Stuart Skinner has been concentrating on having fun on his third WHL playoff run and what could be more fun than hoisting the Ed Chynoweth Cup?

Skinner delivered another superstar performance with 32 saves for his fifth shutout of the playoffs as the Swift Current Broncos beat Everett 1-0 and took a 3-1 lead in the WHL Championship Series.

"I'm really happy with how my team played in front of me," Skinner said. "I thought our PK was really strong tonight especially in the second period when they got a couple good opportunities. We were able to stay strong... the whole time I've just been having fun and doing my best."

Colby Sissons scored the lone goal of the game late in the second period on a Swift Current power play. Just as the Broncos went to the man advantage he entered the zone and wired his fifth of the playoffs top shelf on Carter Hart.

"It was a little bit of a broken play in the neutral zone," Sissons said. "Just a 3 on 2 and I had some space in the middle. I just tried to get the puck on the net and luckily it went in."

Skinner's play has certainly led to confidence from his teammates and allowed them to play their game.

"He's been there for us all playoffs," Sissons said. "Since day one when we got him we have that trust on him through our whole lineup. He can bail us out of a tough situation. When we're hemmed in our end he's our rock back there. He's playing well."

The win was Swift Current's third straight in the series and every game so far has been decided by one goal.

"We're certainly pleased with the win," said Broncos Head Coach/Director of Player Personnel Manny Viveiros. "It was certainly difficult like every other game we've played in this series so far. We got in some penalty trouble in the second period which was unnecessary from our side. I thought we were a little bit undisciplined in some of those areas. I was really happy with the way we responded after the penalty trouble. We started playing again and in the third period I thought we played really well defensively."

The Broncos killed all five Everett power plays in the game and have only allowed one power play goal in the series so far. While they would like to avoid being shorthanded, the penalty kill has been getting the job done.

"The kids are doing exactly what they're supposed to be doing on the penalty kill," Viveiros said. "They're working hard and they're blocking shots. You're best penalty killer is your goaltender and Stu has been really good. We want to be aggressive on loose pucks. The kids are digging in. We don't want to be taking too many penalties. At this time of year we can't. You end up running with a short bench."

With a 1-0 lead going into the third period the Broncos played a very strong defensive game. That doesn't mean there weren't some tough saves for Skinner. That includes a highlight reel save on Garrett Pilon with just over a minute to play.

"It was kind of a broken play," Skinner said. "I kind of lost of the puck for a second and somehow I lost him for a second. He made a nice move and I had to go in 911 goalie zone. I kind of just had some fun with it and was able to come up with the save."

The Silvertips have now lost three straight games in this series and their last four at home overall. They still felt they played a strong game.

"I thought we played a good game," Everett Silvertips head coach Dennis Williams said. "That's what happens this time of year. It wasn't lack of effort. It's a tough one. I was proud of our effort, our tempo, our compete and our response. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. We're in a bit of a rut. I told the guys we'll come back and have an even stronger effort on Friday. We'll learn from it and we'll get better."

Swift Current now has a chance to wrap up their first WHL Championship since 1993 with a win in Everett on Friday. They know the last win could be the toughest.

"We have to keep the same mindset as we've had all playoffs and all series," Sissons said. "We gotta play desperate. They're going to be coming out desperate as well. We've got to one up it. We're so close and we've got to know that. We've got to want it more than them."

We will have Friday's game live on The Eagle 94.1 FM with Robertson Family Group Broncos Hockey at 8pm.