After a very tough portion of their schedule the Swift Current Broncos need to make up some ground in the next few weeks. That could start at home against the Saskatoon Blades on Friday night.
The Broncos play their next five games against the Blades and Prince Albert Raiders, two Eastern Division rivals that sit bellow Swift Current in the standings this season. That kind of schedule could be an opportunity to move up the standings if the Broncos can play at a similar level to their victory in Brandon on Tuesday.
“At the end of the day this stretch and this time of the season the opponent can't matter too much,” said Broncos associate coach Josh Dixon. “Winning in Brandon is special, but being able to get points, being the same team consistently each and every night is going to be so important. That's the kind of playoff mentality we need to have.”
“This is big stretch for us and could ultimately determine where we finish come playoff time.”
Just being above the Raiders and Blades in the standings doesn't guarantee success. The Broncos are 2-1 against Saskatoon this season with two of those games going to overtime, while they've yet to beat the Raiders.
“There's such parody in this league,” Dixon said. “There's no easy nights. You can tell by the standings and the scores that anyone can beat anyone on a given night. We have to make sure we bring our best effort, our best focus each and every game.”
The game is the first between the Blades and Broncos since a deal that saw the clubs swap defencemen with Brycen Martin going to Saskatoon for Jordan Thomson and a first round pick. Martin has helped the Blades to five wins in seven games with six points over that span as he gets set for his first crack at his old club. Thomson has four points in eight games with Swift Current including assists in each of the last two games.
Swift Current's defensive core was hit by a big blow with Dillon Heatherington sustaining an upper body injury that will keep him out for over a month. That means more pressure is put on Brett Lernout to be the leader on the blue line.
“I play about the same minutes,” Lernout said. “But I get more responsibility and more stuff falls on my shoulders. I have to take it in and play even better.”
Injuries like those to Heatherington and Coda Gordon don't mean the Broncos can divert from their game plan.
“We've got to play our game,” Lernout noted. “Be physical, get pucks deep, get shots on net and just play a simple game to try and get some wins here.”
Lernout is one of three former Blades that now patrols Swift Current's blue line along with Thomson and Ayrton Nikkel. In addition to Martin, Saskatoon features former Broncos prospect Wyatt Sloboshan acquired in the Nathan Burns deal last season.
The two teams meet twice this weekend and five times over the next fifteen games.
You can hear Friday's game on The Eagle 94.1 FM starting with our pre-game show at 6:30pm. Puck drop is just after 7pm at the Credit Union iPlex.
Thu, Apr 25, 1:30 PM
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