After 56 games, the Humboldt Broncos' regular season came to an end in much the same way it began - with a home win over the Notre Dame Hounds.
In an entertaining affair that saw many displays of individual brilliance, the Broncos came away with a 4-3 win on March 2 in what turned out to be a relatively meaningless affair; when the Estevan Bruins lost to the Weyburn Red Wings the night before, the Broncos were locked into sixth place in the SJHL playoffs and a first round date with the Melfort Mustangs.
For head coach Dean Brockman, the goal for the night was to stay healthy, try out some line combinations and give some younger players a chance to shine. Among those who did was 16-year-old Logan Schatz, a prospect from Allan who spent the season with the Midget AAA Beardy's Blackhawks. In his first SJHL game, Schatz tallied three assists and turned some heads in the stands and behind the bench on his way to being named the game's first star.
"He's a very good player," Brockman said.
"I just wanted us to play hard," he said of the overall approach to the game. "You want the guys to skate hard, because when you don't play hard that's when you get hurt."
With the first game against the Mustangs not coming until the weekend of March 14, Brockman elected to give his team three days off this week to rest before they jump into the most intense and demanding part of the year.
There are those who might be tempted to say that the Broncos got lucky with their playoff matchup, as the Mustangs finished third in the SJHL by winning the Sherwood Division, yet finished with 10 less points (67 to 57) than the Broncos during the regular season. Brockman isn't one of those people.
"It doesn't hurt that they beat us the last three times because that makes us aware of who we're against," he said. "If we had beaten them six times in a row then you worry about focus and commitment and all those things, but they've been better than us since Christmas so why wouldn't we be worried?"
The Broncos' six games against the Mustangs this season have been a study in contrasts; Humboldt swept the first three games before dropping the final three to Melfort. In Brockman's mind, the reason why has been fairly simple.
"Their effort has been way better than ours," he said. "They've been more consistent and have played harder than we did in those three games."
With the first game of the playoffs still close to two weeks away, Brockman wasn't sure what he would do with regards to specific decisions like whom to start in net, Ryland Pashovitz or Cade Spencer.
"As you practice and go through the time off, then you'll see who's a clear-cut guy," he said. "Whether he's won more on the road or he's been better against the team you're playing, there are a lot of factors that can come into play."
After the short break, Brockman will be looking to prepare his team both physically and mentally, by ensuring they are in condition and by analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of their opponent. Even with all that preparation, Brockman knows that not everyone on his team will be able to perform in the pressure cooker of the playoffs.
"The sad thing is that you know when you suit up those 20 guys, there will be a couple who are too amped or just can't handle it," he said. "There will be some guys like that on the other side, too, so hopefully it evens itself out."
Brockman will be looking to his veterans to provide much-needed leadership for the younger players who haven't experienced any playoff action in their careers.
The Broncos have been an up-and-down team throughout most of the regular season, and it's clear that Brockman isn't quite sure what to expect from his guys either.
"There have been moments when I thought this is a pretty good team and moments when you don't know," he said.
"Hopefully our best is yet to come."
