Boston Pizza Recap: Broncos fall in overtime
Swift Current, SK – Hunter St.Martin’s goal 2:08 into overtime helps the Medicine Hat Tigers take a 3-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Quarter Final downing the Swift Current Broncos 4-3 Wednesday in front of a capacity crow at InnovationPlex.
The home side would start things off with an early strike from Carlin Dezainde (Calgary, AB) just 1:34 making 1-0 Broncos from Parker Rondeau (Swift Current, SK) & Connor Gabriel (Saskatoon, SK). The Broncos would continue their early scoring success on the power play when Captain Clarke Caswell (Brandon, MB) would re-direct a Hunter Mayo (Saskatoon, SK) blast past Tigers netminder Harrison Meneghin at 6:46 on the power play, while Luke Mistelbacher (Steinbach, MB) would add a secondary assist to make it 2-0 Swift Current. Back would come Medicine Hat on a man-advantage of their own where Ryder Ritchie would have his 3rd of the series to cut the lead to 2-1 heading to the second.
Medicine Hat would tie the game in the 2nd at 3:59 after an extensive push of pressure and Gavin McKenna would have his 2nd of the playoffs moving the game to a deadlock at 2-2 heading to the third.
McKenna would once again make his presence known after a Luke Mistelbacher break-away turned into a transition play back in the Broncos end. He would end up with his second consecutive to give the Tigers the lead 3:24 into the third. The Broncos would need some late period heroics from Luke Mistelbacher with just under minutes to go with his first of the series from Mayo and Brady Birnie (Regina, SK) forcing overtime for the first time in the best of seven.
With a four on four to begin the period, St.Martin would be sprung out of the box and hit a breakaway goal past Reid Dyck (Winkler, MB) and giving the Tigers a stranglehold in the series up three games to one.
Swift Current will look to stay alive in the Eastern Conference Quarter-Final Friday night on the road at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat. Game-time ins 7 PM.
