The Humboldt Broncos keep inching up the standings as they continue to play probably their best hockey of the season.
Their latest outing was a 3-2 shootout win over the Battlefords North Stars on Nov. 16 at the Elgar Petersen Arena. As of Nov. 19, the Broncos have earned points in eight of their last 10 games and are on the heels of the Kindersley Klippers for first place in the Kramer Division.
Against the North Stars, David Stumborg opened the scoring for the home side late in the first period, but Battlefords scored twice in the second to take a 2-1 lead. Chicago native Thomas Stanislavski scored his first goal of the season to tie the game about halfway through the third before the Broncos won in the shootout.
"It took us some time to adjust to their physical style," said head coach Dean Brockman. "I don't know if there were three consecutive passes in the game but character-wise it was big for us to come back and win."
Brockman is nothing if not a perfectionist, and so he still sees flaws even as his team begins to round into form.
"I don't think we've played a full 60 minutes yet," he said. "Patience and coaching don't necessarily go together."
Brockman still doesn't see a consistent identity for his team, but would like that future identity to be based on a relentless work ethic. A step forward in that regard has been the return of veteran forward Justin Lund, who returned from a knee injury in the past two weeks.
"Presence and leadership," Brockman replied when asked what Lund brought to the team. He also brings an element of size and physicality to a forward rotation that is fairly small.
Of everything that has gone well for the Broncos so far this season, perhaps nothing has been more important than the stellar play in net. Humboldt is not an especially high-scoring team and so good goaltending is essential if the team wants to compete for a championship. Cade Spencer and Ryland Pashovitz, both 18, have certainly done their part so far.
Both are in the top five in the SJHL in save percentage, while Pashovitz leads the league in goals against average and shutouts despite appearing in only five games following an early season injury.
"We were high on both of them going into the season, but we probably didn't think they'd put up the numbers they have so far," Brockman said. "We can play any goalie at any time and it's not going to hurt us.
"There's a healthy competition between the two and that's a good thing."
Pashovitz has probably been a hair better than Spencer so far, but it's a good problem for Brockman and the coaching staff to have. As the team approaches the halfway point of the regular season they are still searching for the elusive consistency their coach wants, but they seem to be getting closer to it almost every time out.
