The Humboldt Broncos' season is over, and it couldn't have ended in a more agonizing way.
The Broncos lost their playoff series with the Yorkton Terriers in five games, but to say only that would be to miss a far larger point. After winning the first game of the series - in Yorkton, no less - Humboldt lost the next four, each by one goal and three in overtime. In two of those games the Broncos held two-goal leads, and they scored first in three of the four games they eventually lost. It's a series of facts designed to illustrate an important point: the Broncos were really, really close to making it a long series or even winning the whole thing. That's a realization that won't go down easy for fans, players and coaches alike, but it's the truth.
The key moment may have come during Game 4, when the Broncos trailed 2-1 and were playing at home. It was to be one of only two games at the Elgar Petersen Arena, as Game 6 had been moved to Warman to accommodate a leisure show. In short, the Broncos desperately needed to win, and for a long time it seemed as if they would.
With less than two minutes remaining in the second period, Humboldt led 3-1. Then, very suddenly, Yorkton scored two goals in 51 seconds and the game was tied. After a scoreless third period, overtime came and went in a flash. Yorkton scored 25 seconds into the extra frame, even before many fans had been able to make it back to their seats.
That sudden turn of events left the Broncos down 3-1 and facing a must-win situation in Yorkton, where they'd already won. Greg Moro scored with less than a minute left in the second period, but like so many other times during the series that joy was short-lived. Brett Boehm scored for the Terriers less than a minute into the third and it ended, as the Broncos had become used to, with a Yorkton goal in overtime.
Like that, the season was over in a hail of close losses and blown opportunities. The Broncos could reasonably argue they were much better than a five-game loss indicates, but in the results-oriented world of sports, the losses were just that.
Losses.
Series recap: Broncos vs. Terriers
Game 1: Humboldt 6, Yorkton 5 (OT)
Game 2: Yorkton 3, Humboldt 2 (OT)
Game 3: Yorkton 6, Humboldt 5
Game 4: Yorkton 4, Humboldt 3 (OT)
Game 5: Yorkton 2, Humboldt 1 (OT)
Note: Next week's Journal will feature an extended conversation with Broncos head coach Dean Brockman on the Yorkton series, the season in general and a look to next season.
