The Humboldt Broncos went 2-1 last week in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
The squad downed La Ronge, 4-1, and Yorkton, 5-1. Sandwiched in between was a 5-0 loss to Finning Division rival Battlefords. However, the Broncs bounced back to beat Yorkton.
“It was a nice way to finish the weekend,” Broncos head coach Darcy Haugan said.
As of Oct. 18, the squad was 5-6-2-0. They sat second in the Finning Division behind Battlefords.
Following the Broncos’ solid week, two players were awarded with league honours. Greg Moro was tabbed as the IBAS SJHL Defenseman of the Week. He had a hat trick in one game and three assists in another.
Brett Clark was named the Sasktel SJHL Goaltender of the Week. He earned two wins and collected 49 combined in those victories.
This Week
The Broncos were slated to host Notre Dame (5-3-1-0) on Oct. 20. The team hit the road this weekend to play in Melfort. The Mustangs are 9-1-1-1. Next week, on Oct. 27, the Flin Flon Bombers (3-6-0-2) come to the Elgar Petersen Arena.
Last Week
Moro’s offensive explosion helped the Broncos snap a four-game losing streak on Oct. 13 at home. Moro scored a hat trick, capped by an empty net goal, as Humboldt posted a 4-1 victory over the La Ronge Ice Wolves.
“I’m going to say it was due to a little bit of luck, having lots of scoring chances, and a screen in front of their net for the first two goals,” Moro wrote in a text interview.
Clark stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced. The lone one that eluded the Grande Prairie product was on a power-play late in the third period.
Moro and Andrew Thompson each scored in the first period. Moro added one in the second session and the Broncos led 3-0 going into the third period. After Toby Shattler scored for La Ronge, the Ice Wolves pulled their goalie, which opened up the net for Moro. La Ronge goalie Dakota Kenyon made 34 saves.
On the road on Oct. 16, the Broncos were shut out 5-0 by the Battlefords North Stars on the road. Humboldt netminder Brett Friesen stopped 26 of the 31 shots the North Stars threw at him.
“For some reason, they have our number,” Haugan said.
Scoring for Battlefords were Tanner Nagel, Jake McMillen, Layne Young, Reed Delainey, and Igor Leonenko.
The Broncos picked up their second win of the week with a 5-1 victory over Yorkton on Oct. 17. Yorkton led 1-0 at the end of the first period, but Humboldt scored two goals in the second period and three in the third. Clark allowed one goal on 12 shots in the first period and then shut the Terriers out the rest of the way. He finished with 19 saves. Haugan noted the netminder made some timely saves.
Haugan said that strong goaltending by Clark was one of several factors in the victory. He was pleased with how the Broncos limited the Terriers to eight shots in the last 40 minutes. The Humboldt penalty kill came up big. With the team leading 3-1, they killed off a penalty and, after the Broncos returned to even strength, Rock Ruschkowski scored. Also offensively, Humboldt seemed to have success with some line shuffling. Wesley Shipton is now skating with hometown product Jarrett Fontaine and Logan Schatz. Both Shipton and Fontaine scored against Yorkton.
In all, five different players lit the lamp for the Broncos. Humboldt’s other scorers were Jace Pesch and Drew Warkentine. Warkentine, Ruschkowski, and Shipton all scored their first of the season. Moro recorded three assists while Schatz and captain Anthony Kapelke each had two assists.
Carson Cayer had Yorkton’s lone goal. Terriers netminder Matt Kustra made 29 saves.
Roster Moves
The Humboldt Broncos have added 18-year-old defencemn Tyler Severson. The Calgary product is listed on eliteprospects.com as 6-feet tall and 181 pounds. He had one assist in five games with the Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League this season. With Brody Doepker injured and Drake’s Joshua Bergen earning a role at forward, the team was looking to add a blue liner.
The Broncos also recently added a trio of talented young forwards. Shipton, an 18-year-old from Dawson Creek, has one goal and three assists in five games since joining the Broncos. He started the season with the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm.
Nikolas Malenica has appeared in four games. He is a 6-foot-5, 210-pound, 18-year-old Nanaimo product. Last season he saw action with the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips and a junior B squad in B.C., according to eliteprospects.com.
Prince Albert’s Drew Warkentine has one goal in four games. The 6-foot, 185-pound, 17-year-old played midget AAA with the Tisdale Trojans last season.
Catching Up With
Jim Appleby (1980-1981) is a private family therapist and a counselor in the Regina Public Schools. The goalie played his 17-year-old season with the Broncos and has fond memories of the community.
“I loved how friendly the people were in Humboldt,” Appleby wrote in an email interview. “We played out of the Leo Parker Arena. Opposing teams did not want to play in Humboldt. The crowd was very supportive and because the rink was small they were almost as much into the action as the players were.”
He said the strong sense of community he saw in Humboldt influenced him to give back to his community of Regina by organizing an outdoor hockey league that ran for eight years.
After playing for the Broncos, Appleby went on to play in the Western Hockey League, mostly with the Winnipeg Warriors, for two seasons. He was selected in 12th round of the 1982 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Appleby earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Winnipeg and a Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work from the University of Regina, where he played for the Cougars.
