The Melville Millionaires arrived in Humboldt Friday, February 22 to take on the hometown Broncos. Humboldt was battling for top spot in the league while Melville was battling for first place in the Sherwood division of the SJHL. With so much on the line for both teams, the stakes were high and the caliber of play intense.
The Millionaires came out flying, drawing first blood on their opening shot of the game. Defenceman Zach Simpson hit winger Russell Trudeau with a pass, and he gave it to winger Ian McNulty, who beat Humboldt's Matt Hrynkiw low, on the glove side to make it 1-0 Melville only 1:55 into the period.
Bronco fans didn't have long to wait thanks to the effort of Kameren Ballas who worked the puck from the left side, across the slot where he backhanded home the equalizer from just to the left of the Mills goalie Alex Wakaluk at the 4:18 mark.
Before the midway mark of the opening frame, an innocent looking shot off the stick of Melville's Sean Aschim, beat Hrynkiw on the stick side, once again putting the visitors ahead on the scoreboard. Trudeau and Adam Dibella were credited with assists.
Bodies continued to fly as the teams ramped up their physical play while tearing up the ice and peppering the goaltenders at both ends of the arena.
Bronco Neil Landry, playing in his fifth game since his return to the ice from an injury sustained in November, backhanded home a rebound at the 12:21 mark to knot the score at 2-2. Assists went to Ballas and John Lawrence.
Only 26 seconds later, a promising Melville break- away was negated when it was called offside. The Millionaires were not to be denied, with Hrynkiw down on his knees, McNulty beat him high, scoring on Melville's tenth shot of the period to regain a 3-2 lead at the 15:49 mark.
The first power play came with 3:15 remaining in the opening frame when Humboldt's Rhett Blackmur was called for holding. Melville was unable to capitalize and the score remained 3-2 at the end of one.
At the buzzer, Melville's Kevin Woodyatt was called for roughing, putting the Broncos on the power play to start the second.
At the end of one period of play Melville not only led 3-2 on the scoreboard, but also held a 13-10 edge in shots on net. The only penalty of the period went to Humboldt but the Millionaires' power play went 0 for 1.
The Broncos had an excellent scoring opportunity at the tail end of their power play at the start of the second, but were unable to beat Wakaluk.
At the 3:48 mark Humboldt's Adam Antkowiak was called for hooking giving Melville a power-play opportunity which was promptly squandered three seconds later when Nathan Boyer was called for boarding.
With a lot of open ice during the four-on-four, both teams had a number of opportunities but neither capitalized.
With just under nine minutes remaining in the period, Melville's TJ Reeve was called for hooking but following the whistle Humboldt's Justin Lund and Melville's Dibella got into a heated discussion and both were sent off for roughing, putting Humboldt on the power play.
The Broncos' power play would go 0/6 on the night with Melville's faring only slightly better at 1/6.
The Broncos gave their fans something to cheer about when they registered a very pretty goal with just 2:11 remaining in the period. Set up by Brandon Tidy and Logan Sproule, David Miazga came up the right side, across the front, finding the open net on Wakaluk's stick side to tie the game at 3-3.
That equalizer seemed to light a fire in the Broncos as they continued to generate quality scoring chances.
Once again skating four-on-four and with the faceoff in the offensive end, Joe Davies won the draw, getting the puck back to David Stumborg who passed across to his defence partner Cody Pettapiece who lit the lamp with 9.3 seconds on the clock, to give Humboldt its first lead of the game. When the buzzer went to end the period, Humboldt skated into the intermission leading 4-3.
This game was far from done. With first place on the line in the Sherwood conference for the Millionaires, they were determined to best the hometown Broncos.
Humboldt was just as determined to score the win and it would have been a done deal if the puck had found the twine instead of ringing off the goalpost just before the midway point of the final frame. Approximately one minute later, Pettapiece was called for tripping. This time the Millionaires' power play would capitalize as Trudeau would tie the score at four. Assists went to Colin Mospanchuk and Dibella.
A late hooking minor to Humboldt's Stumborg with only 1:16 in the game put the fans on the edge of their seats. But the Broncos stood strong defensively forcing the game into a five-minute overtime.
With 44 seconds left in Stumborg's minor, Melville had a four-on-three power play but was unable to capitalize. Humboldt came close a couple of times in OT but was unable to poke home the winner.
It was off to a shootout. Humboldt's first three shooters of Sproule, Lawrence and Cody Pongracz were denied by Wakaluk. At the other end Hrynkiw stood tall against McNulty, Trudeau, and Aschim.
Broncos' captain Landry took centre ice. A straight drive up the middle then a shot from his right side beat Wakaluk to make it 5-4 Humboldt.
Melville sent Nathan Boyer into the showdown with Hrynkiw which Hrynkiw convincingly won allowing Humboldt to record the 5-4 win and first place overall in the SJHL.
Humboldt returned to the ice Sunday night against the visiting Notre Dame Hounds.
Neil Landry, carrying on from Friday's game, opened the scoring at the 0:48 mark of the first to make it 1-0 Broncos. Assists went to Dylan Fluter and David Stumborg. Notre Dame tied it at the 11:50 mark and that's how the first period ended.
A pair of goals in the second by the Hounds' Troy Murray (4:13 mark) and Carson Grolla (power play at 19:22 mark) saw the visitors hold a 3-1 lead at the end of 40 minutes.
Humboldt's John Lawrence cut into the Hounds' lead netting his sixteenth of the season at the 15:12 mark. Assists went to Cody Pettapiece and Kyle Lipinski.
Despite outshooting the Hounds 28-21, Humboldt was unable to come back and the Hounds recorded a 3-2 victory.
Notre Dame went 1/6 on the power play while Humboldt was 0/6 with the man advantage.
Notre Dame's Carson Golla and Jens Johnson were first and second stars with Humboldt's Landry named as third star.
The Broncos wrapped up the regular season Tuesday, February 26 when they hosted the Kindersley Klippers, a game that was originally slotted for February 2. The outcome of this game will not impact the upcoming playoffs.
