Broncos top Pats in OT to take 2-1 series lead

It was a tight and hard-hitting game on Monday night, but the Pats couldn’t quite make it past the Broncos in Swift Current. 

The Pats and the Broncos traded hit and shots throughout the night in an exciting game that continued into overtime, however, the game ended quickly when Swift Current’s Colby Sissions scored less than two minutes into the extra frame. 

The Broncos won the game 2-1, and also took a 2-1 lead in the series. 

Both teams buckled down in the first to keep the other off the scoreboard, but at the start of the third things were looking up for the Pats when Dawson Leedahl, set up by Sam Steel, finally got a shot past goaltender Jordan Papirny. The Pats had peppered him with 14 shots in the first frame, to no avail. 

However, it didn’t take long for the Broncos to respond. Sergey Zborovskiy took a slashing penalty just 17 seconds after the Pats’ goal, and just as he was about to come back on the ice, Conner Chaulk found the back of the net to tie the score at one. 

Both teams held the line through the third period, forcing overtime.

Sissons shot went through Brown’s legs and into the net, delighting the hometown crowd.

Missing from the lineup again in game three were Regina forwards Adam Brooks and Filip Ahl.

Brooks was one of the team’s top scorers, notching 130 points during the regular season. Already in the playoffs, he had nine before he left game two of the series with a lower-body injury. The Pats have not said if or when he’d be back in the lineup. 

Ahl, on the other hand, was a late scratch for game two and did not return to the lineup in game three. His injury status is undisclosed, with no timetable for return. 

Swift Current remains the host for game four on Tuesday night. 

Puck drop is at 7 p.m.

THREE STARS

1. Jordan Papirny (Broncos), 33 saves
2. Tyler Brown (Pats), 31 saves
3. Colby Sissions (Broncos), game-winning goal