There may be many new faces and they may be in very different parts of their cycles, but the rilvalry between the Swift Current Broncos and Moose Jaw Warriors is alive and well.

Swift Current's season ended with a physical battle after the buzzer with their heated rivals.

Up 5-0 in the dying seconds of the game, Moose Jaw defenceman Daemon Hunt launched a long shot at the Swift Current net when the final horn sounded. The goal ended up counting and the Broncos took exception.

A scrap started between Broncos defenceman Matthew Stanley and Warriors captain Josh Brook. It boiled over further as Tristan Langan fought Ethan O'Rourke and the two benches exchanged words.



"They stuck together even at the end there," said Broncos assistant coach Brandin Cote. "They hung in with each other and they didn't back off. One thing I told them was just respect the game. I can't say I haven't been in this situation... but we probably wouldn't be throwing out our top line every second shift. That's their prerogative."

O'Rourke, Langan and Kjell Kjemus all received game misconducts. Brook received a double minor for spearing.

Lagan's three points in the game moved him into a tie for the WHL points lead with Joachim Blichfeld of the Portland Winterhawks.

The game started on a reasonably even note with a scoreless first period. Moose Jaw pulled ahead with goals to both open and close the second period. The Warriors pulled away with four goals in the third period to secure their 40th win of the season.

Swift Current finished the season with only 11 wins and won only once in their final 21 games. Those results were not a big surprise for a team that traded away so many assets in pursuit of their WHL Championship last season. The Broncos have remained focused on a rebuilding process of acquiring future assets and giving their young players opportunity.



"A lot of guys improved this year," Cote said. "The older guys led in the right way. We just got to take all the learning experience and positives into the off season to work  hard and be better next year."

The game was also the end of Tanner Nagel, Matthew Sanley and Riley Lamb's junior careerse. The three overage players on the Swift Current roster graduated from the league after making significant contributions on multiple teams. Nagel and Stanley both went out scrapping as Stanley got involved in the physical battle at the end of the game, while Nagel had a spirited tilt with Jett Woo early in the third period.



"They've been great," Cote said. "They just work. They do things the right way in terms of the preparation. They're good team guys and character people. They'll be successful in whatever they do in life... those are good role models to have for our young guys."

Moose Jaw advances on to a first round series against Saskatoon on Friday, while the Broncos will clean out their lockers and start their off-season.

The next important date for Swift Current is likely May's WHL Bantam Draft. The Broncos have two picks in the first round and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Dean Brockman missed their final three games this week to continue scouting for that draft.