Played on Nov 26, 2025
Game Played in accesso ShoWare Center
General Game Notes: Despite the high score, this game did not see a decisive goal until late in the third period. The Thunderbirds completed an impressive comeback after trailing by three midway through the second, rattling off four unanswered goals to regain control. Capitalizing on several sloppy sequences from the Broncos, they ultimately secured a hard earned victory.
Ashton Cumby (D, L, 6’5″, 216, Seattle Thunderbirds, 07/19/2005)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Cumby is a talented offensive defenseman whose speed and puck skills allow him to generate chances both in transition and inside the offensive zone. His game thrives on risk-taking, an essential trait for true offensive blue liners, but that same instinct can led to some inconsistencies in his own end. When those risks do not pay off, they can result in breakdowns and quality chances against, at times offsetting the offensive impact he brings. He has the size to be very effective at both ends of the ice. He is able to ward off players offensively and defensively that allow him to possess the puck longer than most.
Coster Dunn (C, R, 6’1″, 191, Seattle Thunderbirds, 09/13/2005)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Dunn scored a nice goal tonight on the power play beating the goalie over the shoulder. Set up as the flanker, Dunn attacked downhill and got the puck in motion, without stick handling, he was able to catch and release it with such quickness and accuracy, the goalie stood no chance. Dunn is great in this flanker set up where he can choose when to be a shooter and when to be a passer. He sees the ice well and can freeze defenders with his deception. Multiple times on the power play he would draw both forwards in, only to dish around then with a sauce pass, behind the back, or backhand.
Sawyer Mayes (C, L, 6’4″, 202, Seattle Thunderbirds, 01/08/2007)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Mayes scored a crucial goal that you could argue sparked the comeback for his team. Shorthanded he was able to break up a rush and set himself on a breakaway where he made a nice move at the goalie and was able to find the back of the net. Mayes is a big man that takes up space and is able to use his size to push around smaller opponents. His goal was a good example of this, where he was able to take space, re gap, and force a turnover. He has slower foot speed off the jump but when he is able to elongate his stride, he has strength that allows him to beat smaller forwards to loose pucks.
Brock England (C, L, 5’11”, 174, Seattle Thunderbirds, 08/22/2009)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: England was able to bury home a rebound that he started with a three on one rush at the net. As he opted to shoot instead of seam the defender, England stopped at the net and put the loose puck that was sitting at the crease in the back of the net. This small part of England’s game is something that is underrated about his play. He is offensively a threat and this is why, he chooses not to drift away from the play and is rewarded because of that. Only seventeen games on his resume this year with double digit goals and it is little aspects about his game that he has the stat line that he has.
Radim Mrtka (D, R, 6’6″, 218, Seattle Thunderbirds, 06/09/2007)
Game Rating
A
Mrtka’s playing style allows him to excel in various situations. As an extra forward, he feels most comfortable joining the rush, displaying awareness and poise when recovering on defense. His puck skills are notable, as he poses a threat at both the point and in the neutral zone. In his own zone, Mrtka demonstrates efficiency in reading and reacting to plays. While he may face physical limitations due to his size, this does not hinder his ability to contribute offensively. Notably, he has shown flashes of playmaking prowess, particularly on the power play where a strong shot and excellent instincts make him a key asset.
1 Viewing
Comments: When he moves his feet to get to pucks first, he is hard to catch and get a read on what he wants to do. He is deceptive with his skating, with shimmy shakes going back for pucks and getting up the ice. His mobility along the blue line is confident and smooth allowing him to create show lanes that would not be there. For how offensive he is, he has some risk to his game. He will dive in the offensive zone, expect the puck and not get it, making him last guy back on the forecheck. It is impressive how mobile he is given his size, he is one of the bigger players on the ice, if not the biggest, but plays a smaller style.
Simon Lovsin (RW, R, 6’0″, 189, Seattle Thunderbirds, 01/22/2006)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Lovsin was able to show off skill with his goal faking the goalie out and getting him to dive while he was able to maneuver around the net and wrap it in right before the goalie was able to recover. Lovsin is able to be agile while keeping the puck on his stick and his head up scanning for his teammates. He has the type of mobility where he can place himself in a position that makes it hard for defenders to understand where he wants to go. He actually packs a pretty powerful shot given is size, he is able to get the full flex of his stick and whip the puck on net. Is is not the most physical player on the ice but will do his best to close when the chance presents itself.
