A strong start to the 2017-18 preseason was the case for the Tarpon Energy Atom AA Broncos in Saskatoon over the Thanksgiving long weekend for the annual IceBreaker Atom tournament.

In game one of Group A round-robin play, Swift Current tripled up the Humboldt Broncos 9-3, thanks to a hat-trick by Parker Rondeau, two by Ryder Woods, and singles from Derric Dulatre, Hayden Winslow, Aiden Robinson, and Nate Silbernagel.

Game two produced a similar, albeit lower-scoring result, in a 4-1 win over the Saskatoon Kodiak Aces.

The scoring was evenly distributed in the win, with single goals by Dexter Schroeder, Brady Simpson, Ryder Woods, and Parker Rondeau.

The offense was back in full force in game three, where the Atom AA Broncos cooled down the Saskatoon Bobcat Heat in an 11-3 win.

Familiar names found their way onto the stat sheet once again, as Ryder Woods led the way with a four-goal game. Parker Rondeau added a hat-trick, and Hayden Winslow had himself a multi-goal game as well.

With a chance to advance to the A-side final of the tournament, the Atom Broncos and Moose Jaw Atom Warriors squared off in the semi-final.

Again, the Broncos won handily, topping Moose Jaw 6-2 on another hat-trick by Parker Rondeau and two by Ryder Woods.

Woods continued his scoring successes in the final, where the Broncos faced off with another WHL-named Atom squad - the Brandon Atom Wheat Kings.

Two shots found the back of the net, and both Hayden Winslow and Parker Rondeau added singles, but the Atom Broncos dropped the contest to the Manitoba side 7-4, finishing in second place.

Up next for the Tarpon Energy Atom AA Broncos is a pair of home games October 21 and 22 at Fairview East against Yorkton.