The Swift Current Broncos allowed a two-goal lead to slip away, but earned a point in a third straight game in a 4-3 shootout loss to the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Saturday.
Former Bronco Luke Mistelbacher scored the only goal of the shootout, while 6’7” Filip Ruzicka stopped all three Broncos shooters.
The Broncos led 1-0 on a first-period one-timer from Trae Johnson, his third goal since joining the team.
Former Bronco Grayson Burzynski tied the game early in the second period with a wrist shot from the top of the face-off circle. The Broncos quickly answered with a Trae Wilke goal when he outwaited Ruzicka for his 16th goal of the season. Carter Moen added to the lead 2:40 later with a shorthanded goal on the rush for his fifth goal. Brandon cut the lead in half with a Jaxon Jacobson goal late in the second period.
The Wheat Kings tied the game 1:02 into the third period when Cameron Allard scored.
Aiden Eskit made 34 saves over 65 minutes for the Broncos.
“I thought we played really good,” said assistant coach Travis Moen. “We created some offense, scored some goals. That four-on-four goal kind of killed us a little bit at the end, but I thought we played a really good game structurally. It’s always tough playing back-to-backs, but we established our fore-check, our neutral zone was really good, and we defended really well.”
Brandon improved to 30-22-1-0, while Swift Current improved to 13-35-3-1.
The Broncos will visit the Regina Pats on Monday afternoon.
