The Full Line Ag Female Midget AA Broncos used a strong Game 3 for a come-from-behind series win over the Weyburn Drillers.

(Photo by Eric James)

The Female Midget Broncos won 5-2 Monday night at Fairview West to advance to the second round. This comes after losing 4-2 in Game 1, and bouncing back with a 4-1 win in Weyburn in Game 2.

Knowing they'd need a strong performance against what had been a strong goaltender in net for the Drillers, head coach Dan Johnson said the team game-planned well.

"When we went and looked at the tape we realized if we just kept on doing what we were doing - you run up against a hot goalie - and I think just over time it works out for you," Johnson said about how the team responded after the Game 1 loss. "That's what we talked to the girls about - we just said 'keep doing what you're doing, keep working hard, the bounces will come', and I think it worked out for us."

Swift Current carried a 4-1 lead through the first 20 minutes on two goals from Josie Calwell, and one each from Lexi Cote and Mahteya Dumelie.

That score carried right through to the final two minutes of regulation, in what was a dominant middle frame in both defensive ends.

"Well we always play really good defensively, and I think that showed in the second," Johnson said. "We talked to them after the second and that we wanted them to just go to that next level like how played in the first, just so we kept the puck in their end a bit more. Again, they kept calm. They kind of knew they had things in control and I think that worked out."

The lead was cut to two goals with 1:38 left, but Calwell buried an empty-netter just 19 seconds later for the hat-trick and the win.

"As a third-year on this team, to be in my last year of hockey, it was pretty exciting," Calwell shared. "It felt pretty good to help the ladies get a W to go to the second round."

The leading scorer on the Female Midget Broncos, like her head coach, was impressed with the poise the team showed in the final two games of the series.

"It shows that we never give up and we bring our best to every game, and just don't quit," noted Calwell.

Allison Wall stopped 15 of 17 Drillers shots in the win - Swift peppered the Drillers net in the other end with 40.

Despite facing elimination after just one game in the series, Johnson explains that, with a tough test awaiting the Female Midget Broncos in the second round, using three games to establish rhythm was a big key.

"It's always nice to play as many games as you can, especially when you're going up against the first-place team now and that's going to be a battle," he said. "As we kind of knew we had the game in hand, we started talking about doing the little things right and building for the next series - I think that's so important."

That semi-final opponent is the Regina Ravens, who went 24-1-3, good for 12 points clear of second place in the 28-game season.

"They're a Bantam AA team, they're a smaller team. They're really gifted with the puck, they control the puck," Johnson noted. "But, throughout the year we played them really well. We lost two by one goal, we tied them. We had a pretty good series against the Ravens, so I think we're pretty confident in what we have to do - but it just goes back to battling in the corners and using our size as an advantage."

Game times have yet to be announced for the semi-final matchup between the league's fourth and first seeds.