Broncos blank the Canes in Game 1

By Lethbridge Herald on March 29, 2024.

Brayden Edwards tried to knock a puck past Swift Current Broncos goaltender Reid Dyck in the opening game of the WHL playoffs on Friday in Swift Current. Photo by Steven Mah/ Southwest Booster

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

The Swift Current Broncos blanked the Lethbridge Hurricanes 3-0 in Game 1 of their best-out-of-seven WHL playoffs series on Friday night in Swift Current.  

“We battled hard,” said Matt Anholt, Hurricanes assistant coach.

“It was a good playoff game. I mean we got enough shots on net, we got enough chances to win the game, we just didn’t find a way to pop any in the net. But obviously our first period’s got to be a little better.  But we knew they were going to come out really excited in a sold-out rink and with a lot of jump but we hit a post on the first shift. But they chipped away and found a way to be up 2-0 after one.”

Anholt agreed the first game was a good taste of what playoff hockey is like.

“It’s not a playoff series until somebody loses at home and we have an opportunity to win on the road again (tonight),” said Anholt.

“And especially with how good our third was and ….how good of  (a)push … we had in the second, there’s something to build off of going into (tonight) and we showed that we can play with them.”

Anholt thinks the mistakes will need to be avoided that lead to the Broncos rush chances in Game 2.

Caleb Wyrostok opened the scoring with his first of the postseason from Ryan McCleary and Brady Birnie 8:25 into the game.

While the Canes Joe Arntsen was sitting off for high sticking, the Broncos took a 2-0 lead on the powerplay as Connor Geekie tipped the puck past Harrison Meneghin with 1:34 to go in the opening frame.

Clarke Caswell and Mathew Ward drew the assists on the goal.

Caswell made it 3-0 Broncos 6:01 into the third period from Luke Mistelbacher.

The Canes outshot the Broncos 33-28.

Lethbridge went 0-for-4 while Swift Current went 0-for-4 on the powerplay,

Game 2 is tonight in Swift Current.

Games 3 and 4 are back at the Enmax Centre on Tuesday and Wednesday.