Ethan Bear scored 3:39 into the third period as the Seattle Thunderbirds held on for a 2-1 win over the Swift Current Broncos.

Bear and Ryan Gropp each had a goal and an assist for the defending Western Conference champions who played a stingy road game in Swift Current tonight.

"I think we played pretty good for the most part," said Broncos forward Calvin Spencer. "We played a really good team today Seattle. We just couldn't really get the puck in the net. It was the little things like turnovers and penalties that really hurt us."

The Thunderbirds held Swift Current to only four shots in the third period as the Broncos were trying to push from behind.

"It's not as much what they did as what we did to ourselves," Spencer said. "We played too much on the perimeter and didn't get enough pucks to the net and bodies to the net."

Spencer scored Swift Current's lone goal and is up to six on the season.

"I think I'm just playing a faster game," he said. "Moving my feet a lot more, getting in on the forecheck and getting more pucks to the net."

Spencer's goal in the first period came as he and Tyler Adams created a turnover in the offensive zone.

It only took a few minutes before Gropp was able to answer for Seattle ripping a shot by Taz Burman while coming down his off wing.

Rylan Toth was strong for the Thunderbirds in the second period stopping all 17 Broncos shots as Swift Current pushed for the lead.

Burman made 27 saves for the Broncos in a losing cause.

Seattle won the special teams battle going 1 for 3 on their power play and holding Swift Current to 0 for 5.

New Broncos captain Glenn Gawdin left the game in the first period and never returned.

Swift Current is now 0-3-1 in their last four games and dropped to 8-5-1-1 on the season.

They will have their only meeting of the season with the Spokane Chiefs on Saturday night at the Credit Union iPlex.

You can hear the game on The Eagle 94.1 FM with Robertson Family Group Broncos Hockey at 6:30pm and puck drop is just after 7pm in Swift Current.