The Lethbridge Hurricanes came back in the third period but had no answer for Alexsi Heponiemi's finishing touches.
Not with Stuart Skinner putting up a wall in front of his former teammates.
Heponiemi's first goal of the playoffs with less than nine minutes left in the third period put the Swift Current Broncos ahead 3-2 and Skinner did the rest, blocking 16 shots in the third period to give the Broncos the win in Game 1 of the WHL Eastern Conference championship series Friday night in Swift Current.
Leading 2-0 on second-period goals from Max Patterson and former Hurricane captain Giorgio Estephan, the Broncos saw their lead evaporate when Matthew Stanley scored at even strength, 6:37 into the third period, and Calen Addison followed up with a power-play goal at the 9:56 mark. But just 82 seconds later the 19-year-old Finnish import, Heponiemi, found the net with what stood as the gamewinner.
The Hurricanes outshot the Broncos 18-10 in the third period and 41-30 in the game.
Five of those Lethbridge shots came off the stick of WHL playoff scoring leader Brad Morrison, who was held off the scoreboard for the first time in 11 playoff games.
Morrison, a Prince George native who played four seasons for the Prince George Cougars, still leads the WHL with 29 points, including 12 goals.
Logan Flodell, traded to Lethbridge from Swift Current in January in the deal that sent Skinner and Estephan to the Broncos, took the loss in net for the Hurricanes.
Game 2 of the series will be played tonight in Swift Current.
Meanwhile, in Game 1 of the Western Conference championship Friday in Everett, Wash., Garret Pilon scored two goals to give the Everett Silvertips a 3-2 win over the Tri-City Americans.
Carter Hart had a quiet night in between the pipes for the Silvertips, making 16 saves for his ninth win of the playoffs. Patrick Dea stoped 22 of 25 Silvertip shots.
Pilon, acquired in a trade from Kamloops at the January deadline, opened the scoring with his seventh goal of the playoffs 1:05 into the game and he fired the gamewinner 17:12 into the second period. Connor Dewar also scored for the Silvertips, in the first period.
Morgan Geekie collected his WHL-leading 16th goal of the playoffs to get the Americans on the scoreboard, a power-play effort 47 seconds into the second period. Michael Rasmussen tied the game 2-2 a few minutes later.
Game 2 of the series is set for tonight in Everett.