Jace McFaul (D, R, 5’9″, 172, Swift Current Broncos, 03/03/2007)
Game Rating
B
McFaul demonstrated proficiency in puck skills, capable of making plays from the back end with ease. His shooting ability is notable, particularly when shot from the point. Playing an aggressive style offensively, McFaul often creates scoring opportunities, but also risks being outmuscled defensively due to his smaller stature. To mitigate this, he relies on active stickwork and quick footwork to stay in front of opponents. When forced to defend against larger forwards, McFaul excels at keeping the play outside by using his agility to keep pace with them. This approach allows him to maintain possession and limit scoring chances.
1 Viewing
Comments: McFaul does a lot of good things in all three zones but not great. He does not make a ton of mistakes but does not really move the needle offensively to make a huge impact. His offense tonight was created by getting easy shots on net from the blue line and transitioning pucks quickly up the ice getting the puck into the hands of his forwards. What he does better than anything is keep his gaps tight off rushes, not many players had the chance to beat him wide given that he started his gap early with a nice surf across ice. He is not afraid to be physical despite not being the biggest defender on the ice.
Noah Kosick (C, L, 5’11”, 167, Swift Current Broncos, 08/18/2008, Michigan)
Game Rating
B+
Kosick excels at reading the ice, using his vision to set up teammates for scoring opportunities. He possesses solid stick-handling skills, which enable him to create scoring chances through agility and creativity. Despite being under-sized, Kosick compensates by utilizing his motor to gain an advantage.
1 Viewing
Comments: Kosick scored a nice goal tonight with a great individual effort faking multiple players out before heading to the net. He faked the switch drop pass along the wall, got the defender to bite, then released a shot from the tops of the circles with a little screen that was able to beat the goalie low glove. Kosick could benefit from building some of that bottom half so he does not have to rely on his agility and speed and could take on some contact along the wall. Right now, he gets bumped off a lot of pucks if he does not use his feet first. Instead of embracing from checks, he needs to start absorbing them.
Trae Wilke (LW, L, 6’0″, 206, Swift Current Broncos, 04/20/2006)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: Wilke scored a nice goal tonight with a similar wrap around to his teammates. Wilke got the puck at the front of the net from a point shot, basically faked a redirect, got the goalie to fall, then beat him to the far post. Wilke is a bigger forward and was in his office at the start of the play, he plays hard and invites contact so the front of the net is where he likes to position himself. He could work on his foot speed a bit having getting caught from a behind on a couple back checks. For the most part, he is able to out muscle for position and relies on his strength to win pucks but if he adds that extra gear in his game, his entire offensive style could expand.
Brock Burch (RW, R, 5’7″, 168, Swift Current Broncos, 12/29/2009)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: Scored a nice little one timer goal popping out into the slot and getting his shot of quick. Burch was able to show tonight that he does a good job at being unpredictable when entering the offensive zone. He will cut back, cut to the middle, or put the puck between his legs to create space and deception. He will shoot pucks from everywhere, whether that was a good or bad thing really depended on the support he had with him. Not really having the start that gets him on the score sheet often, but that is not due to a lack of effort.
Sawyer Dingman (LW, L, 6’2″, 215, Swift Current Broncos, 05/11/2008)
Game Rating
B-
1 Viewing
Comments: Dingman does a good job at winning body position at the net front, boxing out smaller defenseman and making it hard for the goalie to see pucks. He does not have the fastest foot speed and needs a couple steps to get moving but once he does, he uses his size to be a force. When he can lower his shoulder and drive, he was able to show that he is hard to contain. He works twice as hard in the offensive zone than the defensive zone and looses his man positionally occasionally but physically he can make it hard for quicker more agile opponents to play their game.
Jaxen Gauchier (RW, L, 6’0″, 173, Swift Current Broncos, 06/21/2007)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Gauchier with a bit of a lucky goal tonight just literally getting his shot on net. There was a bit of skill involved when he was able to get the puck from his skate to his stick quickly, and maybe that was what caught the goalie off guard. Nice start to his Bronco season scoring a goal per game and it was this type of goal that sums it up. He will get his chances on net, even if they are low quality, he choses quickness or picking his corners and sometimes it pays off. What goes well with his shooting capability is his size, he is a big man that can and will body position at the net front and on net drives. He is able to score multiple different ways with the combination he possesses.
Photo credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images