It wasn't pretty, but it sure as heck was entertaining.
Calder Neufeld, Dylan Smith and Cole Olson combined for 12 points in the Bruins' 6-5 win over Humboldt tonight. Neufeld led the way with a hat trick and assist, Smith had a goal and four apples and Olson added a goal and two assists.
Neufeld's assist was a beauty and it came on what was the eventual game-winner. With the Bruins leading 5-4 late in the third, Neufeld came across the Broncos' line being hooked up by a Humboldt player. He chipped the puck over the player's head, got around and beat him to it, then sent a hard pass across onto Smith's tape in the slot for an easy backdoor goal. It had the place roaring. Just spectacular.
Neufeld and Smith are now tied for second in league scoring with 10 points apiece in just four games. Olson isn't far behind with eight points.
The Broncos opened the scoring eight minutes into the first on a filthy tic-tac-toe play with Backhouse and Antkowiak. Brett Pinder finished it off by going top cheese from the side of the net.
Neufeld netted his first of the night at 12:23 on what looked like a broken play. Olson's attempted pass from the left circle hit a skate, but Neufeld gathered the loose puck and beat Matt Hrynkiw to the far side.
Just 15 seconds after that, Josh Jelinski demolished Andrew Johnston with perhaps one of the best open-ice hits I've ever seen in the Bruins' zone. It was like a linebacker dropping a running back. You could hear the impact from the press box. Johnston was okay but got in a skirmish with Lyndon Soper and wound up in the box.
The hit seemed to spark the Bruins and they added two more goals shortly after that, another by Neufeld and then a Chris Daniels shot that beat Hrynkiw past the blocker.
Riley Kieser made it 3-2 less than a minute after the Daniels goal on a scramble in the crease where it looked like Tendler had it covered up, but it somehow squeaked in.
Humboldt evened the score three minutes into the second when Jeff Bartel went for a hit on Matt Glowa at the blueline, missed, and Glowa wound up scoring blocker side.
Olson restored the Bruins' lead three minutes later when he one-touched a loose puck into the net on his backhand. The Bruins carried a 4-3 lead to the third.
Neufeld completed the hat trick barely three minutes in, directing the puck over Hrynkiw's blocker from in tight. I think I saw one hat.
Taylor Reich was impressive on one shift in particular early in the third. He was being dogged by Adam Zbitniff, holding and hooking high in the zone, followed by a cross-check to the ice behind the net. Instead of firing back, Reich let Zbitniff pick up the puck, looped around the zone and crunched him into the boards on a clean hit. It was the kind of response you'd expect from a vet, rather than retaliating and getting into penalty trouble.
Just when it looked like the Bruins would win comfortably, Logan Sproule drew the Broncos to within one with 3:19 left, on a seeing-eye point shot that found the top left corner through traffic.
Neufeld and Smith connected 41 seconds later, and then Neil Landry scored 83 seconds after that to set up a nailbiter of a finish.
A total of 39 goals have now been scored in the Bruins' first four games. Keith and I were joking that they trimmed down the total goals from 12 in the season opener to 11 (kinda like Luongo in the playoffs). But a win is a win and the Bruins are now 2-0 at home.
Here are your post-game interviews:
Calder Neufeld Sept. 27 by lewis94
Dylan Smith Sept. 27 by lewis94
Keith Cassidy Sept. 27 by lewis94
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