A must win weekend got off to a fantastic start for the Broncos Friday night as they paid back a Kindersley Klippers club that has handed Humboldt a pair of laughable home losses already this year.

On this night at the Elgar Petersen Arena outside of a blip late in the first period it was all Humboldt as they cruised to a lopsided 7-3 win. The two points being even more vital, Yorkton lost 3-2 to Melville in a shoot-out, Humboldt is now eight points back with eight to go. with the win, the Millionaires actually leapfrog the Broncos for 11th. Each have 33 points but the Mils have one more victory.

However, to catch them their own wins had to come and Friday's was a great start to the first of back to back home contests this weekend.

"Obviously it's a good feeling," Michael Korol remarked following the game. His ninth of the season was the winner late in the second period.

"You know we're trying our best here to make a push for the playoffs and I mean guys are buying in and doing whatever it takes to win."

Connor Swystun put the home side up 1-0 just past the halfway point of the first beating Brandon Bilodeau for his seventh of the year, he had help from Rock Ruschkowski and Chris Van Os-Shaw.

The Broncos would jump ahead 2-0 about four minutes later, Tristan Hermanson knocked in his second goal of his rookie season. Wesley Shipton and Logan Schatz picked up the helpers, that was just the start for Schatz.

The early lead was a nice change for the Broncos and they needed every bit of it, Kindersley fought back with goals from Daniel Lange and Dexter Bricker to tie the score back at 2-2 before the first was out.

The green and gold were determined to not let another late period goal haunt them.

At 11:33 of the second, Schatz snapped a shot from the high slot on a Humboldt power-play that was tipped by Van Os-Shaw as the duo continues to put up points. Daniel McKitrick picked up the other assist on Van Os-Shaw's first of the night and 14th of the season.

This time it was the Broncos that would generate late period offence, McKitrick scooped up a loose puck seconds after the Broncos had killed a penalty and the Cole Harbour, Nunavut product fed Korol perfectly for the 4-2 tally.

The Broncos wouldn't let up in the third, Laramie Kostelansky snapped a long wrist shot that fooled Nathan Hargrave in the Kindersley net. He came on in relief after Bilodeau was pulled following Korol's goal.

That turned out to be an important insurance marker, Lange beat Ryan LaRochelle again before the five minute point making it a two goal game again. Van Os-Shaw delivered the goods at 14:16 for his second of the night. His 15th, and ninth in eight games since being acquired for Jarrett Fontaine was assisted by Schatz and Trevor Posch.

With a three goal deficit and points at a premium at this juncture of the season Klippers' Head Coach Geoff Grimwood took a chance and pulled Hargrave for an extra attacker with an offensive zone face-off with under five minutes to play. The move backfired immediately as Schatz went straight ahead off the draw up the right wing where Posch had a step on the Kindersley defenseman, the 19 year-old from Leduc, Alberta hit the empty net for his 13th to cap the scoring sending the majority of the 461 fans home happy.

Korol added that they weren't going to let that late period goal hurt them.

"After the first we weren't happy with giving up two late but our attitude coming into the second period was it's a 0-0 hockey game. We're going to compete and you know we're going to work hard."

LaRochelle picked up the win, he was stellar stopping 23/26, Bilodeau was on the hook for the loss, he allowed four on 14, Hargrave stopped only two of his four shots he saw to cap a tough night in the Klippers' cage.

Humboldt was 1/2 with the man advantage, Kindersley finished 0/3 as the Broncos dominated the special teams as well.

The Broncos will now get set to host Jarrett Fontaine and the Weyburn Red Wings at 7:30. That is two more critical points at stake. The Broncos need them now, four of their next five games to close February are at the EPA.

"We've got to take full advantage of these games at home definitely," Korol agreed. "Our main focus is to bring the energy we had tonight and hopefully things work out."

Face-off is 7:30.

You can hear Korol's complete post-game comments below.

Elsewhere Friday night, Estevan held off LaRonge 4-3 and Nipawin edged Weyburn 2-1 in overtime.