Broncos Lose To Ice
“Rider Night” was bittersweet for the Broncos as they fell 6-4 to the Kootenay Ice in front of a crowd of 2,525 at the Credit Union i-Plex tonight. Max Reinhart would start the scoring off late in the first notching two consecutive goals within 45 seconds apart and give the Ice a two goal lead. Ice’s Brayden McNabb would follow up with a single before the end of the first to force the Broncos to trail 3-0 after twenty minutes of play.
Two huge scraps would kick start the second period as homegrown Bronco Andy Blanke and Ice’s Brock Montgomery would go head-to-head, followed by a duel between former Bronco Captain Cody Eakin and Bronco defenceman Kyle Verdino. Soon after, Ice’s Kevin King would be sent to the penalty box allowing Brad Hoban to capitalize on the man advantage notching his 18th of the season and put the Broncos on the board. Less than a minute later, Ice’s Matt Fraser would revive their two goal lead slipping one past Bronco netminder Mark Friesen. A shorthanded goal by Taylor Vause late in the second period would close the gap once more and make it a 4-2 contest after forty minutes of play.
In the third period, both Bronco Jordan Peddle and Blanke would add singles within 20 seconds of each other to even the game at four. The tie would be short lived though as Joe Antilla would give the Ice the lead again five minutes later. In the dying minutes of play, the Broncos would pull Friesen for the additional man in hopes of evening the score. Unfortunately, an empty-netter by Ice’s James Martin would make it a 6-4 final. The Broncos had 27 shots on net while the Ice had 37. On the man advantage, the Broncos were 1 for 5 while the Ice were 0 for 3.
UP NEXT: The Swift Current Broncos host the Edmonton Oil Kings tomorrow night at the Credit Union i-Plex. Then, the Broncos head to Brandon, MB as they take on the Wheat Kings on Friday, February 18th.
