Gibbons Broncos win League championship

By Grant Cree

The Gibbons Broncos recently won the Noralta Junior Hockey League (NJHL) trophy. The Broncos are one of 11 teams in the NJHL, online at www.njhl.ca.

“It all came from having a unified message,” said Broncos Forward Colten Brenneis. “As a team of young adults, our coaches allowed us time to talk between ourselves at the start of each period and before the game. Most of us have played hockey for many years.”

The average age range is 18 to 20 for most of the players. Most Broncos team members played with the CNN Spurs when they were younger. During the playoffs, many Broncos arrived at the arenas wearing suits as they carried their hockey sticks and gear bags into the change room.

“Our captains normally led the discussion about things we had to do and get better at as the game progresses,” said Brenneis. He noted that any player was welcome to add things for improvement and credited the coaches for making sure everyone was all on the same page.

“Our coaches did an excellent job throughout the year ensuring that they maintained authority while letting players take ownership of what we as a team needed to work on,” said Brenneis. “Our coaches and leaders instilled a unified message on what needs to happen in the last 10 minutes of a game to get a win, and as a team, that’s what we did.

Blake Krachkowski is a team forward and has been with the Broncos for four years. He credited the leadership for creating conditions so the players could win on and off the ice. “That’s what brought the guys together and won it,” said Krachkowski. “We had good leaders on the team. Everybody was a leader on the team.”

During the Broncos team meetings, everybody was encouraged to speak up about what they needed to work on to improve for the next game. “They gave us free rein to express our opinions, and everybody contributed,” said Krachkowski.

“Every single person gets along, and we’re all buddies. And that’s lifelong relationships, and everybody will keep contributing to the Broncos. It will always be a part of us forever, and it made everybody better people. This year, what we did made the community better; that’s the coolest thing for me.”

The Broncos manager Wendy Richards thanked fans and the community for their support during the 2021-2022 season. “We are thankful to all fans around Gibbons and Sturgeon County,” said Richards. 

“I’ve watched and been a manager to some of these players since minor hockey, and they are such a deserving group to be supported and cheered. The local businesses have created a great partnership with the Broncos that is greatly appreciated.”