The Swift Current Broncos didn’t leave much to chance in their quest to return to the top of the Eastern Conference on Sunday afternoon.
The Broncos scored six goals in the first period and would go on to a 7-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings in Brandon. As a result, Swift Current improves to 11-6-0-0 on the campaign and are tied for first in the Conference with the Wheat Kings and Red Deer Rebels.
In one other Western Hockey League game Sunday, the Lethbridge Hurricanes turned a late-first-period surge into a 6-3 victory over the Regina Pats at the Brandt Centre.
Swift Current 7, Brandon 2
The Broncos got things going quickly, as Zach Pantelakis scored only 1:09 into the game and Brock Burch found the back of the net only 50 seconds later for the quick 2-0 edge.
Chase Surkan got one back for the Wheaties at the 3:07 mark, but it was all Swift Current the rest of the opening frame.
Carter Moen made it 3-1 only 45 seconds after Surkan’s goal, after which Trae Wilke, Yuri Vlasenko and Ty Meunier found the back of the net in the latter half of the period.
Things were pretty much academic from there, as the Broncos saw to it there’d be no incredible comeback by turning in a solid defensive showing the rest of the way.
Kris Muissu got one back for Brandon with 2:27 gone in the third period, but Hyde Davidson would score for the Broncos with 1:52 remaining to close out scoring.
Kayd Ruedig and Parker Rondeau each had two assists for Swift Current.
Cal Conway stopped 35 shots in the winning effort, Filip Ruzicka turned aside 24 for the Wheat Kings.
Brandon falls to 11-6-0-0 with the loss.
Lethbridge 6, Regina 3
A flurry of goals in the final six minutes of the first period set the tone for the remainder of the game, beginning when Logan Stuart scored for Lethbridge with 6:35 left in the period and Ossi Tukio replied for Regina with 5:51 remaining.
The Hurricanes went to work from there, scoring three times in the span of 2:39 to close out the opening frame.
Stuard scored his 10th of the campaign with 4:21 to play, Easton Daneault made it 3-1 only 51 seconds later and Oliver Sichtar made it a three-goal Lethbridge lead with 2:15 left in the period.
The goals kept coming for the Hurricanes early in the second period, first when Owen Berge found the back of the net with 3:58 gone and again on Daneault’s second of the game at the 9:33 mark.
Goals from Matt Paranych and Jace Egland in the third period got Regina a bit closer, but that’s where things would wrap up.
Daneault and Stuart each had three points, Dayne Beuker picked up three assists.
Taylor Tabashniuk started for the Pats and stopped eight shots in 29:33 before giving way to Drake Mooney, who turned aside 17 the rest of the way. Leif Oaten had 38 saves for Lethbridge.
Regina falls to 7-6-0-1 with their first loss at home this season and are tied for sixth in the Conference, Lethbridge improves to 7-7-1-0 and are also sixth.
Up Next
Saskatchewan’s WHL teams are now off until Wednesday when Calgary is at Prince Albert (7 p.m.) and Moose Jaw begins their B.C. Division swing in Prince George (8 p.m.)
