Saturday's game against the Notre Dame Hounds was the first game as captain for Broncos forward Cage Newans. (submitted photo/Becky Zimmer)
Back in the barn

Solid start as Broncos take home and home wins against Hounds

Sep 25, 2023 | 8:56 AM

The Humboldt Broncos kicked off the 23/24 season in style this past weekend after two wins against the Notre Dames Hounds.

The green and gold kicked off their season at the Elgar Petersen arena on Sept. 23 with a 5-0 win followed by a 6-3 win on the road to finish off the home-and-home weekend.

With so many new faces in the dressing room, assistant coach Carter Hansen said there is always going to be learning curves as the season opens.

“You’re never exactly sure what you’re going to get for the first home opener there but I thought the guys passed with flying colours,” Hansen told northeastNOW following their win at home. “We kept the feet moving a lot throughout the whole game.”

Even some penalty trouble in the third period couldn’t dampen the Bronco drive as Benjamin Motew earned his first shutout of the season in front of nearly 1,000 fans.

In typical goalie fashion, Motew credited the tight defence in front of him, Hansen said.

“I heard him mention a couple of times that guys were playing great in front of him, so we’ve just gotta keep doing that, and he’s gonna make those saves for us.”

Bronco newcomer and 19-year-old forward, Travis Bryson, scored his first goal in the green and gold jersey just 1:08 into the first period, as well as serving 12 of the team’s 30 penalty minutes, to kick off his career in Humboldt.

Marik Mamic brought the Broncos another red light with the only goal of the second to bring them up by two going into the third.

The third period saw the Broncos create some distance between themselves and the Hounds. Unassisted in the Notre Dame zone, Jeter Korte would make it 3-0 with a shorthanded goal, followed by newly minted team captain Cage Newans finding the back of the net on the power play. In his second year as a Bronco, Matthew Van Blaricom would contribute goal number five before the buzzer sounded on a solid performance to start the season.

Landen Stromme was the first to put the Broncos on the board at the Duncan McNeill Arena, followed by Brayden Skogstad and Bryson both finding the back of the net with the Broncos leading 4-2 going into the second. Tristan Serrao brought the Broncos up to five in answer to another Hounds goal with the Broncos still leading 5-3 going into the third. Van Blaricom would once again cap off the game with the final goal of the night.

The Broncos announced their leadership in the days prior to their home opener. In his third season donning the green and gold jersey, 20-year-old Newans said it is an absolute honour to be named this season’s Bronco captain.

“It’s a dream come true to be able to wear the ‘C’ for such a storied organization and to lead the way,” he said.

Newans didn’t mince words; they want this to be a championship year for the Broncos.

“We’ve been close the last two years and I don’t think we’re going to settle for anything less this year, that’s the end goal. Every guy in the room; players, coaching staff, training staff, we’re all on the same page with that.”

Hansen said their leadership team; including assistant captains Daylan Weigel, Stromme, and Maddox Amaral, was a no-brainer. All the players were part of the discussion during the preseason, and what the players and coaches were seeing matched up fairly well.

“You notice them right away when you walk into a room so I think it was pretty easy for even the new guys to gravitate towards those four.”

The Broncos will stick close to home with La Ronge, Notre Dame, and Weyburn all coming to the EPA to kick off October action on Oct. 3, Oct. 8, and Oct. 11.

becky.zimmer@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @bex_zim

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