Hockey was secondary tonight as the Swift Current Broncos and Moose Jaw Warriors took the ice.

The teams gathered together around the face-off circle to pay tribute in a moment of silence for the victims of yesterday's Humbolt Broncos bus crash.

It was a touching display of unity from two fierce rivals.

"It was heart-wrenching," said Broncos forward Andrew Fyten. "You could hear a needle drop in the rink when all of us were going around. It just shows how big the hockey community is. I think everyone has been touched by it in some way. We had a couple guys in our room that lost really close buddies. For them to come out tonight and battle with us that was a really special thing. It really shows how much of a brotherhood we are inside our room."

The game was certainly secondary to the teams standing together and paying tribute.

"Everybody is still in shock," said Broncos Coach/Director of Player Personnel Manny Viveiros. "It's been a real difficult 24 hours for our kids. Our kids lost some really close friends on that hockey team and we had no idea the magnitude until after the game last night just how many kids our kids knew on that team that were close friends. I thought Moose Jaw did an outstanding job of paying tribute to those young kids that lost their lives and the kids that are battling for their lives. We're numb. Our kids are still grieving. It's going to take some time here and we're going to get them the support they need... and we're going to be there to help them out as much as possible."



Among the 15 people lost in the Humbolt crash were some very strong connections to Swift Current's players and staff. That was something they really felt in their dressing room tonight.

"It was something no one has ever been through before," Sissons said. "There are three guys on our team that lost best friends yesterday. For them to be out here playing with us today all we want to do is support them and they came out and had the game of their lives. With everything going on in Humboldt I knew a few guys on the team. With the name and the kind of connection of our history and their sad history now we're playing for them. That was probably one of the best sixty minutes we've ever played as a group. We shut them down. We all stuck together as a group."


 
Swift Current's primary focus right now isn't on hockey but on being there for their players and offering them whatever support they need. Viveiros invited their team chaplain to Moose Jaw before the game for a support and they will be offering whatever counseling services their players require when they get back home.

"Every situation is different and everybody grieves in different ways," Viveiros said. "All I can do is what I would do if that was my own children... just be a parent and be there and listen and if they need anything we're there for them and give them the resources they need."

For Viveiros and the whole Broncos organization the Humboldt crash certainly brings back tragic memories of the Swift Current bus crash in 1986. Viveiros had been teammates with Scott Kruger in Prince Albert before Kruger lost his life in that crash the next year.

"I still remember where I was to the minute when that happened," Viveiros said. "Back then there was no such thing social media and you had to wait a long time to get any details. I'll never forget that and what a tragedy that was. You never thought something like that could ever happen again. It just shows how precious life is... how precious every day for us an opportunity to come to the rink and go home and see our kids. Things we all take for granted. It brings everything into perspective."

On the ice the Broncos played a very complete team effort. The scoring got started with a Glenn Gawdin power play goal midway through the first as Aleksi Heponiemi made a great move around Brandon Schuldhaus to set the captain up.

Swift Current carried that strong play into the second period when Fyten got the puck to Sissons for a shot that hit off Jett Woo and right to Giorgio Estephan for his second of the playoffs.

Fyten finished the weekend with three points, hit a post and had a strong defensively effort as well.

"I'm feeling pretty confident," Fyten said. "I'm just playing a hard, heavy game. Playing north and hard against these guys and it's been working for me so far."



Tyler Steenbergen extended Swift Current's lead to 3-0 on another great shot for his 8th of the playoffs. Steenbergen now has seven goals in his last six games.

Swift Current continued to carry the play throughout the rest of the second and the whole third period. It was a complete team effort with all four lines clicking.

"Manny made some big moves at the deadline so we could be so deep," Fyten said. "We have four lines that can play against anyone in this league."

Stuart Skinner made 20 saves to earn his second shutout of the playoffs. He made some big saves early and had lots of help in front of him as well.

"He's been good all playoffs," Sissons said. "In the first round we had some nights where we didn't have his back and he got pulled. Tonight it helps when we can get in shooting lanes and tie up sticks. It makes his job easier, but it's a six man unit out there."

Kaden Elder sealed the game late with an empty netter and Sissons finished the game with three assists. Heponiemi chipped in two helpers and has 13 in 9 playoff games so far.

Game 3 shifts the series back to the Innovation Credit Union iPlex in Swift Current on Tuesday.

If you want to donate to the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash you can click here to follow a link to the Go Fund Me page that has raised almost $3 million to this point.