Thursday, April 30, 2009

Humbolt Bronocs 2009 Anavet Cup Champions:


This is on the Humboldt web site:
Down 3-1 Humboldt battled back to defeat Portage to win the Anavet Cup. Lets see how Game 7 went down.

The Broncos Execute a Miracle in Game 7 of Anavet:

Scott opened the scoring 9 minutes into the game, but less than 1 ½ minutes later the Broncos found themselves down 2 – 1. Portage then scored two more unanswered goals during the second period to lead 4 to 1.

The Terriers would hold this 3 goal lead until mid-way through the 3rd period.

The turning point in the game proved to result from the 5 minute major Kneeing penalty that Cory More was handed for his vicious hit on Taylor Piller at 6:56 of the 3rd period.

With 2 minutes into the man advantage, Tanner weaved his way into the slot and fired a shot behind Mountain. Then with only 2 seconds remaining in the major penalty, Steven sent the puck on a wire just below Mountain’s glove. The shot was an absolute rocket, it would have to be as Mountain very rarely gets beaten on his glove side.

This narrowed the gap to 4 – 3 with 8:46 remaining in the game. Just over 2 minutes later the Broncos would get another power play opportunity, but would not be successful. Then with only 3:04 left in the game Shawn Hunter was put in the bin for High Sticking. The boys rallied and killed off the penalty, but they were still down a goal with just over a minute in what everyone else believed was left in their season.

Scott and Tory had other plans though. With LaRochelle on the bench, 47 seconds left on the clock and a sixth attacker on the ice; Tory scooped the puck to the front of the net where Scott shoveled it home from his knees.

The Broncos actually made another surge and nearly finished the game during regulation time, but Mountain stood tall once again and gave his Terriers one more breath of life and another chance to win the series in a game 7 overtime.

LaRochelle turned away 5 shots early in OT when with only 5:56 of the first overtime period elapsed, Nick Kalnicki became the most popular player on the Bronco’s roster, somehow beating Mountain one more time.

The Broncos led the shots 33 to 26 at the end of regulation time. During the nearly 6 minutes of overtime, the Terriers outshot the Broncos 5 – 3. LaRochelle made 26 saves for the OT win, while Mountain suffered the loss with 31 saves.

During the series there were 4 games decided in overtime. 3 were won by the Broncos while the Terriers took just one, which was game 3, the first of the series in Humboldt.

With Kalnicki’s OT winner the Bronco’s cap off a miraculous comeback, both in the series coming back from a 3 games to 1 deficit, but also in the final game 7 coming back from a 4 goals to 1 shortfall with barely 11 minutes left on the clock.

The Bronco’s are very bruised and beaten and have less than 6 days to recuperate. They open their RBC defense against the host Victoria Grizzlies at 8:00 PM (SK time) on Saturday, May 2nd.

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