened the scoring midway through the first period when Hayden Moore found the back of the net at 8:23. The Royals extended their lead on the power play at 13:43 as Heath Nelson made it 2–0. Swift Current responded before the end of the frame, generating momentum when Hudson Darby scored his 10th goal of the season at 15:30, finishing a play set up by Anthony Wilson and Hyde Davidson to pull the Broncos within one heading into the first intermission.
The Broncos continued to push in the second period and were rewarded at 11:17 when Sawyer Dingman tied the game, beating the Royals goaltender off a rebound from Parker Rondeau. Victoria regained the lead on another power-play goal at 14:51, with Nolan Stewart restoring the Royals’ advantage. Once again, Swift Current answered back, this time late in the period. On the power play at 19:12, Jaxen Gauchier scored his 10th of the season, with assists from Hudson Darby and Stepan Kuryachenkov, evening the score at 3–3 and setting the stage for a decisive third period.
Swift Current took control early in the final frame. Just over three minutes in, Jace McFaul scored on the power play at 3:08, finishing a play created by Trae Wilke and Stepan Kuryachenkov to give the Broncos their first lead of the night and what would stand as the game-winning goal. The Broncos continued to apply pressure and doubled their lead at 13:44 when Dingman scored his second of the game and 10th of the season, an insurance marker set up by Trae Johnson and McFaul.
Late in the game, Swift Current put the result beyond doubt. Anthony Wilson scored into an empty net at 18:04, with assists from Trae Wilke and Daxon Yerex. Brendan Rudolph capped off the scoring just over a minute later, converting on a penalty shot at 19:14 to make it a 7–3 final.
The Broncos outshot the Royals 47–43, including a strong third period where they limited Victoria’s offensive chances. Swift Current finished the night 2-for-5 on the power play, while the Royals went 2-for-4. The Broncos also controlled the faceoff circle, winning 42 draws compared to Victoria’s 28.
Between the pipes, Broncos goaltender Aiden Eskit delivered a standout performance, stopping 44 of 47 shots to earn his first career WHL victory. The night was also a historic one, as Aiden faced his brother Ethan Eskit, who started in goal for Victoria, marking only the second time in WHL history that brothers have started against each other in net.
With the victory, Swift Current improves to 11-31-3-0 on the season. The Broncos will look to build on the win when they return to action on Friday, Jan. 30, hosting the Regina Pats at the InnovationPlex.
