Warriors Battle Hard but Fall 5-4 To Broncos
An intense battle between two old rivals went down to the wire, despite a late charge from Moose Jaw the Swift Current Broncos held on for the 5-4 win.
Moose Jaw had early opportunities to start the game but as the opening frame went on the Broncos produced more pressure on 15-year old Warriors starting goalie Brody Willms.
Swift Current opened the scoring with a power play goal from Zac Mackay. The Bronco forward drove down the left wing and made his way towards the net, putting the puck off of the post then Willms leg for the first goal of the WHL Pre-Season.
Moose Jaw responded in the final minute of the first. Rookie defenceman Royce Rossignol dumped the puck to the Bronco end board, Brandon Del Grosso showed great vision to find Josh Uhrich in the low slot where he scored the tribe’s first goal to tie the game at one.
The second period saw the Warriors attack the Bronco net, they had two power play’s to try and break the tie but were unsuccessful. Swift Current took the lead at 12:08 with a goal from Bobby Zinkan. Moose Jaw was able to respond three minutes later when Miles Warkentine set up Ben Duperreault inside the Broncos blue paint.
The Warriors grabbed their first lead of the game just less than two minutes later. A check from Uhrich created a turnover in Swift Current’s zone, pressure from Brett Howden forced the puck low to 15-year old Ryan Bowen who beat Bronco goalie Travis Child between the pads. The Broncos managed to tie the game late in the second with a power play goal from import defenceman Julius Honka.
The third period saw several scrums after the whistle as the teams battled for the goal-ahead marker. Swift Current landed on the power play early, Jake DeBrusk beat Willms giving the home team the lead. At 4:23 and playing 4-on-4, Honka ripped a shot over the glove of the Warriors goalie to give Swift Current a 5-3 lead.
Moose Jaw cut into the Broncos lead with a power play goal at 14:40. Jayden Halbgewachs and Colton McCarthy banged away at a loose puck inside the Swift Current crease, McCarthy was credited with goal while Halbgewachs and Ethan Lazaro got assists.
With their net empty and on the power play in the final minute the Warriors pressured for the equalizer but couldn’t pull the trigger, falling 5-4 in their annual rookie game with the Broncos.
Moose Jaw’s Brody Willms made 26 saves in the loss while Swift Current’s Travis Child made 25 saves for the win. Moose Jaw outshot Swift Current 13-10 in the third but the Broncos had a 31-29 advantage overall. The tribe was 1-for-8 on the power play while Swift Current went 3-for-6.
Moose Jaw will practice for the next week and a half, their exhibition schedule resumes Friday, September 6th when they head to Brandon, their next home game is September 8th, 2pm, against the Wheat Kings.
