The cup might have a new name, but it lifted just the same.The Humboldt Broncos are once again at the top of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.The Broncos claimed their fourth league championship in six years on April 13, when they won Game 6 over the Weyburn Red Wings 6-0.Captain Taylor Johnson accepted the Canalta Cup from SJHL President Bill Chow in Weyburn that night, then lifted it over his head and charged towards his teammates, who took turns lifting and kissing the trophy that other Broncos before them had also brought home.The 6-0 victory was only a little unexpected for Broncos head coach and general manager Dean Brockman."I expected us to do pretty well," he told the Journal, though he didn't necessarily expect a blowout.At their morning meeting that day, "the guys didn't say a thing," he said, "which was a little scary. But that's how focused they were. They wanted to finish it."That was clear from the moment the team stepped on the ice at Crescent Point Place in Weyburn."It looked like we were just focused, ready," Brockman agreed. "They wanted to do it."That focus led Humboldt to take a 1-0 lead in the first. It was Andrew Johnston who put the Broncos on the board with a goal on Weyburn's brick wall of a goalie, Mitch Kilgore, at 12:36 of the first, assisted by Josh Roach. Johnston and Roach teamed up again early in the second to make it a 2-0 game. Robbie Ciolfi took advantage of a power play to score Humboldt's third goal of the night at 7:48 of the second. Assists went to John Lawrence and Mathew Backhouse. A flukey fourth goal was counted for the Broncos off a shot by Johnston at 12:53 of the second. It bounced off Roach, and then into the net, past Kilgore once again. In the third, Matt Glowa added Humboldt's fifth goal, assisted by Ciolfi at 3:35. And finally, Emrik Guillemette scored the sixth and final at 15:59, assisted by Joey Davies and Johnson.Unlike Game 5, where the game ended in violence - Jesse Ross, Weyburn's top scorer who led the SJHL in scoring in the regular season, got a five-minute major for a two-handed slash to the back of one Bronco's legs, which resulted in his suspension for Game 6 - this one came to a close without any huge clashes. The Broncos earned six penalties throughout the game, with just two in the third, and the Red Wings recorded just five, with only one in the third. The Broncos were two for five on the power play, and the Wings were zero for six.Humboldt also outshot the Wings 33 to 21. Mitch Kilgore was named the lone star of the game at its end, and he also accepted the playoff MVP trophy amidst cheers from the fans who stayed to watch the award ceremonies. For Brockman, that 6-0 score made things a little more relaxing near the end of the game. "It was kind of nice that the game was a little out of reach.... so I could enjoy it for 10 minutes or so," he smiled. "It was good... really rewarding."They had been planning for one-goal games throughout the series, Brockman indicated - two games were one-goal games, and another two were two-goal games. The final two were clearcut wins for the Broncos.For the most part, he said, the Broncos had done a good job of putting pucks on the net, getting lots of scoring opportunities. In this last game, "we broke through a bit," he said. They were able to get through the goalie, and got the bounces they'd worked for for a couple of games already.On a sour note, when presented with his plaque recognizing Weyburn as a finalist in this year's league final, Ross refused to shake hands with the presenters, SJHL president Bill Chow and Canalta Hotels Weyburn Ramada manager Cindy Swanson. And Weyburn coach Dwight McMillan refused to accept his plaque altogether.But the Broncos - and the bus-full of fans who made the trip to Weyburn to cheer them on - were clearly ecstatic about earning the provincial Junior A championship.It was a good experience for their coaches as well, the only ones still remaining from the cup-winning teams of 2007, 2008 and 2009."It was rewarding in the fact that you always wonder if you're going to get back," Brockman said of the repeated win. "You always doubt your ability to do that again."But it was refreshing for a couple of reasons this time around. "It's a different group of guys," he explained, and they won on the road, which was a new experience for them, as the last three provincial wins happened at home. But the Broncos didn't get a lot of time to savour this victory. It's pretty much "one down, two to go" for the team at this point, as they prepare for their next series - the last ANAVET Cup series ever - and the RBC Cup.In the ANAVET, the Broncos will play the Portage Terriers, whom they played in 2008 and 2009 as well, and preparations for that series began pretty much right after their last victory party ended. "Portage is a very good team," Brockman said. "They win their league a lot. We'll find out what they're made of Friday night."The series begins in Humboldt April 20 and 21 with Games 1 and 2. Games 3 through 5 will be played in Portage April 24, 25 and 26, and Games 6 and 7 will be in Humboldt April 28 and 29, if they are needed.Though both teams will make it to the RBC Cup, as Humboldt will be the host team, and Portage the team from the West, the Broncos are still aiming to win. "We've said all along we don't want to go in the back door (to the RBC Cup). If we didn't win (the ANAVET), we'd still be going in the back door. I think it's important - we don't want to lose a series going into the final (stretch) of road." Brockman expects Portage will want to get some revenge on the Broncos, for their ANAVET losses in 2008 and 2009.He's hoping to have all the players injured in the past few weeks back in place and getting ready for the RBC Cup tournament as well."We had our share of injuries," he said of his team. "That's part of the game, anytime you play this long. Our depth really came through in the last series for sure."Humboldt hosting the RBC Cup this year makes the planning process for the team a lot different than other years, Brockman added."You're planning not just for the series coming up, but (for the RBC Cup) in mid-May," Brockman said. "You have about nine different plans... if we lose in this series, then we'll (do this...)," he noted. "You've always got to have a forward plan."This week, the Broncos will be extremely busy, not only planning for their series with Portage, but organizing their spring camp, which runs April 27-29.
