A special season for the Swift Current Abbey Resources Midget AA Broncos saw one last honour come their way.

After the Midget squad went 36-0-0-0 in the regular season and losing just one playoff game en route to a Provincial Championship, head coach Todd Hornung was awarded as the SHA 'Coach of the Year' on Tuesday. 

"Definitely I was surprised... I'm honoured that we were chosen, but for me, I see it more as a team award rather than as an individual award," Hornung admitted.

"When these kinds of things come about, it's based on team success. The credit goes more to the parent group, Jenn Christianson our Manager, Dan and Jody Larson," he added. "They're the ones who contributed just as much as anybody to everything. So, it's more of a 'Team of the Year' award for me." 

Despite the combined record of 47-1-0-0 over the course of the regular season and playoffs, the year didn't come without its trials and tribulations for Hornung and his squad.

"It was a special group... I know teams say that often after championship years," Hornung said. "The streak was one thing to go through. I've heard people say over the course (of the year) 'you guys had kind of an easy season this year', and it wasn't that way."

During the team's three dozen wins in their undefeated regular season, the Midget AA Broncos used one-goal margins of victory in five of those games, with two of those in OT fashion.

As well, a lethal team when fully healthy, there were few games this year that the team was able to truly showcase their entire depth.

"We battled through injuries right from the start of the year - we had four kids out our first game of the year, we had key players out in the end."

However, that didn't seem to phase the Midget Broncos too much at all, with one of the team's strengths their secondary, tertiary, and AP contributions.

"Everybody on our team had a particular game we could go through over and over, where that one guy stepped up and gave us a win, right through our goalies, our forwards, our D," noted Hornung. "To have a group be able to do that and be able to throw anybody in any situation was special."

"This is a team - I know as coaches we've talked about - we'll be able to talk about for years to come."

The aforementioned Midget AA Provincial Title was earned in a thrilling third-and-final game of a Best of 3 series with the Battlefords Barons.

The Broncos won 2-0 in front of a nearly sold out crowd of 2800 at the Innovation Credit Union iPlex, capping off one of most impressive hockey seasons in recent memory. 

"We never really got to thank (the people of Swift Current] for that last game, it was a pretty special moment for a group of Midget hockey players to have a crowd like that support them," Hornung said. "It was an experience I know they'll never forget and I know we'll never forget. Thank you to everyone who supported us all year."

Hornung will be looking to help out the Home Hardware Midget AAA Legionnaires for the 2019-20 season, though the amount he'll be involved, and the exact role, are still not set at this time.