The La Ronge Ice Wolves were hoping to start a three-game swing on a winning note in Humboldt, but it was the Broncos skating away with a 5-2 victory on Wednesday night at the Elgar Petersen Arena.
“I thought our guys played pretty well, they put in a good effort — came up short, you know, it happens sometimes,” said Ice Wolves Assistant Coach Galean Patterson. “I think we had a few lapses that turned the tide and we could’ve put a couple pucks in the net there that we had some good chances on.”
The Broncos got on the board first when Josh Patrician sent a seeing-eye shot past a screened Jordan Frey 9:07 into the game. The Ice Wolves would respond 9:40 into the second when Antonio Di Paolo flew down the left side and banked the puck past Rayce Ramsay, which evened the score at one.
The Broncos took a 2-1 lead just 19 seconds into the third when Michael Clarke notched his 22nd of the campaign in tight. The Ice Wolves didn’t fold up their tent and answered the call shortly after. Jake Gudjonson picked up a golden rebound and tapped home his 13th of the season 1:13 into the stanza, which evened the game at two.
Reid Arnold, Logan Foster and Cole Kirkup would tally later in the frame for Humboldt as the Broncos picked up their second straight win and handed La Ronge its fourth straight setback. The Ice Wolves were outshot 50-30 in the game, but Ice Wolves Assistant Coach Gaelan Patterson felt they generated enough opportunities.
“We definitely could’ve won the game, it could’ve went that way, for sure,” said Patterson.
With the loss, the Ice Wolves slipped to 10-32-1-1 on the season, which still has them in last in the overall standings and 10 points back of Melville for the final playoff spot.
The Ice Wolves will be looking to rebound on Friday night in Yorkton when they meet the Terriers for the third time this season. Yorkton leads the season series 2-0 following a pair of wins in early November at the Mel Hegland Uniplex. You can catch Friday’s game live on MBC Radio with Braden Malsbury, the pre-game show begins at 7:15 p.m.
Following Friday’s contest in Yorkton, the Ice Wolves conclude the three-game trip in Melville on Saturday night versus the Millionaires.
(PHOTO: The Ice Wolves made their final trip of the regular season to Humboldt Wednesday. Photo by Braden Malsbury.)