Broncos hope to continue red-hot start

The Swift Current Broncos will enter the weekend as one of the top teams in the Western Hockey League after jumping out to a 4-0-0-0 start to the season.

Wednesday the Broncos hosted the Red Deer Rebels, please visit swbooster.com for a full recap.

Saturday the Broncos won their fourth straight game to begin the season with a 4-3 win over the host Saskatoon Blades.

Overage forward Keegan Dansereau paced the Broncos with one goal and two assists, while Matt Tassone notched the eventual game winning goal midway through the third period.

Dansereau extending his goal scoring streak to three games and has recorded at least a point in all four games this season to sit tied for third in WHL scoring with seven points.

Eric Doyle and Dillon Wagner, with his first WHL goal, also found the net for the Broncos.

Derek Hulak, Travis Toomey, and Burke Gallimore replied for the Blades who fell to 1-3-0-0 on the campaign.

In a contest with only seven minor penalties the Broncos finished zero for two on the powerplay and allowed one goal on five shorthanded opportunities.

Mark Guggenberger picked up the win with 26 saves on 28 shots in 52:33 of work to move to 2-0-0-0 on the season. Guggenberger replaced starter Travis Yonkman who left the game with a suspected shoulder injury.

Braden Holtby fell to 0-2-0-0 with 26 saves.

"We are exceptionally happy with the 4-0 start," said Broncos assistant head coach Tim Kehler. "I think that the Saskatoon Blades are a much much better hockey team then the team that we took points from in all eight games last year. With the difficulty of getting points in those home and home series, when you win the first one at home it is a real tall order to go into their building and play a motivated group and come out with points and be able to win again. We responded to some adversity last night being down after one period for the first time in this young season and losing Travis Yonkman as well, our kids responded very well."

Saturday the Broncos will visit the Kootenay Ice and the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Sunday.

"It is getting tougher with a busier schedule this week with a midweek game before travelling to Cranbrook and play Lethbridge and play two teams that are off to pretty good starts and are historically pretty tough," said Kehler. "I think the weeks to come will prove difficult in terms of competition but I like a lot of the things that I am seeing from our team. Our kids are playing well, we have had balanced scoring and really getting great contributions from our first year players which has been terrific."

Kehler also agreed that the quick start from Keegan Dansereau has been vital to the Broncos success.

"Well Keegan has always been tremendous in Saskatoon, it's his hometown so he is always motivated there and certainly in the other games as well he has been a catalyst as well offensively. When we have struggled in some other games he was really one of the guys who put the team on his back and led the charge offensively. That is what you expect out of your 20-year-old players and Keegan is off to a great start and that bodes well for us."

Friday overage defenseman Spencer McAvoy scored a pair of seeing-eye goals 2:24 apart early in the third period to help lead the Broncos to a 3-2 win over the visiting Blades.

McAvoy entered the contest with just 13 goals in 174 regular season games with the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Broncos.

"Well Dean has really been harping on me to shoot the puck so I figured why not, I have a free lane so just fire it," said McAvoy. "I didn't even see it go in I had my head down, it must have just made it through a screen and snuck by the goalie. But that is what we have to do is we have to get the shots through and hopefully he won't see them."

The Broncos also had a goal from Dansereau, his second of the year.

Saskatoon replied with goals from Curtis Hamilton and Milan Kytnar.

Guggenberger posted his first win of the season with a 29 save performance.

"Yeah our team hasn't let up. I mean we come to work every night and we know that we can't take any time off," said Guggenberger of his team following the game.

"You just have to work every day in practice. We had our goalie coach down this week and he really helped me out with my game and I was ready for tonight," said Guggenberger when asked about his role backing up overager Travis Yonkman.

Saskatoon goaltender Braden Holtby turned aside 35 of 38 shots in the loss.