A tilt with the Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday marked the second time that the Swift Current Broncos have taken on teams coached by members of their 2017-18 staff.

Ryan Smith, an associate coach with the Broncos last year, was hired onto Medicine Hat's staff as an assistant coach in July.

Heading west on the Trans-Canada to Medicine Hat is a fit that Smith said made sense for him.

"Initial conversations with Shaun Clouston, the head coach and GM, felt right. I liked the idea of a team that's got a lot of banners in the stands - you get a taste for winning, you want to do it again if you can. A lot of things ticked the boxes, and as a staff we seem to get along really well. I wanted to stay in the WHL - it's, in my eyes, the best junior hockey league in the world, and when the Medicine Hat opportunity arose, I was real fortunate."

The Tigers ended up shutting out the Broncos 2-0 in Smith's return to the southwest. It was a result that made the pre-game reminiscing a lot sweeter, as the last time Smith was in the building, he and the Broncos were hoisting the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL Champions.

"I was a small piece of something special last year - things went really well for us and everybody involved should be proud, I'm proud of what happened," Smith said before Saturday's game.

"Seeing some familiar faces, it brings back memories, it tugs at your heart a little bit. It was a great three years. I met a lot of really outstanding people - not only around the organization, but around town. It'll always hold a special spot for me, I always will remember those three years and always look forward to coming back."

Smith's three-year stint saw a little bit of everything, as the Broncos missed the playoffs in his first season, reach the second round of the post-season in Year 2, culminating in that WHL Championship and a berth in the Memorial Cup in the spring of 2018.

For the full interview listen below:

The other meeting against the Broncos' other former assistant coach came in mid-October as Jamie Heward and the Vancouver Giants topped the Broncos 6-2 out in B.C.

Swift is off from league action until this Saturday when they host the Edmonton Oil Kings, while Smith and the Tigers are next in action Friday hosting the Prince Albert Raiders.