In the biggest game of the season to this point the Swift Current Broncos proved they were up to the task.Swift Current topped their rivals from Moose Jaw 4-2 in front of a packed house at the Innovation Credit Union iPlex to tie the Warriors for top spot in the Western Hockey League standings.

“From top to bottom we were really excited coming into this one,” said Broncos forward Beck Malenstyn. “The rivalry is pretty obvious when the barn is packed and as loud as it was. It's a perfect view of what playoff hockey is going to look for us. It's a tight game. You're going to get a few chances so you've got to bury on the ones you do. I thought we had a good game tonight, played it pretty simple and locked it down in the third.”



It was the first time the top two teams in the league faced off since making some big additions at the trade deadline and it lived up to the billing.

“It was a competitive, fast, physical (game),” said Broncos Associate Coach Ryan Smith. “It's a big win for us in the standings and just personally. It' s our rival and whenever you can beat your rival that's always a good night.”



The Warriors still have two games in hand on Swift Current so they control their destiny down the stretch with first place up for grabs. The two teams meet for the last time in the regular season on March 10th in Moose Jaw.

Stuart Skinner was big for the Broncos in his first game for his new team against Moose Jaw. It was a statement performance for a big game goaltender in his 100th WHL victory.

“He was outstanding and he was probably the best player in white from the start of the game to the end of the game,” Smith said. “He's got to be real happy with his game. That's encouraging going forward. When you're the goalie in these games you show your team you're there for their mistakes and breakdowns that will only encourage our guys to play harder in front of him.”



Swift Current got off to maybe a bit of a tentative start in the first period as the teams felt each other out for a while. Aleksi Heponiemi scored his 26th of the season on an early power play for a 1-0 lead, but the Warriors controlled the puck for much of the first period before tying it late on a Tanner Jeannot power play goal.The Broncos made some adjustments in the first intermission to deal with that Moose Jaw cycle game.

“We haven't seen them in a while and they're obviously a team that likes to possess the puck,” Malenstyn said. “Maybe caught us off guard a little in the first period. We addressed it well in between and were able to come out and just make simple plays to make odd man rushes for ourselves, and get in on the forecheck, clog up the blue line, close up there and I thought we did a really good job.”

Swift Current also wanted to come out and play a faster game as it went along.

“We just started to move our feet a little bit more,” Smith said. “Picking up checks a little more... when you get the puck quickly and move it out of your zone quickly it solves all your problems.”

The Broncos played a strong second period and were rewarded when Max Patterson converted two great passes by Colby Sissons and Giorgio Estephan to score his 9th of the season. Swift Current brought the physical game all night and ramped it up in the second.

“I think it's a really unique skill that we have with our team we have lots of skill and we have the ability to play heavy too,” Malenstyn noted. “I think there's a few of us in that dressing room that like to bring that every night. Against a team like this I thought we came out here and played that game really well. It was able to be effective for us.”

The physical intensity of the game went both ways and was a natural for teams trying to neutralize a lot of skilled players.

“People say 'they don't like to get hit' but nobody likes to get hit,” Smith said. “When you are being physical, rubbing guys out, leaning on them... and it worked both ways. There was some heavy hits by Moose Jaw as well. It's a big part of the push down the stretch in playoff hockey... I thought we did a pretty good job tonight. Them too. There wasn't a lot between the two teams.”

Swift Current pulled even further ahead on a Malenstyn shorthanded goal in the third period that stood up as the eventual game winner. Moose Jaw converted that same power play right after on a Jayden Halbgewachs deflection to again close the gap to only a single goal, but Sissons scored on a late Broncos power play to put the game out of reach.

Sissons had a goal and an assist while his defensive partner Artyom Minulin added three helpers.

“Those two guys in particular have a real good skill set,” Smith said. “Sissons made an unbelievable pass on that second goal. Even Beck's goal Minulin drills it down because he sees Gawdin leave the zone and he can beat him down. They see the ice and they can make plays.”

Sissons, Heponiemi and Estephan all had two point nights for Swift Current in the victory.Glenn Gawdin with an assist in the game sits at 300 career WHL points and 112 points on the season to lead the WHL by six points over Brayden Burke and seven points over both Halbgewachs and Heponiemi. Sissons is a point behind Kale Clauge of the Warriors for second place in points among WHL defencemen.

The victory and some recent inconsistency from Moose Jaw opens the door now for a very competitive race for first place down the stretch.

“That's something we've thought about all year,” Malenstyn said. “It's a big marker we would love to hit. There aren't that many games left in the season so we have to take advantage of every single one and hope to make that push.”

Swift Current sits at 43-13-4-1 compared to 44-12-1-2 for the Warriors. Moose Jaw still controls their own destiny with 13 games remaining versus only 11 for the Broncos. The two teams meet one more time in the regular season on March 10th in Moose Jaw. Next action for Swift Current is Saturday in Red Deer.