This is in the Victoria Times Colonist Newspaper:Broncos hungry for their second straight national title
By Sharie EppApril 28, 2009
According to the odds, the Humboldt Broncos won’t repeat as RBC Cup champions — just don’t tell them that.
Only the Vernon Lakers, in 1990 and ’91, and Prince Albert Raiders, ’81-’82, have ever managed to win back-to-back national Junior A hockey championships in the event’s 38-year history.
The Saskatchewan boys, however, have a habit of beating the odds. When the Broncos meet the Victoria Grizzlies at Bear Mountain Arena in Saturday night’s opening game of the nine-day tournament, which also features the Vernon Vipers, Kingston, Ont., Voyageurs, and Summerside, P.E.I., Western Capitals, they’ll be considered one of the favourites.
“I think it’s our willingness to not ever give up,” coach/GM Dean Brockman said, after the Broncos were dubbed the “miracle” team of the Anavet Cup, playing the Manitoba champion Portage Terriers for the second straight year for the West championship. “They didn’t want to be denied another chance at winning the national title.”
Humboldt was down 3-1 to the Terriers in the best-of-seven series, when they mounted a comeback. The Broncos then found themselves trailing 4-1 midway through the third period of Game 7. They scored three late goals to win 5-4 in overtime, their third OT victory of the series.
“It’s the quality of kids we have in our program,” Brockman said. “That’s who has got to do the job, day in and day out.”
The quality appears to start in net and stretch across the ice for a team that finished the regular season 15 points up on the next nearest competitor. In the playoffs, 18-year-old netminder Andrew Bodnarchuk did the job early, with a 1.30 goals against average. Sidelined by an injury, he was replaced by Mathieu LaRochelle, 19, who went through the Anavet Cup with a 1.96 GAA. Both netminders will be healthy in Victoria, Brockman said, adding the reports of the team’s many bumps and bruises are true, but not that worrying.
“I hope we would have bumps and bruises at this point,” he said. “If we didn’t have bumps and bruises, we wouldn’t be speaking right now.”
In front of the goalies, the Broncos defence is not only tough, allowing just 130 goals in 56 regular-season games, they can score. Defenceman Tanner Vandesype stung Portage with four goals and five assists, while captain Brady Wacker, the SJHL player of the year, was third in league scoring, with 82 points in 54 games. On the front lines, Matthew Kirzinger averaged about a point a game to be named the league playoff MVP this season. Forward Shawn Hunter was the MVP of the Anavet Cup, but it wasn’t his scoring that drew the attention, rather his position atop the hit list through all seven games.
The Broncos also have the benefit of eight regulars who played in last year’s RBC Cup, and the experience
factor is a big one, along, of course, with the knowledge they know how to win when the chips are down.
“It’s still kind of unbelievable,” Brockman said.
By Sharie EppApril 28, 2009
According to the odds, the Humboldt Broncos won’t repeat as RBC Cup champions — just don’t tell them that.
Only the Vernon Lakers, in 1990 and ’91, and Prince Albert Raiders, ’81-’82, have ever managed to win back-to-back national Junior A hockey championships in the event’s 38-year history.
The Saskatchewan boys, however, have a habit of beating the odds. When the Broncos meet the Victoria Grizzlies at Bear Mountain Arena in Saturday night’s opening game of the nine-day tournament, which also features the Vernon Vipers, Kingston, Ont., Voyageurs, and Summerside, P.E.I., Western Capitals, they’ll be considered one of the favourites.
“I think it’s our willingness to not ever give up,” coach/GM Dean Brockman said, after the Broncos were dubbed the “miracle” team of the Anavet Cup, playing the Manitoba champion Portage Terriers for the second straight year for the West championship. “They didn’t want to be denied another chance at winning the national title.”
Humboldt was down 3-1 to the Terriers in the best-of-seven series, when they mounted a comeback. The Broncos then found themselves trailing 4-1 midway through the third period of Game 7. They scored three late goals to win 5-4 in overtime, their third OT victory of the series.
“It’s the quality of kids we have in our program,” Brockman said. “That’s who has got to do the job, day in and day out.”
The quality appears to start in net and stretch across the ice for a team that finished the regular season 15 points up on the next nearest competitor. In the playoffs, 18-year-old netminder Andrew Bodnarchuk did the job early, with a 1.30 goals against average. Sidelined by an injury, he was replaced by Mathieu LaRochelle, 19, who went through the Anavet Cup with a 1.96 GAA. Both netminders will be healthy in Victoria, Brockman said, adding the reports of the team’s many bumps and bruises are true, but not that worrying.
“I hope we would have bumps and bruises at this point,” he said. “If we didn’t have bumps and bruises, we wouldn’t be speaking right now.”
In front of the goalies, the Broncos defence is not only tough, allowing just 130 goals in 56 regular-season games, they can score. Defenceman Tanner Vandesype stung Portage with four goals and five assists, while captain Brady Wacker, the SJHL player of the year, was third in league scoring, with 82 points in 54 games. On the front lines, Matthew Kirzinger averaged about a point a game to be named the league playoff MVP this season. Forward Shawn Hunter was the MVP of the Anavet Cup, but it wasn’t his scoring that drew the attention, rather his position atop the hit list through all seven games.
The Broncos also have the benefit of eight regulars who played in last year’s RBC Cup, and the experience
factor is a big one, along, of course, with the knowledge they know how to win when the chips are down.
“It’s still kind of unbelievable,” Brockman said.
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