Broncos Pats Gordon copy
Coda Gordon (photo by Darwin Knelsen for scbroncos.com)

A great rivalry renews this weekend as the Swift Current Broncos and Regina Pats begin a WHL first round playoff series.

There has always been extra animosity between the two clubs and the games between them this season have furthered that. It's a match-up that fans and players alike are anticipating.

“I don't think we would have chosen another team to play in this series to start off,” said Broncos forward Glenn Gawdin. “We've had some pretty good battles throughout the year. We know them well and they know us. Just a team that fits in well to kind of how we play.”

The Pats earned home ice advantage by finishing second in the East Division twelve points ahead of the third place Broncos. The Pats had secured their playoff spot for a few weeks, while Swift Current had to fight down to the final game of the season to lock in their ticket to the dance.

“I think we're going to be a better team and we're going to grow from it,” said Broncos assistant coach Jamie Heward. “It's been good for us to have gone down this path.”

Regina didn't have much to play for in the final few weeks and lost four straight games to close out the season. They look towards their practice habits to stay mentally sharp.

“I think our practices dictate how our games are going to be played,” said Pats assistant coach Dave Struch. “We have always practiced with a high level of intensity, high tempo, quick... as far as our fitness, our focus and our execution that's the way we've practiced all year so in essence every day we step on the ice is like a game for us.”

“Being a younger team we lack the experience with some of our young guys up against Swift Current an older, bigger, experienced team. It's going to be a real battle for us to beat them that's for sure.”

The Broncos have nineteen players who are either 18, 19 or 20 years old this season. That compares to only ten for Regina. They will lean on that veteran lineup against the young Pats.

“Certainly adding players like Carter Rigby who have had long playoff series with other organizations will hopefully play to our favour as well,” said Broncos associate coach Josh Dixon. “There's nothing like experience. For young players in the playoffs sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming and the pressure can get to them. To have a veteran group, a group that has been through it before, a group that is hungry for success in the playoffs we certainly hope will play to our favour.”

Those veteran Broncos have been through the playoff wars before and lived with the bitter disappointment of back-to-back first round exits. Of the twelve 19 or 20-year-olds on the Swift Current roster at most three would play for the club next season. It's now or never for this core.

“Being my fourth year in the league I feel like each year the desire to win and go deep in the playoffs has improved,” said Broncos defenceman Dillon Heatherington. “I know our 20-year-olds are ready to get after it. It just puts fire in everybody's belly. The push that we had at the end of the year was everyone realizing this could be it for some guys. It means a lot when you come to that realization.”

For the Pats they are hopeful that lack of playoff history for their group could, in a way, play to their advantage.

“We're hoping the lack of experience is something that benefits us,” Struch said. “As far of our knowledge of the pressures of playoff hockey we're hoping our players come in not knowing anything. Just come out and play hockey the way we played all year.”

Regina has had a unique season. They were among the top teams in the Eastern Conference at the trade deadline and still dealt away veterans Morgan Klimchuk, Dryden Hunt, Kyle Burroughs and Connor Gay. The Pats made those moves with an eye to the future and yet are also approaching the playoffs as an opportunity to win now.

“You can't have experience until you've experienced it,” said Pats Coach/VP of Hockey Operations John Paddock. “That doesn't mean that it's just a bonus for us to be in a playoffs against an experienced team. We have the utmost respect for them but we also believe we are good enough to come out winners.”

Despite the loss of several key veterans the Pats remained competitive. Experts and media consistently refer to the team's buy-in and adherence to their game plan in their new coach's first season.

“I think the players were searching for something,” Paddock said. “I think our players were really looking for a different voice, a different approach and then they bought in. Those (veteran) guys then just pulled everyone else along.”

It's an interesting coaching match-up as Broncos Coach/GM Mark Lamb is in his sixth season as a WHL head coach and Paddock is in his first. However, Paddock is perhaps the most decorated bench boss in AHL history and has been a head coach at the NHL level. Both experienced coaches will be consistently tinkering with their plans as the series progresses.

“There's no secrets to how Swift Current's played all year,” Paddock said. “There's no secrets in how Regina has played to them. I think you play your game and you make little tweaks and changes if you find it's necessary during the course of the series.”

“We have to play our style,” Lamb said. “You have to play to your own identity all the time. We have to play how we're built, but there's got to be adjustments on how they're playing.”

The two clubs create offence in different ways. Regina attacks with speed, while the Broncos do most of their damage wearing teams down with their cycle and on their power play. That means Swift Current has to be ready to defend against Regina's team speed.

“We defend with the puck,” Lamb said. “You can't turn the puck over. Their speed one on one is going to beat you so if you turn the puck over in the wrong areas they're not only going to get odd man rushes they're going to get breakaways.”

Swift Current was one of the stingiest teams in the WHL during the first half of the season. At times in the second half they had a harder time keeping the puck out of their net and will need to get back to their 1-0 mentality come playoff time.

I think it's just simplify our game,” Heatherington said. “When we got into trouble we were trying to do too much with the puck. The more we keep it simple the more success we have.”

There are significant connections between the two teams as Heward played his junior in Regina and was a Pats legend, while Dixon was an assistant coach with the East Division winning Pats last season. That could give both men extra motivation to win.

“It's not about me this is about the team,” Dixon said. “There's certainly a lot of familiarity no question. Knowing the players and having coached a large amount of the players hopefully that plays to be an advantage for the Broncos.”

Having coached Pats goaltender Daniel Wapple, Dixon views him as an excellent first save netminder. That means the Broncos will need to find second and third opportunities to score.

“Pucks and people at the net is going to be very important,” Dixon said. “We're going to have to make sure we continue to have a presence in front of him. We have to stay patient. In the playoffs they all count the same. Finding a way to get a goal off a rebound or a break your way is certainly important.”

Swift Current can prepare to play Regina with some confidence as they went 5-2-0-1 against the Pats this season. Broncos goaltender Landon Bow was a major difference maker in those games with a 0.938 save percentage against Regina.

The two clubs split four games in Regina and that's a result the Broncos would likely be happy with after the first two games of the series at the Brandt Centre. Wins on the road haven't been consistent for Swift Current this season as they went 22-12-0-2 at home and 12-21-1-2 away from the Credit Union iPlex. Regina's record was almost identical no matter where they played.

“You've got to win your match-ups,” Lamb said. “When we have a real strict plan on match-ups our team plays pretty good where you can try and take advantage of the other team in certain situations, but on the road you can't do it. You have to win your (line) match-up. It doesn't matter who you're playing against play like you did at home.”

Jake DeBrusk and Colby Cave lead the Broncos into the series with twelve and ten points respectively in eight games against Regina. Jesse Gabrielle comes in with seven points in seven games against the Broncos as a member of the Wheat Kings and the Pats this season.

Regina will face the series without talented young forward Sam Steel who is sidelined by a high ankle sprain.

“There's no doubt he's a big loss,” Struch said. “He's a major part on and off the ice, with and without the puck... but I think with the way we've used our players this year everybody's had a part of it. Because we've used those young guys a lot the development has improved and those guys get to step in.”

Swift Current is still without defenceman Jordan Harris and forward Cole Johnson. Both were lost for the season due to upper body injuries.

The first two games of the best-of-seven series are set for Friday and Saturday in Regina. Our broadcasts start at 6:30pm on The Eagle 94.1 FM. The series will then shfit to Swift Current on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Click here for interviews with both sides of the match-up previewing the series