The rink wasn't full, but the on-ice action was fast and furious as the Humboldt Broncos took on the Under-17 Swedish national team at the Elgar Petersen Arena on New Year's Day.
Though Humboldt came out on the low end of a 4-1 final score, the game was by no means disappointing to the over 750 fans who attended.
The Swedes, though younger than the under-20 Broncos, showed spectacular skill as they raced the Broncos up and down the ice, and smoothly handled the puck.
The Broncos, meanwhile, remained competitive, keeping up to their younger opponents and forcing them to play a very physical game.
The Swedes scored their first goal just over a minute into play. David Gunnarsson, assisted by Fredric Anderberg, snuck the puck behind Bronco goalie Andrew Bodnarchuk for the point.
That first goal was it for scoring in the first period, as both teams battled to get the puck into their opponent's zone. The Broncos played more defensively than Sweden in the first frame, logging just six shots on goal to Sweden's 20 in the first period, but that changed in the second period.
The Broncos came out onto the ice in the second period with a mission. Grinning as the puck dropped at centre ice, the Broncos were able to keep much of the action at the Swedish end of the ice for the first portion of the period.
Sweden did score their second goal at 2:35 of the second - Daniel Ljunggren got the point, assisted by Mattias Kalin. However, after some missed shots, and pinging the puck off the post at one point, the Broncos took advantage of a slip by the Swedish goalie at 9:36 to get their first and only point of the game.
Sweden's goaltender Marcus Hogberg, had gone into the corner to play the puck when Humboldt's Jeremy Boyer went wheeling down the ice. Boyer got a hold of the puck behind the net while Hogberg was still in the corner, and was able to get it around to the front and poke it in before the Swedes defence could recover.
Boyer was unassisted on the point.
A penalty to Bronco Riley Gillies for delay of game late in the second allowed the Broncos to fall further behind in scoring. On a power play at 18:06, Swede Anderberg was able to score, assisted by Filip Forsberg and Lucas Wallmark.
Another penalty to the Broncos, this time to Pat Tran for slashing at 13:37 of the third, not only got him ejected from the game for his third stick infraction - the penalty had to be served by Matt Glowa - it also allowed for a fourth and final Swedish goal at 15:22.
This time, it was Linus Arnesson who got the point on Bronco goaltender Matt Hrynkiw, who was brought in for the third period. Assists went to Calle Andersson and Wallmark.
At the close of the game, the fans gave both teams a standing ovation for their efforts, which made for a fast-paced, entertaining hockey game. The Swedish team saluted the fans with their sticks before leaving the ice.
"I thought it was a very good game. Those who didn't come missed out on a pretty good hockey game," said Humboldt Broncos head coach Dean Brockman.
His team played okay, he felt.
"We didn't take advantage of some chances we had to score. But after we adjusted to the pace, we played really well, I felt.... with pretty good edge."
His team, he felt, wanted to prove something, but came up a little short.
Brockman said he had the luxury of seeing the Swedes play one game online.
"We tried to adjust our game a little bit," he said, in order to compete against them.
The Swedish team, Brockman added, is very skilled, they skate really well and they are definitely big for their age - on average, the players are six feet tall and 175 lbs.
"They're always moving," he added. "It's a lot different game than we play over here."
The Humboldt game was the third played by the Swedish team on their four-city stop in Saskatchewan. The team had already won games over both Flin Flon and LaRonge before taking on the Broncos, and played their final game in North Battleford on January 3.
Prior to leaving for North Battleford, and just days before they headed back home, Swedish coach Anders Eriksen told the Journal the games in Saskatchewan had given his team what he'd hoped for - experience playing in Canada.
For many members of his team, this was their first time playing hockey in Canada, with its smaller rinks and faster game.
"For us, it's been fine. It's a tough, physical game," he said of the Canadian version of hockey. "We are three to four years younger (than the players on the Saskatchewan teams). They're a bit more powerful, but I think we handled that well. The games have been really, really good."
His team, overall, is also very good, Eriksen admitted with a smile. Some play with teams in the Swedish elite league already, which is the professional league in Sweden.
"Some of the guys are really, really good," he said. And as the coach of this team, he had his pick of any player he wanted in Sweden.
Once in Saskatchewan, Eriksen found the style of hockey played by the different teams to be quite different. LaRonge focused more on playing the puck, he felt, while the Bombers and Broncos played a more physical game.
The aim of his team, Eriksen noted, was to play a very fast game, which is what fans were treated to in Humboldt.
"If we can skate hard and pass the puck often... if we do that, we hope they can't play physical against us. They have to speed up to catch us."
What do the players think of the faster-paced, more physical Canadian game?
"They're in heaven now," Eriksen smiled. "They really, really like it."
One of the stars of the team, Filip Forsberg, echoed those comments.
This was Forsberg's first time playing hockey in Canada.
"It's interesting with the smaller rinks and bit tougher game," he told the Journal."It's fun being here," he smiled.
Likely to be named among the top 10 picks in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Forsberg will probably have many more opportunities to play in this country, but he was thankful for this first experience.
"It makes me feel more comfortable for when I'm out in the world. It's great being here - it's very helpful," he said.
And while it's definitely his dream to play in the NHL, Forsberg is realistic about the effort it will take on his part.
"It's a long way to the top," he said. "I need to work at it a lot."
Their game against the Broncos, he felt, was not as good as it could have been.
"We've been better against the Bombers and the Ice Wolves," he said. "But we got better and better in the game. It was a pretty good game."
This Swedish team was originally to play in the Under-17 challenge in Winnipeg this year.
"First we were invited, then we weren't," Erikson noted.
Still wanting to make the trip, the Swedish team had to find some other places to play, and due to contacts in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, including Humboldt Broncos coach Dean Brockman and LaRonge Ice Wolves coach Bob Beatty, who attended one of Team Sweden's camps last year, the Saskatchewan tour was set up.
The team flew into Saskatchewan just after Christmas and stayed in Humboldt for two days before heading north to play Flin Flon and LaRonge. They then hiked back to Humboldt to prepare for their January 1 match-up with the Broncos.
"Humboldt was like home for us," Eriksen said of coming back after those days away.
The hotel staff, food and everything else in Humboldt, including the arena, found favour with this team.
Eriksen even got to meet Elgar Petersen after one of the games, something he considered an honour.
"I like it. Everyone is very nice here, very friendly," Forsberg said of Humboldt.
Summing up the entire experience in one word, Eriksen described it as "fantastic."
Would they do it again?
"Yes," Forsberg said. "It's been really very fun."
The Humboldt Broncos organization, who actually took the lead on these games in Saskatchewan, was also pleased with how everything went.
"I thought the game was great," said Broncos board president Bob Johnston. "We were lucky to get to see some of world's best 15- and 16-year-olds play in our own rink, and against our own club. It was very entertaining, and competitive and I think the fans appreciated watching this type of exhibition game."
Overall, the tour was very successful, Johnston said, for all teams involved.
"As an organization, we were able to give our fans something different than what they would normally see. I think that alone makes all the hard work worth while," he added.
Some fans suggested after the game making such a match-up an annual event.
"We will look into it," Johnston promised. "I can't guarantee that we can do this each year, but I think it is worth exploring. With the RBC Cup next year, I think it will be tough to pull this off. Having said that, if the right opportunity presents itself, we won't be afraid of doing this again next year."
