The strong Broncos offense, including #46 Jerzy Orchard (pictured), would not be enough for the Flin Flon Bombers during game two on Saturday night. (Becky Zimmer/northeastNOW Staff)
Buckin' Broncos broken

Broncos busted by Bombers in OT, semifinal series continues on the road

Apr 3, 2022 | 9:33 AM

The Humboldt Broncos are now 0-2 in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League semi-finals after an exciting night at the Elgar Petersen Arena on Saturday.

The Bombers and Broncos went into extra minutes after they left the regulation time tied at two goals a piece.

However, it would be Flin Flon who would come out on top with an unfortunate turnover at centre ice allowed for an attack on goalie Rayce Ramsay.

Assistant coach Rhett Blackmur said good teams are going to capitalize on those turnovers. But even with the Broncos down by two heading into away game territory in a seven-game series, it is not time to panic yet.

“We’re only down two. Flin Flon is a tough place to play and we just have to simplify, do the right things, limit our turnovers and score some goals,” Blackmur told northeastNOW.

Even with the OT loss, Blackmur had plenty of positives that he was taking from the game, including some great saves from goalie Rayce Ramsay who stopped 41 out of 44 shots fired from the Bombers.

Of course, the Broncos did have two amazing goals, said Blackmur as Jerzy Orchard would start the scoring for the Broncos after he caught the rebound off Cal Schell from Jared Kaplowitz.

Unfortunately, the Bombers were quick to answer back after an unlucky rebound found Drew Kuzma’s skate for Flin Flon to sneak one past Ramsay.

Broncos and Bombers would leave it there to go into the second tied at 1-1.

Even with plenty of chances in front of the net, they could not beat the Flin Flon defense or Schell as Ramsay stayed strong in the Broncos net for a scoreless second.

Zak Smith would take the lead for the Bombers five minutes into the third but the Broncos would answer back as Conner McGrath took a pass from Matthew Perkins to Schell and found the back of the net.

Outshooting the Broncos 18-6 in the third, the Bombers had Ramsay working hard with some amazing saves but he kept the Broncos alive as they moved into overtime.

But it would not be enough as Kuzma brought it into the Broncos zone from the centre and beat out Ramsay for the OT win.

The Broncos are now on the road as they head to Flin Flon for games three and four.

Assistant coach Carter Hansen told northeastNOW after game one that the away games this series will be a challenge compared to other possible teams they could be playing.

While the trip itself is long, the Broncos will also be facing the challenge of a smaller rink and passionate fans, he said.

“The biggest key when you play up in Flin Flon is you got to block out all the noise. They got great fans up there, they’re as loud as can be. Got to shut the noise out and just play the game of hockey, right. At the end of the day, you’re there playing a game and I think if the boys can focus on that, play their game, play in their style, I think we’ll be okay.”

Even with the challenges of playing Flin Flon, Ramsay told northeastNOW after game one that they will not be doing much different than they have all season.

“We played really well on the road this year, both at home and on the road so I think we just tried to treat every game the same and I become prepared to play every game doesn’t matter for home or away.”

Puck drop will be later for Saskatchewan fans as all games in Flin Flon will be done in Central Time.

becky.zimmer@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @bex_zim

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