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WHL Saskatoon Blades

Broncos Edge Blades 3-2 in Shootout

April 18, 2021 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


REGINA, SK - Second time's a charm for Mathew Ward.

The Swift Current Broncos rookie scored the shootout winner to sink the Saskatoon Blades 3-2 on Saturday night.

It was Ward's second one-on-one stand-off against Blades netminder Nolan Maier, who stopped the youngster on a penalty shot midway through the second period.

Saskatoon's (14-2-2-1) win streak ends at five games, however, they've earned at least a point in seven straight. Swift Current (4-14-1-0), meanwhile, snaps a seven-game losing skid with the victory. It's also the Broncos first win against the Blades since January of 2019, ending a stretch of eight straight losses.

The Blades received goals from defenceman Charlie Wright and captain Chase Wouters, and Nolan Maier earned the game's second star with 35 saves. First star honours were given to Broncos netminder Reid Dyck and his 33 save performance.

The lone point pushes Saskatoon one point clear of the Brandon Wheat Kings for top spot in the East Division, now sitting with 31 on the campaign.

Although it took him 59 games, it didn't take Wright long to notch his first career goal. Just 43 seconds into the game, the Olds, AB native threw a long shot on goal that foolishly bounced its way over the shoulder of Dyck.

Fellow blue-liner Rhett Rhinehart, coming off his first career hat-trick, along with Kyle Crnkovic collected the assists.

Saskatoon's 1-0 lead lasted until the 4:59 mark of the 2nd period. Broncos defenceman Owen Pickering fired a long one-timer that beat Maier under the glove, squaring the match up 1-1. This ended a goalless streak lasting over 93 minutes for the Broncos.

Swift Current had a great opportunity to take their first lead of the game at the midway mark of the second. Broncos rookie Mathew Ward was awarded a penalty shot after getting tied up on a breakaway.

Ward tried to find a hole through the legs of Maier, but was convincingly denied by the Blades veteran.

Maier's stop on Ward turned the tables in favour of the Blades for the rest of the second frame, ultimately ending with a goal with 12 seconds remaining.

Captain Chase Wouters' shot from the left circle was stopped by Dyck, but the rebound careened off the skate of a Broncos defender and in the net. Wright collected the secondary assist - his second point of the night - while Crnkovic picked up the primary helper.

For a second time, Swift Current had the answer. Braeden Lewis notched his second of the season 2:03 into the third period after muscling his way to the front of the net and shovelling a rebound underneath Maier.

Both goaltenders rose to the challenge through the latter half of the third period, trading save after save on either end of the ice to eventually force overtime.

Crnkovic, Wouters, and Blake Stevenson failed to score on Dyck in the shootout, along with Josh Davies and Michael Farren on Maier. Ward was the sixth shooter to go, and pulled off a nasty right-left deke to ultimately earn the extra point for his team.

Saskatoon will now enjoy two days off as they prepare for their final game against the Regina Pats of the season. They'll battle the host-squad on Tuesday at 6:00pm, while the Broncos return to action on Monday against the Winnipeg ICE.

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